During the first half of Lisa B. Thompson’s well-acted Single Black Female, two women search an apartment for signs of the play’s title subject like detectives trying to solve a mystery.
In this case, the tell-tale signs of an unmarried black woman in her 30s include Pottery Barn bowls and Vibe magazines.
But through simple costume changes, physical humor and musical samples, the play convincingly captures the pain and delight of educated, unmarried black women in 15 short scenes.
Thompson focuses on one demographic, but her thoughts on her often-insecure stage of life speak to a wider audience.
When the play’s actresses, Jammie Patton and Candice McKoy, explore Internet dating, they find trouble in a society submerged in technology. “How can you find passion through an inanimate object?” they ask.
The play also unearths humor in the rocky romantic lives of two black women who detest commitment and want security in the same breath.
Avoiding an unwanted relationship, one woman shares her strategy: “Going Evangelical on a man hasn’t failed me yet.” Another character shares a horror story about facing the “married mafia” at family reunions, who constantly push the unwed toward the altar.
After exploring racial stereotypes and cultural taboos that come with being a single black woman, Thompson’s two women realize what they have left—each other’s understanding.
■ Single Black Female will be performed at 3 and 8 p.m. today and 8 p.m. Thursday at The MainStage Theatre, Wake Forest. For tickets, $37, 723-7907 or http://www.nbtf.org.
■ Christian Kloc can be reached at 727-7270 or at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).