Part of Our
‘26-’27 Season
Part of Our ‘26-’27 Season
Intimate Apparel
AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 13, 2026
In 1905 New York City, Esther, a Black seamstress, is in great demand for the intimate apparel she creates for clients who range from wealthy white patrons to sex workers. Though leading a life that provides joy to so many, she remains lonely and longing for a husband and a future. Through a mutual acquaintance, she begins a correspondence with a lonesome Caribbean man named George and soon he persuades her that they should marry, sight unseen. However, Esther’s heart is drawn to the Hasidic shopkeeper from whom she buys cloth, and his heart with her. When George arrives in the city, Esther is hit with the reality of the situation and she is forced to face a future that she is truly unprepared for.
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Leontyne Mbele-Mbong
“Intimate Apparel is a quiet drama that deserves the noise that comes from the applause of an appreciative audience.”
“Intimate Apparel is a tremendous bit of plausible fiction about life 120 years ago. It will make viewers appreciate how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go.”
“Mercury Theater has done a masterful job presenting the hopes and dreams of a hardworking, self-sustaining seamstress in Intimate Apparel. …It’s a sad story of a love that will never be, perfectly directed by Leontyne Mbele-Mbong.”
