Review – ‘Just My TYPE’ at Ross Valley Players - by Alexa Chipman

April 25, 2018

Managing dichotomous personalities in a relationship can rend an otherwise loving couple into quarreling combatants. She might wish to attend a party, chatting eagerly with friends, and he might prefer relaxing at home with a book relishing peaceful silence. For the married psychologists in

Ben and Kate believe that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is helpful when searching for solutions to common arguments in a marriage. People who make decisions that are reasoned and critical will clash with those who are led by instinct and empathy, since they use different indicators for choosing the best course of action. The spouse who plans weeks in advance can run into trouble when married to a spontaneous personality who prefers to “go with the flow” and see what happens. Meticulous research shows in the book by Charlotte Jacobs and Michael Sally, occasionally coming across as if it was a college lecture, rather than a musical, with projections of diagrams in the background.

Songs by local composer Rita Abrams have lightly tripping lyrics packed into cheerful melodies, reminiscent of Gilbert and Sullivan, including a lovely “Walk Away” wondering when love is not enough to bridge the gap between extroverts and introverts. Christopher Beller is creative and lively on the drums, a young musician to watch for.

Sally is amusing as Ben and a wide range of characters, whether galavanting in bright swim fins or kvetching about the lack of proper delis in San Francisco, which is ironic considering there are quite a few. Jacobs is less conspicuous as Kate and her examples of personality types, until she belts into “Way More Woman” as Wilma Dean.

‘Just My TYPE’ is a pleasant musical that is too lengthy for its style and subject matter, with a confusing ending caused by the lighting design. If you are interested in learning about Myers-Briggs, it is a helpful introduction with an engaging cast, and a chance to observe the co-authors inhabit their roles.

Just My TYPE

Presented by Ross Alternative Works through April 29, 2018 Fri/Sat at 8:00pm, Sun at 2:00pm

Ross Valley Players The Barn Theater, Marin Art & Garden Center 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, 94957

(415) 456-9555 x1 www.rossvalleyplayers.com

Photos by Nicole Amyx

Author Website - http://imaginationlane.net

Alexa Chipman is a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and Marquee Theater Journalists Association with a B.F.A. in Digital Art from Dominican University of California. She has danced with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Marin Ballet, and Marin Dance Theatre and has appeared in local theater such as the Fringe of Marin Festival. She has a background in voice acting for audio drama, graphic design, and writing Young Adult fiction.