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Odd by Nature by Sean Owens  

OTHER MEDIA 
review by Robert Avila, SF Bay Guardian February 1, 2006
 
This is a doubly apt title for an evening of short works by San Francisco playwright-actor Sean Owens, since it carries the homophobic connotation "awed by nature." This, too, Mr. Owens seems to be, and in the best way, proving him a keenly parodical observer of creation, especially in its more heightened representations on stage, screen, and song. This is no news to those who've seen some or all of his work over the past 15 years (including a recent stint playing the Riddler in the Dark Room's premiere of Batman the TV Show: The Play), but the freshness of some of those pieces can still surprise. True, not all selections here attain the perfection of nature, odd or otherwise, but most cut a fine figure and at least three or four are gemmy. And with a sharp supporting cast (featuring Libby O'Connell, Don Seaver, Nick Sholley, and Michelle Talgarow), playfully animated title sequences (by filmmaker Jeremy Solterbeck), and expert musical direction-accompaniment (by Joshua Pollock), it all adds up to something slightly stranger than life.
 

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