TITLE:

Type A
by Alan David Perkins
Copyright © 1995

CLASSIFICATION:

Full-length "buddy" comedy.

SYNOPSIS:

Albert Barrows is the President of a medium-sized corporation and pushes himself to the limit as a matter of practice -- a classic "type A" personality. He lives in a Park Avenue apartment (that his grandmother left to him) with room to spare, so he feels it's his obligation to take in a roommate. Due to his being so difficult, the only taker is Jody Schwartz, a commercial producer, who is also quite "type A." The two unknowingly have the same nemesis, the existence of which drives both of them nuts. Also driving them nuts are their siblings -- both quite their opposites -- who hit it off so well that they eventually decide to get married. When they ultimately discover that they share the same nemesis, they use this information to eventually drive each other to simultaneous heart attacks.

Click here for an excerpt (first act) in PDF format.

Click here for a review from The Williams Lake Tribune.

Click here for Production History.

CAST:

ALBERT BARROWS - Male, 30's. Handsome, strong.
COLETTE BARROWS - Albert's sister. Female, 30's, but younger than Albert. Nerdy and sickly.
JODY SCHWARTZ - Female, 30's. Attractive, forceful.
JOEL SCHWARTZ - Jody's brother. Male, 30's, but younger than Jody. Overweight and nerdy.
MEG MORRIS - Jody's overworked assistant. Female, early 20's. Small and mousey.
LARRY SCHNEIDER - Jody's on-again/off-again boyfriend. Male, 30's. Slick, corporate-type.
KATHRYN SAUNDERS - The nemesis. Female, 40's. Elegant and powerful.

LENGTH:

110 - 125 minutes.

REQUIREMENTS:

The set is the living room of Albert and Jody's Park Avenue apartment. It SHOULD be posh and elegant, but is more unkempt and sloppy. There is an archway SL which leads to the kitchen and a hallway SR which leads to Albert's bedroom, Jody's bedroom and the bathroom. Upstage center should be the front door. Upstage should also be a desk or table with two telephones, both cordless. Downstage center should be a television with a VCR (or at least implied). Center stage should be Albert's makeshift exercise bike and Jody's ski machine.

The play is in two acts. Each act is divided into multiple scenes.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

WARNING: THIS PLAY IS CURSED!!! At least, that's the only explanation I can come up with. You see, I've come to revere this play my funniest and, as a result, a personal favorite. But, for some reason, it is one of my most unread. Many copies have circulated but, to date, I think only three people have actually read this play (thanks, Mickey). People genuinely WANT to read it. They ask for the script and maybe even read a page or two, but something always comes up and the script never gets read. I almost defy anyone to read the script in its entirety.  (Of course, this does NOT apply to the folks in Williams Lake, British Columbia, who hosted the play's World Premiere!)

Anyway...

One night I was watching one of the many sitcoms revolving around mismatched friends and though "what if you put two people together who were exactly the same?" I quickly studied up on the manifestations of the type A personality and the play was born. By the way, the words "type A" never appear in the play itself.

After I finished writing this play, I thought it a bit too rough to send around, so I sat on it for about a year and a half. Finally I passed it on to a friend, who was quite surprised. His response was that it delivered exactly what you expect. From the beginning you know what you want to see and eventually you do. Also, and it wasn't until I divorced myself from the play for a while, I realized that it is very, very funny. I look at it as the Odd Couple on acid. The pace is frantic and the characters are wild. I almost have to compare it to the sitcom "Married With Children." The two leads, Albert and Jody, are despicable, but you still root for them.

I love to lay little Easter Eggs for myself, and this play is practically its own Easter Egg. With the exceptions of Meg and Colette, every character is from another play. Albert and Kathryn are from "Rubber Duckies in a Row" -- Jody, Joel and Larry are from "The Virus." Also, there are references to Dexter Duck, who is a main character in my one-act play "The Advantage."

I should note that there are two versions of this play circulating - one "PG-13" and one "R." (I think the posted excerpt is from the PG-13 version). The only difference is language. I normally don't make it a habit of writing excessive harsh language, but in the case of this play, it works. Additionally, the character of Jody smokes a lot on stage. I also don't make a habit of writing smoking on stage, especially since many theater companies frown upon it these days. But, like the language, this in particular integral to the plot. Theater companies considering this play should explore whether smoking is allowed in their space (frequently a disclaimer in the program is required stating that the play uses tobacco on stage, and it's for artistic purposes), as well as finding an actress who is okay with it.

CONTACTING THE PLAYWRIGHT:

The entire script of Type A is available upon request from the playwright. No production of this play can take place without permission from the playwright.

REVIEW:

Excerpt from The Williams Lake Tribune

Type A a comedic dilemma

by Gaeil Farrar

Some people laughed uproariously, some people didn't quite know what to make of the play Type A.

It's billed as a comedy, but the hit I got is that of a moral play and a bit of Monty Python all rolled into one.

And that is likely what New York author Alan David Perkins intended.  Straight ahead jabs to the big city work ethic, complete with homage to heart attacks -- a symbol of success in this insane play.

By his own assessment, Perkins says:  "I almost have to compare it to the sitcom Married With Children.  The two leads, Albert and Jody, are despicable, but you still root for them."

Hats off to director Brad Hammerston and assistant Todd Sullivan for attempting a play that has never been staged before, hence it's billing as a world premiere, and for taking the opportunity to develop some bright new talent for the Studio Theatre Society.

Directing is a first for Todd and Brad.  But Brad does have the experience of working behind the scenes on technical aspects of many productions and watching many directors work.

Jani Dotzler was a particularly amazing newcomer, since she had never even seen a live play before taking on her role as Albert's mousy, sickly sister Collette Barrows.  Even the most confident actor can lose a line when they accidentally catch the eye of someone in the front row, but Jani didn't miss a beat in staying in character.  A young at-home mother, Jani says she is really a Type A personality, hence her need to challenge herself by seeking out an acting role despite never having seen a live play.

"It's the biggest challenge of my life to be a geek.  I've gone to the library to study," jokes Jani.

One couldn't help but be charmed by  Micheal Hodgson's affable portrayal of Jodi's computer nerd brother Joel Schwartz.  Micheal recently graduated from high school and acting is a nice way to spend some time in between.  "I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing.  I play the computer nerd, and ex-convict who wrote a computer virus and expected to make money selling the anti-virus but unfortunately the anti-virus didn't work and I got caught," says Michael.

A thespian from a young age, Micheal has worked behind the scenes and/or had parts in Shakespeare for Kids, Midsummer Night's Dream, A Christmas Carol, Anne of Green Gables, David and Lisa, and Strawberry Envy.

Chris Humeniuk, as Meg Morris, Jodi's long suffering assistant, seemed quite at ease on the stage, especially taking a dive to avoid being shot.

And it was great to see Linda Olsen, as high powered business executive Katherine Saunders, and Andrew Rook, as Jodi's baffled boyfriend, take his second plunge into acting.

Experience actors and taking the lead roles are Larry Davis as Albert Barrows, and Tanya Isnardy as Jodi Schwartz, are always interesting to watch and demonstrated their versatility in Type A.  A seasoned actor, Type A is Larry's sixth production with the Studio Theatre.  He was planning on taking a break after The Odd Couple but couldn't resist taking on the role of Albert.  "This is my first try at playing a real jerk.  I love it," says Larry.

Type A is Tanya's third play.  She played the sweet Patty-Anne in Daughters, the psychotic Marla in Spectre, and enjoyed playing the manipulative Jodi in Type A, which is yet another interesting character and test of her acting skills.

All in all it was an interesting night out and good for a few chuckles.

 

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Williams Lake Studio Theatre - January/February, 2003

 

Williams Lake Studio Theatre, located in British Columbia, Canada, hosted the World Premiere of Type A under is the care and efforts of Director Brad Hammerstron and Assistant Director Todd Sullivan.

The play was produced by Sharon Haynes, with properties by Seralyn Jensen. Stage Manager was Sheryl-Lynn Lewis. The cast was as follows:

Cast

ALBERT BARROWS..............Larry Davis
JODY SCHWARTZ.............Tanya Isnardy
COLLETTE BARROWS...........Jani Dotzler
JOEL SCHWARTZ...........Micheal Hodgson
MEG MORRIS...............Chris Humeniuk
KATHERINE SAUNDERS..........Linda Olsen
LARRY SCHNEIDER.............Andrew Rook