Ava Gardner (1922-1990) was one of the greatest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Not only a great beauty but a talented actress, Gardner was in such notable films as Show Boat, The Killers, The Barefoot Contessa, and On the Beach. She was also married three times, to Mickey Rooney, bandleader Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra, each marriage ending in divorce. In 1988, Ava hired British writer Peter Evans to ghostwrite her autobiography, but fired him without finishing the work. Evans got permission from Gardner’s estate to use his transcripts of their interviews in his 2023 book Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations.
Which brings us to Ava: The Secret Conversations, now being presented at Stage I at the New York City Center. Appearing as Gardner is Elizabeth McGovern of Downton Abbey fame, who is also the playwright. McGovern has written herself a juicy part, one for which her acting abilities are shown at their best. McGovern not only depicts Gardner’s earthy charm, but also gives Gardner a North Carolina accent that slowly fades away as she goes from young starlet through multiple marriages to mature womanhood. Playwright McGovern ably handles having Ava jump back and forth in time as Gardner describes her life to Evans. In writing an equally juicy part for her co-star, Aaron Costa Ganis, McGovern provides a play balanced almost evenly between its two players.
Besides portraying Peter Evans, Ganis shows his versatility by taking on the roles of all three of Gardner’s husbands. He particularly shines as Sinatra, who was married the longest to Gardner, even at one point doing a passable imitation of his song stylings. Together, Ganis and McGovern portray Sinatra and Gardner as two people who love each other very much but just cannot make a go of marriage. They also, under the direction of Moritz Von Stuelpnagel, convincingly portray Gardner’s appeal to a variety of men, each seeing what he most desires in her but never seeing the total woman.
Ava: The Secret Conversations does not purport to be an absolutely true story. It is definitely based on facts about Gardner’s life and career but, right from the start, states that parts of the play are fictionalized. If you’re looking for a tabloid version of the life of one of Hollywood’s great late-Golden Age actresses, you’re bound to be disappointed. But if you’re looking for a play that rings true in portraying the price of movie fame and its effects on all involved, I highly recommend heading for City Center to listen in on Ava: The Secret Conversations.
Ava: The Secret Conversations is presented at Stage I in the New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street in New York, through Sept. 13, 2025. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to avagardnerplay.com.
