The two year-old outfit Theatre Unleashed are presenting two commonly performed contemporary works in repertory at the Sherry Theater: Sarah Kane’s morbid 4.48 Psychosis and David Ives’ perennial favorite All in the Timing. The company calls their dual production ‘Contemporary Constructions’ and while they make a case for how these plays contrast in subject mater and style, they admit there is no congruity between the pairing other than the talent of the playwrights themselves. In their press release, Theatre Unleashed’s Artistic Director Phillip Kelly says that doing plays in rep allows them to “stretch and expand upon the ‘rules of theatre” and that “With these two polar opposite shows, we’ve allowed ourselves to give our own inspired touch to recognizable pieces whose only similarity is that they were written by playwrights with a true gift for words.”

The two shows share a design team and a stage, the floor of which is tiled in a pattern that scatters as it approaches the first row of seats. Both plays open with an overbearing ticking clock which is suspiciously similar to the opening sounds of Pink Floyd’s eternal masterpiece ‘Time’ from the Dark Side of the Moon. (My favorite song, by the way.) An appropriate if unoriginal nod.

Director Carlos Martinez directs an unremarkable cast through the familiar strains of our favorite Ives shorts. He fragments the repetitively poignant parody Phillip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread, a choice that provides the evening with a refrain but undermines the developing meaning of the play. The cast of Universal Language, Erin Frisbie and Joe Neuhaus, master the difficult but hilarious nonsense-speak of that play and carry it well. Words, Words, Words was one of the better attempts I’ve seen, with strong contrasts between our favorite chimps and their quest to rewrite Hamlet. I left the performance feeling entertained but underwhelmed.

Phillip Kelly’s stab at directing Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis is a dreadful flop and I’m afraid to say was almost unwatchable. The actors, to their credit, were very invested in the emotions that lead to self-mutilation and suicide (the very same derangements that drove Kane to write and later take her own life) but Kelly fails utterly to coax these ‘feelings’ out of his actors and onto the stage where they can be shared by his audience. He plays the same irritating tick-tock sound throughout the scenes between his split-protagonist and her therapist, a choice that does little but accentuate the interminable silences the actors constantly resort to. For a play written by a writer who calls herself an ‘expressionist’, this play was so internalized and one-toned that I was appalled. Who knew psychosis would be so boring?

For those familiar with my reviews, you know that I like to focus on the ‘why’ of theatre. Why has this company, presented this play, in this way, at this time, and what should we take away from it regarding the state of our art and society. I am frequently disappointed when my peers choose plays that do not suit them or the times, or serve only to showcase their talents within otherwise well-worn artistic vehicles. I am afraid these plays fall into this category, and while some of the performances deserve points for difficulty, I think the time spent rehearsing and attending these overproduced selections was largely wasted.

Set Design is by Yelena Babinskaya, Lighting Design by Eric Scaleson, Sound Design is by Adam Smith, with Costumes by Eloise Petro.

All in the Timing is directed by Carlos Martinez, stage managed by Leslie Rehm Hunt, and features performances by Jacob Smith, Erin Frisbie, Alex Yee, Sean Fitzgerald, Carolyn Morse, Joe Neuhaus, Tracey Collins, and Katie Sikkema.

4.48 Psychosis is directed by Phillip Kelly, stage managed by Joseph McMahon and features Kimberly Niccole, Matt Ryan, Fesa Salillas, Kelly Mussón and Peter Walden on the cello.

Contemporary Constructions featuring All in the Timing and 4.48 Psychosis plays at the Sherry Theatre in North Hollywood from August 7 - 30 at 11052 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601.

All in the Timing: - Fridays and Saturdays, Aug 7th, 15, 21 and 29 at 8 p.m. Sundays 2 p.m. through August 30, 2009.

4.48 Psychosis: Fridays and Saturdays, Aug 8, 14, 22 and 28 at 8 p.m., Sundays 7 p.m. through August 30, 2009.

Ticket price: General Admissions, $20

For tickets and info call (818) 849-4039 or visit http://www.theatreunleashed.com.