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Matt and Ben

Matt and Ben
Your Price: $18.95 CDN
Author: Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers
Publisher: Samuel French (cover image may change)
Format: Softcover
# of Pages: 70
Pub. Date: 2017
ISBN-10: 0573632758
ISBN-13: 9780573632754
Cast Size: 2 male (or female)

About the Play:

Matt & Ben is a full-length bromantic comedy by Mindy Kaling (The Office, The Mindy Project) and Brenda Withers. Two best friends, background actors in Field of Dreams, decide to write a screenplay, star in their own hit movie and win an Oscar for their troubles. But what is the true story behind the success of Good Will Hunting? A satirical romp celebrating the friendship of two Oscar winners – Matt Damon and Ben Affleck – parodies the story behind their rise from Boston obscurity to Hollywood glory on the strength of their film Good Will Hunting.

Matt & Ben is a hilarious spoof of one of Hollywood's best know bromances: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. We all know the story: Best friends and struggling actors write a screenplay, star in the hit movie, win the Academy Award, and suddenly go from anonymous to A-list. But what's the real story behind Hollywood's golden boys and their breakout success? Can fame literally land in your lap? One day, in the mid-90s, Matt and Ben, are trying to catch their next big break by writing a screen adaptation of Catcher in the Rye, when they witness a miracle. The finished script for Good Will Hunting (for which they won an Oscar) literally drops from the heavens and their names are on it. They take it as a test from God. As they struggle with this moral conundrum, the audience experiences an up-close view of their friendship, including physical tussles, face slapping, and some awkward high school flashbacks. A satire on the pre-paparazzi, pre-fame friendship between Oscar-winning screenwriters and actors Ben Affleck and his pal, Matt Damon – before J-Lo, before Gwyneth, before "Project Greenlight," before Oscar… before anyone actually gave a damn.

Matt & Ben had its premiere at the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival. The show starred the two authors as the duo; a then relatively unknown Mindy Kaling plays Affleck and her best friend Brenda Withers portrays Damon. The sold-out Fringe run won Best Overall Production. The gender-bending hit continued to play to sold-out houses when it transferred to Off-Off-Broadway at Performance Space 122 (P.S. 122) in the East Village. After spotting Mindy Kaling during a week of Matt and Ben performances in Los Angeles, writer-producer Greg Daniels offered her a job writing on The Office. At 24, she was the only woman in the writers' room. The play has been performed in regional, high school, fringe festival, college, and community theatre productions.

Cast: 2 male (or female)

What people say:

"Absolutely delightful and deliciously spiteful! Sharp and clever, Matt & Ben succeeds!" The New York Times

"Top 5 shows of the year!" — Time Magazine

"Most star studded show of 2003. A must!" — Entertainment Weekly

"Hot list pick! Catch Matt & Ben!" — Rolling Stone Magazine

"The hottest ticket in town! A twisted tale about how Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote the Oscar-winning movie Good Will Hunting!" — US Weekly

"A hit! Acidic, funny and affectionate! Matt & Ben spoofs Hollywood's best friendship!" — New York Post

"A runaway hit!" — Variety

"Talk about fun, Matt & Ben is a hit!" — CNN Headline News

"The hottest play in New York!" — Newsweek

About the Playwright:

Mindy Kaling is an American actress, stand-up comedian, and writer who graduated with a degree in playwriting from Dartmouth College, having studied with playwrights August Wilson and Joe Sutton. She is an Emmy-nominated writer and actress on the NBC sitcom The Office. She is also the creator and star of FOX's The Mindy Project.

Brenda Withers is an American writer and actor who studied drama and religion at Dartmouth College. After graduation she moved to New York to pursue a career in movement based theater and continued her studies at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.

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