Topher Payne's semi-autobiographical play traipses out high heels and wigs and plenty of references to the epicenter of gay life in Atlanta -- the corner of 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue. In the tradition of Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City," the Process Theatre world premiere documents an incestuous circle of gay and straight friends who are transformed by love, death, Harry Potter and sperm-bank visits.While the plot twists can be improbable and the emotions maudlin, the play buzzes along on the energy of Payne's crackling dialogue and loopy characterizations. Narissa (Cherise Jefferson) used to date Owen (Larry Davis), who is now the partner of Chris (Joshua Howland), who's dying of cancer and whose former boyfriend Shep (Dan Balmer) is HIV-positive. Into the chaos steps confused researcher Ms. Eckles (the delightful Marcie Millard), Chris' Mississippi mama, Dorothy Jean (Betty Mitchell), handsome hustler Cliff (Theroun Patterson) and an offstage drag queen named Reba McFlatTire. On the night we saw the show, Payne substituted for an injured Howland. His naturalistic performance merged with the facts of his life in moments of dark comic poignancy. At 23, this playwright seems wise beyond his years.
