ESCANABA — Audiences attending Players de Noc’s season opener, A Night of One Act Plays, will find the experience feels a lot like finding the perfect pair of jeans. It makes you look good, feel good, and fits like a glove, as if someone made it especially for you. The evening is comprised of two very different, yet relatable shows that are focused on the interplay between outer appearances and the emotions, memories, and experiences that lie beneath the surface.

The double-feature opens with the lighthearted comedic play “I Don’t Mind That You’re Ugly,” written by Bobby Keniston and directed by first-time Players director Jim Powell. Ugly follows Clyde, an “average-looking guy” (outstandingly played by Jesse Traub) who is waiting at “The Only Fancy Restaurant in Town.” Clyde is anxious, as he has plans to propose to his gorgeous girlfriend, Kira, luminously played by Autumn Fournier. However, these plans are continually foiled, as Clyde keeps getting stopped by restaurant staff and patrons who can’t possibly understand why she would be with him. The talented cast of zany characters, including a snobby hostess (Maddy Way), a hilariously sarcastic waitress (Christine Madalinski), a lovesick busboy (Brett Baumler), an sensual chef (Tylor Welch), an insecure patron (Madeline Gardner), a sleazy producer (Andrew Jones), and a blunt little old lady (Nancy Norberg), fuel Clyde’s frustrations and insecurities in the most delightful ways. Powell does a fantastic job in helping Clyde, Kira, and the audience answer the age-old question, “Do looks really matter?” and Traub and Fournier anchor the ideal balance of laughs and warmth.

Ugly is a perfect accessory to the more emotionally-heavy second feature, “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” written by beloved playwrights, Nora and Delia Ephron, and directed by another first-time Players director, Sara LaMarch. Wore consists of a series of confessional monologues and group scenes delivered by a gifted and radiant ensemble of eleven women clad in black (Tammra Barteld, Lisa Boggs, Jennifer Caron, Ashley Dahlgren, Autumn Fournier, Robin Gavriloff, Heather Grimes, Christine Madalinski, Paulette Pepin, Michelle Wall, and Jessie VanZile). For many of us, rifling through a closet is like opening a time capsule filled with first-dates, bad dates, the voice of our mother, the desire to be wanted, the desire to be ignored, and buried insecurities and mistakes. Wore emphasizes this, showing that our clothes are not just “things we wear”, but rather, extensions of ourselves…and we don’t always wear the same uniform.

Wore is timely, relevant, and relatable. Whether you personally know a cast member or not, you’ll recognize your mother, your sisters, your friends, and yourself in the stories shared. There are several standout monologues in the show, eliciting both laughter and tears, but some of the most powerful moments occur when the actors come together as a collective voice. The thoughtful and sensitive direction by LaMarch showcases not only the actors’ vulnerabilities and strengths, but the overall power in seeing real women’s stories being shared by real women.

The directors’ and production staff’s talents deserve special kudos for the top notch staging. The minimal, yet effective set design allowed the actors to truly connect and use their physicality; and the costuming, hair, and make-up perfectly highlighted each actor’s individual uniqueness, beautifully emphasizing the underlying messages of both shows.

Tickets for the remaining performances are available at the Bonifas Arts Center during business hours, online at www.playersdenoc.org, and at the box office one hour before the show if any seats remain available. The show runs Oct. 12-13 and Oct. 18-20 at 8 p.m., with a Sunday matinee on Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.