By Sandi Masori in Carlsbad, California
When I first saw the title of the newest play at New Village Arts Theater, I thought, “Oh cute, Matt and Ben, like Matt Damon and Ben Afflek.” Little did I know that the title is not just “like” the two famous actors, it specifically refers to them.
Before I start trying to explain what the play was about, I need to preface it by saying that it was very good, very well done, and moved quickly.
It feels like some kind of fan fiction piece, with pre-famous playwright Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers imagining how Damon and Afflek wrote Good Will Hunting. In this version, the completed script literally falls from the ceiling and chaos ensues.
Right before the curtain goes up, there is a voice that tells us that the actors bear an uncanny resemblance to the real Matt and Ben, and they think so too. But once the curtain goes up, you realize the interesting casting choice made by director Maria Patrice Amon, using two women for the parts of both Matt and Ben.
And not just two women, two Latina women, which lends to a funny moment when Alejandra Villanueva, as Afflek, says “I like Latina women” and both she and Maya Sofia Enciso (playing Matt Damon) flipped their hair back and gave a pointed look to the audience. The chemistry and rapport between Villanueva and Enciso was perfect, and once you got past their long hair and gender, you can really see them as Matt and Ben. The show is heavy on physical comedy and impeccable timing, and they nailed it.
Scenic Designer Jesus Hurtado put together a nice set representing the inside of their apartment. It’s very detailed, down to the boxes of sugar cereal atop the fridge.
Though the play is entertaining, one can’t help but wonder, how did it get greenlit? I’m picturing the conversation among Kaling, Withers and the money people: “Yeah, we want to produce a play imagining how two contemporary really famous people came up with the screenplay that made them famous in the first place. We don’t know if this is how it actually happened, or even if they would be ok with us using their names or images, or those of the other famous people we imagine them talking to as they randomly walk into the boys’ apartment, but this is the play that we are writing and want to see produced, and we think it will be a big hit and lot of other theaters will want to stage it too.” And then the money people going “Oh yeah, totally, green light.”
Notwithstanding the quandary of how such a production actually gets staged, it’s a cute show that will delight audience members of all ages, whether or not they are fans of the real-life Matt and Ben.
Matt and Ben plays at New Village Arts through April 26.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori writes theater and food reviews for San Diego Jewish World