Haley Walker, the only onstage character in “Bad Dates,” is a bit of a shoe freak. She’s always searching her impressive and constantly growing collection for that pair that she can be sure is genuinely “cute.”

Perhaps that’s the best word to describe this 10th-season opener from Portland’s Good Theater as well.  “Sweet” and “funny” would also apply.

Playwright Theresa Rebeck’s insights are modest and perhaps more likely to garner chuckles of recognition from female members of the audience than from the males. Men, too, though, will probably enjoy the show, not the least because the star makes for an attractive protagonist.

Director Brian P. Allen has cast accomplished New York and Hollywood actress Dana Cuomo to take on the role of Haley, who is onstage for all of the five-scene, 90-minute play. Her 40-ish Haley recounts directly to the audience — often while trying on and changing clothes and shoes — her plans for and the ultimate results of her attempts to re-enter the dating scene after getting over a bad marriage, raising a young daughter and building a career as a restaurant manager.

Cuomo employs a credible Texas accent, which sometimes swerves toward a down-home, tell-it-like-it-is inflection and other times shows her character’s softer side. She does a good job of communicating that her Haley is letting the audience in on her personal secrets.

The bedroom set by Stephen Underwood and costume design by Justin Cote nicely reinforce the intimate feeling of the play.

Perhaps it was more a result of the accent but, at Saturday’s performance, Cuomo’s delivery in a few spots did seem ever so slightly rushed. There are some very funny lines that deserve a moment to breathe. On the other hand, Haley is in a sort of panic as her romantic hopes seem to be continually dashed. So, a bit of chattering also fits the role. 

The legal problems that Haley encounters late in the play help resolve her dating issues but also stretch her claim to everywoman status a tad. But this is not a play to think about too much.

As in most good dates, “Bad Dates” is most successful when you just relax, sit back and let its likable character and nice little message happen.  

Steve Feeney is a freelance writer who lives in Portland.