Review: Ava: The Secret Conversations

I ruined his life…. Whose life? Frank Sinatra. The newest production at the Studebaker Theater is Elizabeth McGovern’s play Ava: The Secret Conversations. She wrote the play which is based upon Peter Evans’ and Ava Gardner’s book “The Secret Conversations”. Moritz von Stuelpnagel directs. This mesmerizing story centers around Ava Gardner and the four men in her life: husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, Frank Sinatra and friend Howard Hughes. She was his protégé and longtime friend. Miss McGovern’s portrayal of Ava is such a mix of happiness, despair, acceptance, longing and vulnerability. She becomes Ava.  Aaron Costa Ganis portrays Peter Evans, the journalist getting the secret conversations but he also becomes Rooney, Shaw and Sinatra. It is a bravura performance. Ava met Rooney when she first came to Hollywood and Rooney was doing his wide eyed MGM musicals. The conversation between young Ava and Mickey is youthful yet Mickey kept telling Ava how much he wanted her. The marriage lasted a year. Her second marriage to Artie Shaw also lasted a year. He did not treat her very well and he wanted to be in control of everything. That marriage lasted a year as well. Then there was Frank. Ava has referred to him as the love of her life. It was a tumultuous marriage. Yelling and throwing. Ava influenced Harry Cohn, co-founder of Paramount, to give the part of Maggio in From Here to Eternity to Frank. He won the Oscar and that revived his career for the rest of his life. When Ava was cast in Mogambo, Frank went along during filming since it was in Africa. Ava was pregnant and flew to London for an abortion. The first vignette of their romance shows them boozy and yelling. Ava begins to walk out. The second vignette is Frank performing live at the Sands. Ava shows up. She is standing in the aisle and he’s on stage. He is thanking her for showing up and she is expressing her love and support for him. It is a very emotional moment. Howard Hughes does not “appear” but there is conversation about him. Ava tells Evans that she was the woman men dreamed of. Evans has a home, a wife and a family. She is alone. She tells Evans she turned down the role of Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate. Ava and Evans had a falling out and she stopped talking with him. After Ava passed, Evans used his notes and other sources to finish the book. The last scene we see Ava in her total Hollywood glam, sunglasses too. As she walks downstage, she says this is her story and she likes it. It’s Ava in all her glory.