Kearstin Piper Brown to Star in Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel Opera Off-Broadway
(Photos provided by Rinaldi PR)
Lincoln Center Theater has announced Kearstin Piper Brown as star of its upcoming world premiere opera Intimate Apparel, based on the award-winning play by two-time Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage. Tony winner Bartlett Sher will direct and Tony nominee Camille A. Brown will choreograph the previously announced off-Broadway production, slated to begin previews on February 27 and open on March 23 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.
Kearstin Piper Brown's career has spanned opera and musical theater, including appearances with San Francisco Opera, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Opera Kazan, Skylight Music Theatre, Dayton Opera, Virginia Opera, Utah Festival Opera and the Belarusian State Philharmonic Orchestra. A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Brown is a graduate of both Spelman College and Northwestern University.
Joining Brown in the Intimate Apparel cast will be 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.
Chabrelle Williams will play the role of Esther at Wednesday and Saturday matinee performances.
Featuring a book by Nottage and music by Ricky Ian Gordon (My Life with Albertine), Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a lonely, single African-American woman in 1905 New York City 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.
Intimate Apparel will feature scenic design by Michael Yeargan, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Jennifer Tipton, sound design by Marc Salzberg and projection design by 59 Productions.
