Arts

Two odysseys

by . .
Thursday Mar 5, 2015

Two Hub plays are taking striking odysseys-respectively personal and familial-to a variety of insights about American life. Lynn Nottage's "Intimate Apparel" examines the fabric of possibilities for a talented African-American seamstress looking for professional fulfillment as well as love. Dan LeFranc's "The Big Meal" chronicles both the evolution and the ups and downs of a contemporary American family. The Lyric Stage Company of Boston and Zeitgeist Stage Company do respective yeoman work premiering (the Lyric Stage effort the first professional Hub production) these striking if artistically very different plays.

In "Intimate Apparel," Nottage-inspired by a photograph of her great-grandmother-charts the unusual journey of dream-driven African-American seamstress Esther, from North Carolina to New York, and from solitude to marriage. Along the way, this initially reserved woman develops a number of friendships-including a curious one with a vulnerable black prostitute named Mayme for whom she sews and an ultimately disturbing one with a patronizing white client named Mrs. Van Buren, whose aloofness with Esther gives way to an offer of love which the seamstress rebuffs.

While a romance by letters brings a Barbadan Panama Canal worker named George to New York and Esther, their courtship, marriage and eventual break-up actually pale by comparison to her on-going friendship with Orthodox Jewish fabric salesman Mr. Marks.

There is more real unspoken passion between these platonically loving characters than between somewhat diffident Esther and disloyal, manipulative George. When Hassidic Marks-always dressed in black and white but very appreciative of the bright colors of much of his exotic inventory of silks and satins-tells Esther that they may not touch, she initially fears that he may be racist. Quickly explaining that he is already spoken for-with an unseen arranged match from his native Romania (whom he hesitates to marry until he can properly provide for her), Marks quietly suggests that this reason, a matter of tradition, is the essential reason for his physical distance.

Under Summer Williams' sharp direction, Lindsey McWhorter's vibrant Esther and Nael Nacer's noble Marks are standouts in a strong cast. Their moments together have strong undercurrents of real feeling that both actors deliver with singular intensity. Cheryl D. Singleton's no-nonsense but caring boardinghouse-managing Mrs. Dickson and Kris Sidberry's outspoken Mayme are particularly strong in support. Brandon G. Green is properly mercurial if not quite dynamic enough as George, and Amanda Ruggiero has the right superficiality as Mrs. Van Buren.

Anne Sherer's scenic design does well by Marks and George's contrasting upper level areas as well as the central stage level space where Esther sews and begins married life. George's upper stage right canal construction zone is properly limited, while Mark's upper stage left fabric inventory space is equally tight. Designer Amanda Mujica richly captures the vivid corsets and period fashions. Chris Hudacs' nuanced lighting matches the ups and downs of characters' fortunes. Allyssa Jones' musical compositions add significantly to the tone and tenor of individual scenes.

"Intimate Apparel" may somewhat fall short of award couture in its lengthy letter repertoire, but the beautiful Lyric Stage tailoring makes Nottage's affecting drama as stylish as the handsome Japanese silk jacket that ultimately connects Esther and Marks.

"The Big Meal" means to be a Cordon Bleu exploration of family and relationships. With alternately arranged, helter-skelter and arguably fated meetings and relationships set at Midwest restaurants in the past, present and future, Dan LeFranc's 2011 play serves up a menu as wide-ranging and eclectic as life itself. Here as in the short 1931 Thornton Wilder play "The Long Christmas Dinner"(in which actors mime eating) that clearly influenced LeFranc, actual food is conspicuous by its absence-with the exception of on-going cocktails and a meal served to certain characters-by a silent waiter, that becomes a striking metaphorical message.

Characters meet, fall in love, have children, age and confront the bill of mortality. Generations alternately come together and clash-all as in real life. Ultimately, though, few characters become more than representations of types. Still, out artistic director David J. Miller whips LeFranc's unusual theatrical recipe into a satisfying ensemble involving smooth, swift character changes.

Standouts Peter Brown and Shelley Brown have several touching moments as older men and older women. Devon Scalisi is particularly noteworthy as a much too busy father and Becca Lewis especially moving as a weary wife. Johnny Quinones and Ashley Risteen bring good energy to a number of young characters in relationships as well as family members. Alec Shiman and Arianna Reith have the right alternating attitude and warmth in the youngest roles. Josh Cleary is effective as the purposely silent waiter. Michael Clark Wonson smartly modulates the lighting reflecting the characters' changing fortunes-especially at the telling moments of actual eating.

Is the title offering a lifelong repast of relationships or an intimation of mortality? Does LeFranc's earnest exploratory effort lack the full import of Wilder's masterful "Our Town"? "The Big Meal" may not be theatrically filling, but Miller and company make the experience quite savory while it lasts.


Intimate Apparel, Lyric Stage Company of Boston, through March 14. 617-585-5678 or lyricstage.com

The Big Meal, Zeitgeist Stage Company, Black Box Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts, through March 7. 617-933-8600 or bostontheatrescene.com