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Central Square Theater will extend Mindy Kaling and Brenda Wither's MATT & BEN two weeks through August 14. The company has added twelve performances to the schedule as follows:
Wednesday, August 3 7:30PM Thursday, August 4 7:30PM Friday, August 5 8PM Saturday, August 6 8PM Sunday, August 7 2PM Sunday, August 7 7PM Wednesday, August 10 7:30PM Thursday, August 11 7:30PM Friday, August 12 8PM Saturday, August 13 8PM Sunday, August 14 2PM Sunday, August 14 7PMTickets for these added shows go on sale Tuesday, July 19. Tickets may be purchased by phone (866) 811-4111 or online (CentralSquareTheater.org).Written by Mindy Kaling (of NBC's The Office) and Brenda Withers, MATT & BEN revisits a familiar to story to Bostonians: Best friends from Cambridge write a screenplay, star in the hit movie, win the Academy Award, and suddenly the world can't get enough of them. But what's the real story behind Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's breakout success? Can fame literally land in your lap? MATT & BEN comes home to Cambridge with a sharp skewering of celebrity culture and an affectionate look at Boston's favorite bromance.
When Good Will Hunting captured the 1998 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay before 1 billion television viewers, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck rocketed from struggling young actors to household names and icons of hard-earned success. They had made their own way, penning a script with roles for themselves that forever changed their lives. Hometown boys who had made the big time, Damon and Affleck became Boston's - and the nation's - "Matt & Ben".All performances of MATT & BEN are held at Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge.For tickets and information, the public can call (866) 811-4111 or visit CentralSquareTheater.org.Since opening on Thursday, July 7, Central Square Theater's production of MATT & BEN has been praised by local press:"Falling scripts, flipping coins, clever satires that paint you as more lucky than talented: One way or another, MATT & BEN suggests, showbiz careers are subject to the vagaries of fate... Yet a sneaking affection for Damon and Affleck peeks through the biting caricatures in an enjoyably antic production." - Boston Globe
"Marianna Bassham and Philana Mia deliver the goods on these macho, oversized egos with sympathy and humor, to reveal some truths we can recognize about the complicated chemistry that binds the best of friends...It's worth the price of admission to see the two of them grapple in the knuckle-bruising fight that further trashes Affleck's wreck of an apartment when words can no longer express their love-hate rivalry." - Patriot Ledger"Get reacquainted with MATT & BEN! Mia and Bassham are clearly having a blast with their dude-tastic roles and nail the comic timing the show requires!" -Boston Herald"Performance by performance, this chameleonic actress (Marianna Bassham) continues to raise the question of whether there's anything she can't do. Philana Mia is quite funny in a fantasy sequence as J.D. Salinger, giving the reclusive author a choppy, Shatner-esque delivery." - Boston Globe
"MATT & BEN features two women in the title roles, a conceit that throws the central bromance into sharp relief...In this new production, Matt and Ben are portrayed by Philana Mia and Marianna Bassham. This was never about direct imitation, but there's still an unmistakable Matt-and-Ben-ness to Mia and Bassham's performances. In the hands of director M. Bevin O'Gara, the show never stands still. Matt and Ben are always on the move, pacing, arguing and throwing stuff around." - Boston HeraldMATT & BEN plays at Central Square Theater, 450 Mass. Ave. in Cambridge through Sunday, August 14. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2PM and 7PM. Tickets are priced at $40 for weeknights (including Sunday nights) and $45 for Weekends (including Fridays), with discounts for seniors (ages 62+), students ($25 with college ID), and youth ($15, ages 18 and under). Tickets are purchased by calling (866) 811-4111, online at centralsquaretheater.org, or at the CST box office. For box office hours, group discounts, and more information call (617) 576-9278 x210.
