By Bridgette Jaakola

For the Daily Press

ESCANABA — Players de Noc opens its 2017-2018 season with an original play written and directed by local artist J.R. Spaulding Jr. ‘The Wall’ is difficult to describe. Most people will likely think ‘The Wall’ is *that* wall, but it isn’t. It’s more a metaphor for the increasing socioeconomic divide and hardline belief systems that Americans began experiencing in the 1990s. Imagine if the Intellectual Creative Class had to get along with the Classic Blue Collar Work Ethic inside a scathing farce of Corporate Culture with hilarious results and you might be kind of close to what this play is about.

The language is beautiful and shocking at times. Mr. Spaulding has written an eloquent, melodic script that, even when conveyed at high and passionate volume, is moving in its very substance. The cast is very well-rounded and represents almost every sort of American working subculture there is. There are CEO-types, union laborers, overlooked assistants, and governmental bureaucrats, and no one is free from a satirical poke in this show. Sometimes the metaphor is obvious, sometimes it is buried in the soundtrack, and sometimes you might not catch the subtleties until two hours later when you are still discussing it with the person who sat next to you because there is just so much to think about in this performance.

There are two things to consider about The Wall before you go. First of all, this is an original play by a local playwright performed in your local theater by dedicated volunteers, and that is an amazing thing. We do not often have the gift of so much talent coming together to create something new. Secondly, there may be times during this play when you are overwhelmed and confused, but I urge you fervently to stick with it. All will come together in the end. Without giving too much of the plot away, you’re going to be proud to be an American when you leave and maybe even have a new perspective on what it means to work together when we are all such different creatures.

Many performances in this play are notable; from the everyman labor foreman to the glass-ceilinged assistant, Ms. Ricki and her own inept assistant alongside the capricious and verbose Mr. Rondo, to the stereotypical and literal clowns that make up the motley group of laborers and the sensorial assault of Americana that closes the production. The set and lighting make a profoundly effective backdrop to convey the expansive themes and tones of the script and the sound design is a perfect complement. ‘The Wall’ runs this week from Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Bonifas Arts Center Theater. Tickets are available online at playersdenoc.org or at the box office. You’re in for a treat, Delta County.