Best Atlanta Theater Tradition in the Making

Topher Payne’s holiday play LET NOTHING YOU DISMAY has the potential to become an Atlanta holiday tradition. The screwball comedy follows a couple awaiting the birth of their first child via surrogate, and features eight actors in 22 roles. When the birth mama wanders off, the couple’s well-meaning but uninvited family members are desperate to find her. The show moves at breakneck speed — one actor pops offstage and reappears only three lines later as a totally different character. With Payne continuing to find success as a writer around the country, it’s nice to see him staying true to his roots and produce new work here in Atlanta. A truly funny show by a local writer and featuring local talent like Amanda Cucher and Gina Rickicki, who slips in and out of a Botox-induced facial paralysis at warp speed, is worth celebrating. 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road. 770-396-1726. www.stagedoorplayers.net. less...