"Matt & Ben" at The Hive Collaborative

When friends and #TCTheater artists Serena Brook and Shinah Hey were working at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres on Beautiful last year (Shinah playing songwriter Cynthia Weil, Serena in the ensemble and understudying Carole King), they had the idea to do the play Matt & Ben. Before The Office, Mindy Kaling wrote and starred in Matt & Ben (with Brenda Withers), which became something of a phenomenon and helped her land the job on The Office. It's a perfect 70-minute vehicle for two female actors/friends to play this famous Hollywood friendship. One year later, Serena and Shinah's idea has come to fruition; they recruited friend Derek Prestly to direct, and are collaborating with The Hive on the production (which is all about collaborating with and supporting artists in doing something new). The result is a hilarious buddy comedy about the creative process, celebrity, show business, and friendship. The short two-week run concludes on June 8 - click here for details and to purchase tickets on a sliding scale basis.

It's sometime in the mid-90s, and struggling actor Matt Damon has come over to the apartment of his friend Ben Affleck, also a struggling actor, to work on their screenplay adaptation of Catcher in the Rye (of which there still has never been a movie adaptation made). Suddenly, a script falls out of the sky; the screenplay for Good Will Hunting, with their names on it as the authors! Where did it come from? Should they pretend that they wrote it? And most importantly, who will play the lead? In the cleverly written script, both characters break out of the story occasionally to talk to the audience, we see a few flashbacks of their lifelong friendship, and also get some fantastical visits from Gwyneth Paltrow and J.D. Salinger. The two friends are portrayed very differently - Matt as the hard-worker who makes things happen, Ben as the carefree charismatic guy just sort of coasting through life. Despite the tension this sometimes causes in their relationship, the two work together to get this movie made (and win an Oscar!).*

Ben & Matt (Shinah Hey and Serena Brook, photo by Dan Norman)

Both Shinah and Serena are gifted comedic actors (and amazing singers, which this piece sadly does not call for), making this the perfect choice of show for them. Shinah is hilarious as the free-wheeling Ben, who is always goofing off and going for the laugh, but is smarter than he pretends to be. Serena is more of the straight man as Matt, who's more responsible and straight-laced, but also with some funny moments. Their chemistry as friends is undeniable, with some ridiculously fun fight scenes, but an underlying sense of love and connection that makes the story believable.

The play started off as a Fringe show, and is very well and tightly written. Director Derek Prestly does a great job with the frequent scene transitions and switches from present to flashback to fantasy scenes. The design aids in this as well, with a different tone to the lighting when we enter fantasy world, and sound cues that subtly punctuate the action. The set is one of the more elaborate and detailed I've seen at The Hive. Story-appropriate posters and pictures are hung on the full wall of the apartment that spans the space, with a comfortable well-used couch, coffee table, a desk with '90s era technology, and a mini kitchen area with snacks (that do get eaten!). Every available space is filled with books and movies and other things you would find in a 20-something's apartment. (Lighting design by Tracy Joe, sound design by Nick White, prop design by Anya Taylor, set design by Eric Morris and Abbee Warmboe.)

One of the best things about the Twin Cities theater scene is that artists can work at the big beautiful juggernaut that is Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, and also an intimate Off-Off-Broadway sized space. The budgets may differ, but the same quality, thoughtfulness, and passion can be seen on stage. Don't miss this big display of talent in a 70-minute package at the cozy and intimate The Hive Collaborative.

*Plot summary borrowed from my review of Nocturnal Giraffe's 2022 production at Bryant Lake Bowl.