Kearstin Piper Brown to star in Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel at Lincoln Center Theater

Lincoln Center Theater has now announced casting for its upcoming production of new opera Intimate Apparel. As previously reported, the LCT production is scheduled to begin previews at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on February 27, 2020, ahead of an official opening on March 23 and a limited engagement through May 3, 2020.

The cast of Intimate Apparel will be led by Kearstin Piper Brown as Esther. Brown has enjoyed an extensive career in both opera and musical theater, having appeared alongside the San Francisco Opera, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Kazan, Utah Festival Opera, Skylight Music Theatre, and the Belarusian State Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Chabrelle Williams will cover the role of Esther at Wednesday and Saturday matinee performances.

The cast also includes Dominic Armstrong, Justin Austin, Errin Duane Brooks, Helena Brown, Chanáe Curtis, Adrienne Danrich, Leroy Davis, Matthew Gamble, Arnold Livingston Geis, Christian Mark Gibbs, Tesia Kwarteng, Anna Laurenzo, Justin Lee Miller, Jasmine Muhammad, Naomi Louisa O'Connell, Kimberli Render, and Krysty Swann.

Intimate Apparel features music by Ricky Ian Gordon and a libretto by Lynn Nottage, based on her critically acclaimed play, which won the Outer Critics Circle Award for "Best Off-Broadway Play" after its 2004 premiere. This marks the first libretto written by the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. The Off-Broadway production is directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher.

Synopsis: "Set in turn of the century New York, Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a lonely, single African-American woman who makes her living sewing beautiful corsets and ladies' undergarments.  Seeking love and romance, Esther embarks on a letter writing relationship with a mysterious suitor laboring on the Panama Canal, and realizes that only her self-reliance and certainty of her own worth will see her through life's challenges."

The creative team behind Intimate Apparel also features music direction by Steven Osgood, choreography by Camille A. Brown, scenic design by Michael Yeargan, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, sound design by Marc Salzberg, and projections by 59 Productions.

Intimate Apparel was developed by Lincoln Center Theater alongside the Metropolitan Opera as part of the Met/LCT New Works Program.

^{(Photo courtesy of Rinaldi PR)}