‘Ava: The Secret Conversations’ Off-Broadway review — Elizabeth McGovern brings Ava Gardner to the stage
Read our review of Ava: The Secret Conversations off Broadway, a new play written by and starring Elizabeth McGovern, adapted from Ava Gardner's autobiography.
Ava Gardner may be one of the most recognizable names from the Golden Age of Hollywood. But what do we remember about her 35 years after her death? That seems to be the crux of Emmy Award nominee Elizabeth McGovern’s new play Ava: The Secret Conversations. Based on a book of the same name, McGovern’s script imagines Ava in the final years of her life: recovering from a stroke, keenly aware of her mortality, and hoping the story of her life won’t be remembered in a way that centers her three famous husbands and leaves her to the side.
McGovern, primarily an actress perhaps best known for her role of Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham on Downton Abbey, also stars as Ava Gardner opposite Aaron Costa Ganis as celebrity gossip writer Peter Evans, who helped Gardner write her autobiography. Nearly always barefoot, McGovern shines in Ava’s skin, relishing the quirkiness and entitlement that comes with having been famous and beautiful. (Argues Evans’s agent, played by Chris Thorn, when the journalist tries to protest the ghostwriting assignment: “Of course she’s bonkers! She was the biggest star in the world!”)
Costa Ganis, for his part, plays a Peter who is bemused, frightened, and charmed by Ava with tenderness. Despite his frustrations with her, he cares deeply for her and is invested in even her most inconsequential of memories. But the depth of Costa Ganis’s talent reveals itself when he steps in as Ava's paramours: first, the character of boyish Mickey Rooney, then stern Artie Shaw, then hopeless Frank Sinatra (bonus points for the flawless impression of Ol’ Blue Eyes singing “I've Got You Under My Skin”).
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, Ava: The Secret Conversations does a great job of teasing the fascinating life of Ava Gardner. But in some respects, the storytelling is a little confused. Ava and Peter’s relationship is complicated by the way Peter keeps morphing into Ava’s husbands during their sessions. It’s unclear if it’s a specific tactic on his part to get her to open up, as seems to be the case when he imitates Mickey Rooney, or if Ava is projecting her past onto Peter, as with Frank Sinatra, or if it’s merely a plot device. Whatever the answer, McGovern and Costa Ganis are a compatible pair.
Ava: The Secret Conversations summary
In 1988, Hollywood icon Ava Gardner sat down with British journalist Peter Evans to discuss ghostwriting her autobiography. Gardner and Evans met for two years in her flat in London for writing sessions before Ava discovered her ex-husband and longtime friend Frank Sinatra had sued Evans for libel, and she fired him.
Their conversations went unpublished for over two decades, until after the deaths of both Gardner and Evans. Elizabeth McGovern adapted the story of the femme fatale and the celebrity biographer for the stage after reading Evans’s posthumously published book, Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations.
What to expect at Ava: The Secret Conversations
Some of the most interesting visuals of the 90-minute, intermissionless play come from the screen projections (designed by Alex Basco Koch) that dominate the stage in between sessions. The quaint London flat set is completely overtaken by projections that represent the research Evans is doing in between their conversations. They show scandalous headlines about her romances, paired with images and videos: Ava grinning widely next to Mickey Rooney, Ava smiling demurely next to Artie Shaw, Ava eyeing the camera coquettishly on the arm of Frank Sinatra.
The old headlines and images are not just a reminder that Ava Gardner was so much more than any one play can capture — they’re a reminder of how celebrity culture hasn’t changed all that much in the 70-odd years since Gardner was in her heyday.
What audiences are saying about Ava: The Secret Conversations
Ava: The Secret Conversations has an 86% audience rating on Show-Score at the time of publication, with largely positive reviews from theatregoers.
- “Really nice biographical story presented as a tightly directed and cleverly staged one-act.” -Show-Score user Ray of Light
- “A bit confusing, or at least vague, at times but that keeps you guessing. Great acting and singing.” - Show-Score user Cathy 6188
- “Anyone capable of portraying a believable Rooney and Sinatra truly deserves a standing ovation, as Aaron did alongside Elizabeth.” - Show-Score user Elisa 9119
Read more audience reviews of Ava: The Secret Conversations on Show-Score.
Who should see Ava: The Secret Conversations
- Fans of Ava Gardner will be charmed by this unfiltered portrayal of the Hollywood star in the last years of her life.
- Fans of Elizabeth McGovern’s career, from her star turn in Downton Abbey as Countess Cora to her band Sadie and the Hotheads, will delight to see McGovern come alive as Ava Gardner in a play she wrote.
- Theatregoers who enjoy two-handers will appreciate the chemistry between charismatic leads McGovern and Costa Ganis.
Learn more about Ava: The Secret Conversations off Broadway
Elizabeth McGovern’s play is an ode to one of Hollywood’s greats, a tender homage for those familiar with Ava Gardner’s work and perhaps a perfect introduction for those of younger generations who are not.
Photo credit: Elizabeth McGovern and Aaron Costa Ganis in Ava: The Secret Conversations. (Photos by Jeff Lorch)
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