[NEohioPAL]MATT & BEN - COOL CLEVELAND PREVIEW

Wed Jun 22 12:53:06 PDT 2005

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The following preview was scheduled to run in COOL CLEVELAND this week, but=
=20
was omitted due to an editorial error.

I'm forwarding it to this list with permission --

In this week's COOL CLEVELAND there are 3 reviews -- GHOSTS at Tyst, THE=20
SPITFIRE GRILL at Porthouse, and RUTHLESS! at Mercury Summer=20
Stock.  www.coolcleveland.com

Linda Eisenstein

***
COOL CLEVELAND PREVIEW
Matt & Ben @ CPT Parish Hall, opening 6/24

Tom White has a burning question: =93Why can=92t live theater be cheap,=20
accessible, and good?=94 That=92s what he and his compatriots want to bring=
 to=20
Cleveland this weekend: fun, engaging live theatre that costs less than the=
=20
price of a movie. Their new production company, Lake Erie South Shore, aka=
=20
LESS Productions, opens with a double bill, plus live music for $10 at the=
=20
door =96 and an amazing 5 bucks if you reserve in advance.

Their debut show includes the Ohio premiere of Matt & Ben, a comic=20
50-minute romp by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers that gained loads of buzz=
=20
at last year=92s New York Fringe Festival. Before J-Lo, action movies, and=
=20
celebrity, two struggling actors enter the Hollywood jungle when the script=
=20
from =93Good Will Hunting=94 falls in their lap.

The second one-act is Polaris, written by company member Tom Kondilas.=20
"Polaris is a darker piece. It all takes place in one night =96 the events=
=20
are out of order, things inform each other in a non-conventional way,=94=
 says=20
White. =93It=92s an examination of past relationships, between friends and=
=20
lovers, and how they erode =96 and it mostly takes place in a men=92s room,=
=20
which is fun.=94

If the double bill isn=92t enough entertainment for your five-spot, there's=
=20
also live music an hour before each show by singer/songwriter Harry=
 Bacharach.

The young company was founded by four friends who knew each other from Case=
=20
Western Reserve University =96 two are recent grads, two are still students.=
=20
White and Justin Waters are in Matt & Ben, directed by Tom Kondilas. The=20
fourth company member is director Evan Kondilas, who will be directing the=
=20
film project that LESS is planning to shoot =96- they put out an audition=20
call this week. =93Evan was just nominated for a Best Documentary Short at=
=20
the Silver Docs Film Festival in Maryland.  He=92s a really talented guy.=94

White just moved back to Cleveland after six months living in London,=20
"tending bar and helping friends with projects". He was inspired by what he=
=20
saw in that most theatrical of cities. =93Theater out there is phenomenal,=
=20
and the crowd that goes is so different =96- it=92s the guy on the street.=
 When=20
I got back here, I didn=92t want to accept that theatre here is evolving to=
=20
an elite. Too many productions are so expensive they limit who can afford=20
to go. Theatre is such a powerful way to get people together =96- why does=
=20
there need to be such a strict limit on the kind of people who can afford=20
to do it?=94

The LESS bunch are hoping to bring in a younger crowd, the kind of folks=20
who might otherwise go to a flick for the evening. =93We=92re hoping to=
 raise=20
the bar a little bit for minimal budget theatre.=94

[Matt & Ben and Polaris, Parish Hall Theatre next to CPT, 6205 Detroit=20
Ave., Cleveland, thru 6/26. 8 pm Fri & Sat, 5 pm Sun, live music an hour=20
before. $10 at door, $5 if you reserve in advance. 216-956-7996.=20
http://www.lessproductions.com.]

by Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein, Linda at coolcleveland.com

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<html>
The following preview was scheduled to run in COOL CLEVELAND this week,
but was omitted due to an editorial error. 
I'm forwarding it to this list with permission -- 
In this week's COOL CLEVELAND there are 3 reviews -- GHOSTS at Tyst, THE
SPITFIRE GRILL at Porthouse, and RUTHLESS! at Mercury Summer Stock. 
<a href=3D"http://www.coolcleveland.com/"=
 eudora=3D"autourl">www.coolcleveland.com 
</a>Linda Eisenstein 
*** 
COOL CLEVELAND PREVIEW 
Matt & Ben @ CPT Parish Hall, opening 6/24 
Tom White has a burning question: =93Why can=92t live theater be
cheap, accessible, and good?=94 That=92s what he and his compatriots want to
bring to Cleveland this weekend: fun, engaging live theatre that costs
less than the price of a movie. Their new production company, Lake Erie
South Shore, aka LESS Productions, opens with a double bill, plus live
music for $10 at the door =96 and an amazing 5 bucks if you reserve in
advance. 
Their debut show includes the Ohio premiere of Matt & Ben, a
comic 50-minute romp by Mindy Kaling and Brenda Withers that gained loads
of buzz at last year=92s New York Fringe Festival. Before J-Lo, action
movies, and celebrity, two struggling actors enter the Hollywood jungle
when the script from =93Good Will Hunting=94 falls in their lap. 
The second one-act is Polaris, written by company member Tom
Kondilas. "Polaris is a darker piece. It all takes place in
one night =96 the events are out of order, things inform each other in a
non-conventional way,=94 says White. =93It=92s an examination of past
relationships, between friends and lovers, and how they erode =96 and it
mostly takes place in a men=92s room, which is fun.=94 
If the double bill isn=92t enough entertainment for your five-spot, there's
also live music an hour before each show by singer/songwriter Harry
Bacharach. 
The young company was founded by four friends who knew each other from
Case Western Reserve University =96 two are recent grads, two are still
students. White and Justin Waters are in Matt & Ben, directed
by Tom Kondilas. The fourth company member is director Evan Kondilas, who
will be directing the film project that LESS is planning to shoot =96- they
put out an audition call this week. =93Evan was just nominated for a Best
Documentary Short at the Silver Docs Film Festival in Maryland. 
He=92s a really talented guy.=94 
White just moved back to Cleveland after six months living in London,
"tending bar and helping friends with projects". He was
inspired by what he saw in that most theatrical of cities. =93Theater out
there is phenomenal, and the crowd that goes is so different =96- it=92s the
guy on the street. When I got back here, I didn=92t want to accept that
theatre here is evolving to an elite. Too many productions are so
expensive they limit who can afford to go. Theatre is such a powerful way
to get people together =96- why does there need to be such a strict limit
on the kind of people who can afford to do it?=94 
The LESS bunch are hoping to bring in a younger crowd, the kind of folks
who might otherwise go to a flick for the evening. =93We=92re hoping to rais=
e
the bar a little bit for minimal budget theatre.=94 
<table border=3D0>
<tr><td width=3D499>[Matt & Ben and Polaris, Parish Hall
Theatre next to CPT, 6205 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, thru 6/26. 8 pm Fri
& Sat, 5 pm Sun, live music an hour before. $10 at door, $5 if you
reserve in advance. 216-956-7996.
http://www.lessproductions.com.] 
 
by Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein,
Linda at coolcleveland.com
</td></tr>
<tr><td width=3D499></td></tr>
</table>
 
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