"Annie Bosh," directed by Shade Murray, and "The Gospel of Franklin," directed by Robert O'Hara, both have yet to find such a workable theatrical metaphor, but they also reveal some real strengths. Not only is Nabers' central character (played by Caroline Neff with a potent mix of bravado and pain) very moving and involving, but this writer has penned a couple of beautiful scenes, most notably one in which a post-rehab Annie meets up with a old friend, Kims (the wonderful Brittany Burch), from her hard-partying days. It's a gorgeous piece of writing that perfectly captures the alienation one feels when the life of a former comrade has moved in a new direction — to whom one now has little to say; one just yearns to turn back the clock. Similarly appealing are scenes with a geeky love interest (played by Ian Paul Custer) and between Annie and her under-written brother (the acerbic David Seeber). But the play needed an antagonist, and in the character of Annie's suffocating mother, Carol (played by Jennifer Avery), Nabers has come up only with a one-note cliche. Carol is very much a product of Houston, which always seems to suck in plays.