‘Just My TYPE’: A Chanticleers Original
Charlotte Jacobs and Michael Sally met during a 2005 Chanticleers production of “I Do! I Do!”
Chanticleers Theatre’s current play, “Just My TYPE’” has a surprising origin story — beginning in the theater’s dressing room in 2005. It sprang from a discussion between two actors, Charlotte Jacobs and Michael Sally, about the usefulness of horoscopes.
Jacobs recalls how her collaboration with Sally began.
“Michael Sally and I met when we performed ‘I Do! I Do’ at Chanticleers under the direction of Al Fink,” she says. “Down in the dressing room, after I had on my makeup and costume, I would read the day’s horoscope and report it to Michael… as a family therapist, Michael didn’t think much of the horoscope and teased me about reading it. He informed me about the importance of personality types as predictors of successful relationships and gave me his copy of ‘Type Talk: The 16 Personality Types that Determine How We Live, Love, and Work’.”
Jacobs and Sally found that they liked working together and thought that the topic of personality types and relationships would make for a great musical comedy. They wrote a script over several weeks at Le Boulangerie cafe, at a booth in the back “so we wouldn’t get evicted for our constant laughter,” Jacobs said.
Their play, then called “TYPE Talking,” premiered in 2007. It featured the two actors taking on musical roles in several different personalities.
Jacobs says, “With the enthusiastic reception on opening night at Chanticleers, we knew the show had a future.”
“The first run was successful,” says Chanticleers’ current artistic director, Christine Plowright, "but the original piece used contemporary pop tunes. The cost of using these for production was prohibitive. They brought Grammy Award winner Rita Abrams on board to write words and lyrics.”
Composer/lyricist Abrams was already famous nationwide for her song “Mill Valley,” which she and her third-grade students performed during the 1969-70 school year.
“We knew of Rita's reputation, and several people suggested her,” says Jacobs. Then, I think we made a cold call and invited her to lunch in Castro Valley, and she saw the potential and challenges of the show.”
Abrams recalled that all it took was a few minutes with Jacobs and Sally to realize how impressive they were and what an honor it was to be chosen by them.
“So, I dove into the project and never looked back,” says Abrams. “It was challenging, as are all worthy creations, but satisfying, stimulating, and major fun!”
She adds, “And a promise to our Chanticleers Theater audience: You’ll not only be entertained but also gain some insights about yourselves and your own relationships, or those you hope to have. Oh, and one more thing— in the course of working on the musical arrangements, I ended up falling in love with a musician we hired, who became my life partner — because he’s Just My TYPE!”
A bit more about the backgrounds of Charlotte Jacobs and Michael Sally: Jacobs, whose “day job” was as a doctor of oncology and professor at Stanford University, participated in musical theater since she was a five-year-old in Tennessee.
“I saw a movie starring Ethel Merman, and I wanted to be just like her—and like the doctor Edward Jenner too,” says Jacobs. “I wrote my own material and entertained the neighbors —maybe entertain is too generous a word— and the veterans at a VA home.”
Sally, who grew up in Castro Valley, once lived right across the street from the Castro Valley Community Center where Chanticleers stands now.
“I have memories of sitting in a red Flyer wagon and being pushed down the steep driveway by my neighbors, crossing Quail Ave, and landing in the park,” he says. “Before the theater was located at its current site, it was my preschool. I went to CV schools, was in music and drama, and swam on the CVHS swim team.”
He’s also appeared in and directed many Bay Area plays, including several at Chanticleers, while working full-time as a psychotherapist.
Sally says that creating "Just My TYPE" was one of the most satisfying collaborations of his creative life.
“I feel so grateful to have worked on this labor of love with two of the most gifted and talented collaborators. I believe that one of the greatest accomplishments is learning how to collaborate and share creative ideas,” he adds.
Chanticleers’ current production of “Just My TYPE” features Geoffrey Colton as Ben and Martie Muldoon as Kate. It plays Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through May 25. Tickets are available at www.Chanticleers.org or by calling (510) SEE-LIVE. Chanticleers Theatre is located at Castro Valley Community Center, 18988 Lake Chabot Road, Castro Valley. Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for senior/military, and $10 for students. More info is available online at chanticleers.org.