12 – 15 August
Ghostlight Players’ choice of this seventy-minute piece ticks many boxes, but unfortunately there are serious flaws in this production.
The play, written by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers, was originally produced off-Broadway to stellar reviews, with favourable notices in no less than New Yorker magazine. It helped launch Kaling’s career, which included appearing in all episodes of the US version of The Office and writing, directing and acting credits including books on the New York Times best-seller lists, and for the legendary Saturday Night Live TV show.
Matt and Ben is a satirical re-imagining of a time when Hollywood superstars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were trying to kick-start their careers. After their breakout screenplay for the movie Good Will Hunting literally falls from the ceiling into their laps, we follow the friends, who have known each other since high school, as they wonder what to do with it while setting out on their paths to winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
The show begins with Roisin Hamilton as Matt and Sandra Tena as Affleck attempting to write a farcical adaptation of Catcher In The Rye. Ben’s apartment is filled with a collection of takeaway boxes, an old sagging sofa and a desk complete with computer. There are several film posters plastering the walls. That there are a number of anachronisms in the ephemera dotted about the place, including a PC which is far too modern, can be forgiven.
What can also be forgiven are the accents attempted by Hamilton and Tena. They are passable, if not quite accurate. They have adopted a suitable look, with Damon dressed in khaki trousers and a preppy blue shirt while Affleck has a mishmash of a green baseball jacket, jokey t-shirt, and baggy pants.
Direction by Jessie Millson is busy, with plenty of variety of movement, entrances and exits, taking full opportunity of using the limited space in the Alma Tavern to best effect.
The scripted dialogue is fast-paced, and along with the quirky cameos of Gwyneth Paltrow and J. D. Salinger, these need to be skillfully handled.
Unfortunately, what cannot be forgiven are the performances. In the script there are several references to Tena’s Affleck character mimicking Matt Damon’s robotic style of acting. Regrettably, this was true of both Hamilton and Tena. Not only that, but the speeches, when emotional depth was required, were unconvincing and we were instead treated to an exhibition of acting by numbers.
This show has some strengths, but it is primarily for friends and family to enjoy.
★★☆☆☆ Bryan J Mason, 13 August 2025
Photography credit: Tim Shapcott
