There are glimmers of biting social commentary and genuine insight in Lisa B. Thompson's Single Black Female, now getting a return engagement at the Duke on 42nd Street after a 2006 Off-Broadway run. Unfortunately, the often zestful delivery of stars Riddick Marie and Soara-Joye Ross and the sharpness of some of Thompson's writing are not enough to fully galvanize this generally weary comedic look at the lives of middle-class African-American women.

Thompson uses two prototypes for her exploration of everything from home décor, dating and cultural stereotypes. SBF 1 (Marie) is a college professor in her late thirties, who's attempting to balance her professional and personal lives, w[...]