Laughing at a stellar friendship

The late Daniel J. Boorstin once warned about confusing celebrities and heroes: "We come closer and closer to degrading all fame into notoriety." One wonders what that social historian might make of "Matt and Ben" at the Acme Comedy Theatre in Hollywood. In its West Coast premiere, Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers' sendup of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's friendship and the culture that made them tabloid idols is a virtually critic-proof prep-school romp.

"Matt and Ben" began in 2001, after Dartmouth grads and Astoria roommates Kaling and Withers noted Affleck's ubiquitous magazine presence during his stint in rehab. Their improvisations and immersion in the popular mythos surrounding Affleck and best friend Damon evolved into an hourlong piece, the smash of the 2002 New York Fringe Festival and an off-Broadway hit.

The time is 1995; the place, Affleck's apartment in Somerfield, Mass. Set designer James Youmans presents a Fauvist garret, with skewed perspectives and shrewdly chosen slacker decor. The lights come up on an exchange about adaptation, imitation, flattery and thievery, which sets up the show's dichotomy. Jogging-suited Ben (Kaling), more concerned with stardom (and lady-killing) than art, proposes a screenplay based on "The Catcher in the Rye." Matt (Withers), devoted to perfecting his craft, is a button-down Harvard yuppie who hesitates to crib from J.D. Salinger, not when there's a leading role in a revival of "Buried Child" to be had. But he can't tell Ben, who refers to Sam Shepard as "that wrinkly guy from 'The Pelican Brief.' "

Initially, "Matt and Ben" seems content to follow this nutty sketch-comedy route. Then the script for "Good Will Hunting" literally falls into their laps.

With the instant commentary on Affleck and Damon's Tinseltown ascension, the show dives into riskier absurdist waters. Matt recognizes a sure-fire hit but has a pesky compunction about unearned credit; Ben is more pragmatic. This conflict is as old as their friendship: A shrieking flashback shows the high school talent competition in which Matt's emotive rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is upstaged by Ben's bad-boy antics.

The dilemma resurfaces in the pair's rehearsal of "Hunting's" romantic breakup scene. Here, Matt's artistic standards (and ambition) are hampered by Ben's "English" accent in the Minnie Driver role. Another complication is Matt's migraine strategy to make his callback without hurting Ben's feelings.