(left to right) Sean Owens, Libby O'Connell, Michelle Talgarow, Nick Sholley and Josh Pollock.

Local playwright, performer, and director Sean Owens has a decidedly twisted worldview. Currently playing at the EXIT Theatre, his collection of 10 short, very original works, collectively titled Odd by Nature, reveals a kooky and spooky sense of humor that never ceases to surprise and entertain. It’s certifiably a mischievously merry and occasionally macabre night of theatre.

Opening the evening with “Climax,” Owens and actress Libby O’Connell portray an English couple, terminally bored with each other, who dryly bandy double and triple sexual entendres. Delightfully clever. Next comes “Sudden Descent” which screams of a shaggy-dog story... or would that be a shaggy pig? The surreal staging brilliantly mirrors the very surreal storytelling (virtually told completely in “negative space”). The highlight of the evening is “Buried Alive by the Hottest Guy,” perfectly delivered by Owens himself. This cautionary tale of oh-so-unsafe sex is hysterically funny and morbidly metaphoric. Warning to the easily nauseated, the gastronomics described in “Je Ne Sais Pas” will certainly turn some stomachs. Act One winds down with the song “One Man (at a time).”

Act Two opens with “The Chattanooga,” a devilishly funny tribute to the 1950’s mentality, morality, and sexuality. Nick Sholley plays the lunacy with an exacting blend of conviction and comic timing. Housewives beware! Another highlight is the melodious “The Sex Life of Rob & Laura Petrie” which endlessly repeats short video snippets from the original tv show, resulting in a variety of sexual (albeit mechanical) positionings. In “The Projectionist,” a married couple of wannabe wild-things interview a potential accomplice (the protean Joshua Pollock). Running waaaaay too long is “Danger at the Dardenelles” which would be so very much more clever if made so very much more economical (although Michelle Talgarow is quite the winsome ingenue). This late in the evening, audiences tend to want it hard and fast. Bring it home, baby! And a dirty little ditty titled “Everyone Loves Porn” neatly ties up the program.

The cast of five actors (including Owens) are terrific. They embody each of their distinctly different roles with skill. Playwright Owens’ devious mind expresses itself brilliantly in these short pieces with a bounty of surprise twists (oh yes!) and turns. The original musical score by Owens and Don Seaver melodically mirrors the evening’s delightful derangement. Direction by the ever-multi-tasking Owens (a veritable auteur!) seamlessly blends all the show’s elements, and the stage pictures always capture and communicate the unique style. Jeremy Solterbeck imaginatively introduces and ties together the various disparate scenes with clever animated snippets. And the set design, a hybrid of acid-induced drag queen meets grandma, by Amanda Ortmayer provides just the right visual touches.

Weird. Strange. And pleasantly perverse. Put on your most outrageous outfit and spend an evening Sean Owens’ shorts... who knows what you might find there! Whatever it is... it will definitely be Odd by Nature.

Odd by Nature continues until Feb. 4 at the EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy St., SF. Tix ($12-$20 sliding scale) call 673-3847 or go to www.theexit.org