A Dater’s Quandary in ‘Sensitive Man’

“A Sensitive Man” proves a double-edged label for nice guy Jerry Hart, a play-by-the-rules husband and modestly ambitious executive who finds himself suddenly single again in Nat Colley’s bittersweet comedy at Moving Arts in Silver Lake.

Featuring versatile Richard Whiten and April Grace in multiple roles, Colley’s perceptive, well-written play cuts a wide swath through issues of male identity, relations between the sexes, and race as it traces Jerry’s disastrous forays into the dating scene. Especially compelling is Colley’s exploration of the hidden needs that run counter to our consciously stated values, and the havoc they wreak on our attempts to communicate.

Sporting a disarmingly open smile and confessional demeanor, Whiten’s Jerry seems the ideal mate, yet he’s continually rejected by women who find him “too nice.” Being black, Jerry’s self-image is further undermined by black women who prefer dating white men, as well as the cultural hurdles faced by minorities in corporate life.

Yet the complex portrayal shows how Jerry’s romantic failures stem in part from his overwhelming impulse to please others instead of asserting (or even recognizing) his own needs. He even tries to fashion parts of his identity from women’s unrealistic ideals and from the advice of his equally clueless male friends (also played by Whiten).

Mary McGuire’s crisp, focused staging ensures that we don’t see Jerry as pure victim and extends an equal measure of compassion to the women who reject him. Grace impressively differentiates her various characters, giving each of Jerry’s women an independent reality beyond her plot function. Her sharpest portraits include Jerry’s fragile, socially maladroit girlfriend and a self-professed careerist drawn to abusive men.

Jerry’s eventual toughening at the expense of some of his finest qualities may leave us wishing for an alternative to sensitive loser or callous egotist, but it seems realistically--and rather sadly--inevitable.

* “A Sensitive Man,” Moving Arts, 1822 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Sept. 8. $12. (213) 665-8961. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes.