Our film critic once told me she doesn’t envy me one bit. Because while I may well run into someone I’ve written about in Aisle 8 at King Soopers, she’ll never have to worry about Matt Damon knocking on her door asking why she gave his ego a boo-boo.
But Brenda Withers and Mindy Kaling might want to be looking over their shoulders.
You know Withers from the Denver Center’s “Pride and Prejudice” (she played Jane). You know Kaling from “The Office” (she plays Valley girl Kelly). They were roommates at Dartmouth when Damon and Ben Affleck came out of nowhere to win the best- screenplay Oscar for “Good Will Hunting.” With equal parts envy, contempt and admiration, they imagined how these pretty-boy wannabes who played Chesty and Charlie in “School Ties” could possibly have also written the brilliant “Good Will Hunting.”
Their playwriting premise: What if they didn’t? What if one day their prized script literally fell out of the sky? Or, more accurately, fell from the college apartment ceiling and into their laps? And what if, just for yuks, the two female playwrights went ahead and played book-smart Matt and jock-itch Ben themselves?
That might sound like it could be as cheeky and weightless as a “Saturday Night Live” skit (will they kiss?). But the best — and worst — thing about “Matt & Ben” is that it’s a real play, a thoughtful rumination on creation, friendship and Hollywood capriciousness. One that affords plenty of chuckles, sure, but it would be a disservice to the play and potential audiences to sell it as a “hilarious comedy.”
Our pals are writing partners who decide to adapt a famous book, “The Catcher in the Rye,” merely by retyping entire chunks of it into screenplay form. When “Hunting” arrives, it transforms into a deal-with-an-unknown-devil kind of tale. Suddenly we’re in the midst of a downright existential ethical quandary. But Matt’s central question — “Why do we deserve this?” — is, unfortunately, never satisfyingly answered. But it’s one thousands of famous people ought to ask of themselves.
Miners Alley Playhouse is staging the Denver-area premiere of this intriguing and frustrating absurd comedy, with two of Denver’s A-listers, Missy Moore and Laura Norman, playing the brainiac (Matt) and the dope (Ben), respectively. They don’t play up the gender distinction for cheap laughs; nor do they mug things up with fake Boston accents. They are just female actors playing famous young men without any hint of celebrity impersonation.
This is a story about friendship, fighting and reuniting. It’s about best friends overcoming an intellectual and talent imbalance between them. It’s about artistic compromise and the death of creativity.
Save for a few nice zingers about those “School Ties” connections, these two characters could be any struggling writing partners. Like Brenda & Mindy. But give their characters male names, and suddenly their play is chock-full of interesting observations on the vast and often physical differences between male and female bonding. Perhaps unintentionally.
It’s fascinating to consider now that after the playwrights performed the play themselves off-Broadway in 2003, they intended to then cede it to male actors. But when they saw their play performed in Los Angeles by men, they detected a more sinister tone than they ever intended.
Their instincts were right. This is a play about male bonding but because it’s already being filtered through a female writing lens, it’s much more compelling to contemplate as an audience member with female actors.
The cast does an admirable job here, though Moore slips more easily into Damon’s skin than Norman into Affleck’s. That’s simply because Norman is an incredibly smart actor (most apparent when, as Ben, she attempts a British accent that brilliantly strays from Cockney to botched Italian in a single sentence). But if the intent is to really nail the comic potential of playing dumb Ben (and again, I’m not sure it is), that would require more physical abandon and pure dumbfoolery.
It’s a bit ironic that the authors felt male actors made their play come off as sour grapes. Because what their play could really use is a bit more acid.
The “boys” get into a wicked, climactic fight, but as a play, “Matt & Ben” is more a glancing body blow than square uppercut to the jaw.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Matt & Ben” *** (out of four stars)
Absurd comedy. Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. Written by Brenda Withers and Mindy Kaling. Directed by Keith Dixon. Starring Missy Moore and Laura Norman. 1 hour, 45 minutes. Through July 20. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays (no show July 4). $20. 303-935-3044 or .
Online audio bonus
Listen to John Moore’s podcast with Brenda Withers about the writing of “Matt & Ben.” To listen, You will be taken to a miniplayer. Once there, click on the miniplayer’s triangular “play” button, and the podcast will begin playing without your having to download. Or, right-click on the “download MP3” option to save a copy to your own desktop. Run time: 20 minutes.
This weekend’s theater openings
“Big: The Musical” Based on the 1987 film featuring Tom Hanks, “Big” tells the tale of 12-year-old Josh Baskin, who makes a wish and suddenly finds himself in an adult’s body. Through Aug. 16. Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre, 1025 Grand Ave., Grand Lake, 970-627-3421 or .
“Doubt” In 1964 in the Bronx, an older Catholic nun suspects a young priest of sexually abusing a student. The nun, who favors discipline over compassion, brings her unproven allegations, even if they may destroy him. Through July 24. Little Theatre of the Rockies at the University of Northern Colorado, 10th Avenue and 18th Street, Greeley, 970-351-2200 or .
“Enchanted April” Based on a romantic novel about two cloistered, married 1920s English women who impulsively rent an Italian villa and embark upon a life-altering vacation without their spouses. Through July 12. A Theatre Group, 1219 Greene St., Silverton, 970-387-5337 or .
“Little Shop of Horrors” Popular musical about Audrey, Seymour . . . and a plant that threatens to eat the world. Thursdays only. Through Aug. 14. Presented by Lake Dillon Theatre Company at the Park Lane Pavilion in Keystone, 970-513-9386 or .
“Love’s Labour’s Lost” Four idle-rich young men have sworn an oath to give up girls for academics and contemplation for three years. Enter four beautiful temptresses. Director Gavin Cameron-Webb sets the story in 1917 in Newport R.I., with the specter of World War I coinciding with the play’s melancholy ending. Through Aug. 15. Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Mary Rippon outdoor theatre, CU-Boulder, 303-492-0554 or .
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of every currently running production in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page.
This week’s podcast
Running Lines with . . . Henry Award nominees. Denver Post theater critic John Moore chats with three multiple nominees at the upcoming Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Awards: Sam Gregory, Megan Van De Hey and Scott Beyette. The public gala is 6 p.m. Monday at the Town Hall Arts Center (303-778-7724). To listen, You will be taken to a miniplayer. Once there, click on the miniplayer’s triangular “play” button, and the podcast will begin playing without your having to download. Or, right-click on the “download MP3” option to save a copy to your own desktop. Run time: 20 minutes.
This week’s best bet: Henry Awards
Monday. The Colorado Theatre Guild’s third annual Henry Awards are a great chance for the public to mix and meet with their favorite local actors. Monday’s awards, named for retired producer Henry Lowenstein, honor the best in metro- area theater among the CTG’s 49 local member organizations. Nearly one-fourth of the 102 nominations went to the Denver Center Theatre Company, but the most honored play is the Paragon Theatre’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” with six nominations, and the top musical is the handicapped company PHAMALy’s “Urinetown,” with nine. The Henrys begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. at the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St. Tickets are $20 now, $25 at the door. Call 303-778-7724. John Moore
