If there is a silver lining to Del Shores’ recent break-up with husband Jason Dottley, it’s that it has brought Shores back on the road – with a whole new array of material.

The playwright behind “Sordid Lives” returns Aug. 17 to Onstage Atlanta with his new “Naked. Sordid. Reality.”

The news that Shores and Dottley were divorcing after 10 years together came as a shock to the performer, although some in the LGBT community had questioned Dottley’s motives. 

“It was abrupt and it was planned,” says Shores. “I didn’t see it coming. I was devastated. It’s been hard, but I knew I needed to get back on the road, to hear the energy and laughter.”

Shores says there is no possibility he will ever be friends with Dottley again and in the new show he talks about adjusting to life as a single man and whether “we ever wish exes well.”

His current tour is the longest of his career, with more than 40 cities, and Shores calls his recent gig in Las Vegas his largest audience ever. His fans love him because he is candid and tells it like it is.

Shores and Perez Hilton had a notorious feud a few years back, prompted by pictures Hilton posted on his blog of Dustin Lance Black and his partner having sex and by Hilton calling Black Eyed Peas singer Will.I.Am a “faggot.” When Shores complained about Hilton online, his words spread through the Internet.

“That was the first time I learned I could go viral,” Shores says.   He says the two have seen each other at functions and “averted eyes.”

Shores also talks about his family members in the performance and promises to read letters he has written to his “haters.”  For some reason, he has wound up getting messages from actor Kirk Cameron, who has been vocal about his opposition to gay marriage.

“He keeps emailing me,” says Shores.

Other subjects include his love of reality TV, especially “Hoarders,” which he watches to feel good about himself, and his new movie “Blues for Willadean,” based on his play “The Trials and Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife” and shot in Atlanta.

Shores unabashedly loves coming to Atlanta and says he always feels home.

“I always feel loved when I come here,” he admits. “Now that I’m single, I can partake more.”

‘Addams Family’ in the ATL

Openly gay actor Brian Justin Crum is featured in the touring version of “The Addams Family,” bowing in the ATL on Aug. 14. It’s, of course, based on the long running TV series of the same name, with characters such as Morticia, Gomez, Uncle Fester and Thing. 

Crum plays the role of Lucas Beineke, who falls for daughter Wednesday. Their relationship changes him for the better.

“Lucas goes from being afraid of his parents to standing up to them and embracing life and what he wants to do,” says Crum.

The musical has been given something of a facelift since its less than glowing Broadway showing last year, with some songs added and others dropped.

Crum had seen the movie versions of “The Addams Family” but went back and watched some of the television series as well to get a sense of the tone. He feels that the members of “The Addams Family” are the ultimate outsiders, something LGBT audiences can relate to.

“It’s about embracing that which is different in all of us,” he says.

Top photo: Del Shores, the playwright behind ‘Sordid Lives,’ brings his new show ‘Naked. Sordid. Reality.’ to Atlanta for one night only on Aug. 17. (Publicity photo)