Unseamly @ the Infinitheatre

Unseamly, a play performed at the Infinithéâtre, is a play about a young woman who wants to file a sexual abuse lawsuit against the C.E.O. of the clothing company called “The Standard”. The Standard has a reputation of having ads that are risqué and having a line of clothing that is proudly made in the U.S. and not in sweatshops. Furthermore, the C.E.O. has a record of being highly inappropriate with past female work colleagues and has in fact settled many cases and has never been convicted of any wrongdoing. Ring a bell?

The journey begins with the young woman, played by Arlen Aguayo Stewart, who’s seeking help from a lawyer, played by Howard Rosenstein. The beginning of the play will actually invoke quite some laughter thanks to sarcasm from the lawyer. However, as Stewart’s character goes into detail as to why she seeks a lawsuit, the play takes a more engaging and serious tone. The C.E.O. of The Standard, Ira Slatsky, played by Jonathan Silver, is full character, clearly misogynists, and narcissistic. The retelling of her past events while working for The Standard show the hardship and difficult choices she, and possibly other women in the business of fashion, have gone too in order to achieve success.

The set itself is dynamic and changes throughout the play and successfully convinces viewers that they are in a different location every now and then: from a law firm office, to a clothing store, a hotel room, etc.  Interestingly enough, as the young woman is retelling her past events, the lawyer is watching her re-enact what she did. He essentially takes the same role as the viewers, except he interrupts to ask questions or give out remarks.

The boundaries facing the young protagonist seem almost insurmountable, which the lawyer points out many times during her flashbacks. The lawyer is looking for a solid case but can’t find one as she’s telling the truth of what she went through. I won’t spoil anything, but I do recommend that you see this play and witness a side that you might not have been aware of the fashion industry.

American Apparel and Dov Charney, in case you didn’t figure it out.

Tickets: http://www.infinitheatre.com/infin-box-office.html