Review: Intimate Apparel at the Donmar Warehouse
- Lisa in the theatre
- Jul 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 25
Pulitzer prize winning writer Lynn Nottage reunites with director Lynette Linton to bring her acclaimed play Intimate Apparel to the Donmar Warehouse in London. Playing from 20 June to 9 August 2025, Intimate Apparel stars Emmy Award Winner Samira Wiley.
Review: Donmar Warehouse, London | 10 July 2025
Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage review | Donmar Warehouse ★★★★★
New York City, 1905. Thirty-five year old Esther (Samira Wiley) lives in a boarding house for black women where she sews intricate lingerie for any woman who can afford her fine, delicate creations. Her clients include wealthy white ladies and ambitious black prostitutes - all of them eager to employ Esther for her skills as a seamstress, her friendliness and discretion.
Independent but lonely, Esther frequently visits a haberdashery owned by Mr Marks (Alex Waldmann) where the two bond over a shared admiration for beautiful fabrics. But their relationship can't go any further. When Esther stars to receive love letters from a stranger in the Caribbean (Kadiff Kirwan) it could finally be her chance to find love.
A deeply personal play
Intimate Apparel is a deeply personal play inspired by the author Lynn Nottage finding an old black and white photo of her great grandmother, Ethel, a seamstress who, at only eighteen years old, moved to New York City alone. Family lore told that Ethel began corresponding with a man working on the Panama Canal just as George does in this play.
Nottage's play permits us a rare glimpse into the lives of African Americans at the turn of the twentieth century. And having read the backstory before seeing the production, the impactful use of photographs during the play took my breath away.
Every second of Lynette Linton's production of Intimate Apparel at the Donmar is exquisite. The stage is beautifully designed and presented by Alex Berry with artful lighting and simple blocking ensuring the performance space remains clean and uncluttered as the actors mobilise from all corners and levels of the auditorium.
Linton does something I've never seen before: she overlaps scenes with such skill that there's never a wasted second, never a lull in the story. Yet so finely choreographed and precise is each of the actor's movements that they silently replace props, reams of fabrics, and move themselves on and off stage so that our attention is always where is needs to be. It's powerful, pacey storytelling and it's breathtaking to behold.
The quality of the acting on display is majestic. Led by 'Orange is the New Black' star Samira Wiley, the captivating cast of six - Nicola Hughes, Claudia Jolly, Kadiff Kirwan, Faith Omole and Alex Waldmann - are sublime. Each perfectly cast, they deliver Nottage's lyrical, almost poetic language with tremendous artistry.
The combined talents of this cast and creative team deliver an impactful, unforgettable story. Intimate Apparel at the Donmar Warehouse is heartfelt and elegant; it's simply impeccable theatre. ★★★★★
Intimate Apparel plays at the Donmar Warehouse until Saturday 9 August 2025.
Intimate Apparel at the Donmar Warehouse cast
Nicola Hughes Mrs Dickson
Claudia Jolly Mrs Van Buren
Kadiff Kirwan George
Faith Omole Mayme
Alex Waldmann Mr Marks
Samira Wiley Esther
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