‘Cheezecake Boiz and the Diva’ looks for love beyond labels

“Tony read the play and loved it,” Kilpatrick says. “We wanted to make sure he knew exactly what the play was before he looked at it. He did it back in June and now is doing it again on the tour.”

The four men incorporate the basics of baking a cheesecake to teach the Diva how to become a complete person. When Kilpatrick held auditions for the musical, she had 2,000 wannabe performers show up.

MORE INFORMATION:

‘Cheezecake Boiz and the Diva’
Sept. 3 – 4 at 14th Street Playhouse
173 14th St.NE, Atlanta, GA 30309
www.cheezecakeboizandthediva.com

‘Lakebottom Proper’
Sept. 9 – Oct. 1 at Onstage Atlanta
2597 N. Decatur Rd., Decatur, GA 30033
www.theprocesstheatre.org

“They all loved the concept,” she says. “Every woman in the limelight has her ‘Cheezecake Boi.’”

Kilpatrick’s own “cheezecake boi” is a styler who is involved with the show and “urged me to do this,” she admits.

Kilpatrick is straight but the play has a strong gay following – and she is very happy that it is getting another Atlanta run, especially during Black Gay Pride.

Inside “Cheezecake Boiz and the Diva” is a subtle message: “The labels we love are just labels – real love comes from inside,” says the playwright.

‘Lakebottom Proper’ spoofs high society

Gay playwright Topher Payne’s newest play “Lakebottom Proper” premiered in Columbus, Ga., earlier this year and next week makes its Atlanta bow courtesy of The Process Theatre.

It’s a satire dealing with social positioning. Married couple Tad (Doug Graham) and Rowena Tuttle (Barbara Cole Uterhardt) – who are residents of the “ritzy part” of Columbus by Lakebottom Park — are trying to get their daughter Portia into a prestigious school.

Having a history of setting things on fire has not made Portia a prime candidate. A lesbian couple who co-chairs the Parents Association is coming over for a visit, and Rowena asks her housekeeper to pretend to be her best friend, which the housekeeper initially does very reluctantly.

The night turns even more chaotic, however, when Rowena’s redneck mother shows up, Portia gets kidnapped and a farm animal escapes.

DeWayne Morgan – who is gay – directs, and openly gay Jeffrey Brown is in the cast as the kidnapper.

 

Top photo: In the new musical ‘Cheezecake Boiz and the Diva,’ a straight woman learns life lessons from her four best male friends — including three who are gay. (via Facebook)