Ava: The Secret Conversations at Geffen Playhouse

Ava: The Secret Conversations

Geffen Playhouse
10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles

A theatrical glimpse into the private life of Hollywood's original femme fatale, legendary icon Ava Gardner (Elizabeth McGovern, Once Upon a Time in America, Downton Abbey) and her ghost writer Peter Evans begin work on her tell-all biography that will shock Tinseltown

Thru - May 7, 2023

Tuesdays: 8:00pm

Wednesdays: 8:00pm

Thursdays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 8:00pm

Saturdays: 3:00pm & 8:00pm

Sundays: 2:00pm & 7:00pm

Show Type: Drama

Box Office: 310-208-5454

www.geffenplayhouse.com

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Ava: The Secret Conversations Reviews

Average Rating based on 5 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Broadway World - Somewhat Recommended

"...Ava, however, is not to be deterred. Until the last, her mystery, her seductive allure, and her autonomy are her own to keep. Voiced in the audacious drawl of the modern actress who has surely inhibited her for some time off stage and on. Her story will be her own. Both, are indomitable."

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- Tracey Paleo

Stage Scene LA - Highly Recommended

"...Elizabeth McGovern proves herself as accomplished a playwright as she is a gifted actress in Ava: The Secret Conversations, the Academy Award nominee's fascinating look at the life and loves of screen goddess extraordinaire Ava Gardner."

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- Steven Stanley

Stage Raw - Somewhat Recommended

"...The Secret Conversations, a book consisting of a series of interviews Peter Evans conducted with Hollywood star Ava Gardner about her life, had an unusual and circuitous path to publication. The interviews were conducted in the late 1980s, until Gardner withdrew from the project, possibly due to ex-husband Frank Sinatra offering her money to not have it published in their lifetimes. Evans continued trying to get it published but died in 2012, whereupon his editor finished the book and published it in 2013. Now writer/performer Elizabeth McGovern has written Ava: The Secret Conversations, a play based upon the book which is receiving a world premiere at the Geffen Playhouse starring herself. Although the performances in this production are good, the play itself feels scattered and uneven in quality."

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- Terry Morgan

Indulge Magazine - Recommended

"..."Ava: The Secret Conversations" at the Geffen Playhouse features Elizabeth McGovern in a raw and captivating portrayal of one of Hollywood's most iconic stars, Ava Gardner. McGovern, best known for her role in "Downton Abbey," embodies Gardner's larger-than-life persona on stage, dropping f-bombs, smoking and drinking to excess, and yet irresistible."

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- G. Dhalla

The Hollywood Times - Recommended

"...Bringing Ava Gardner to life, Elizabeth McGovern gives her a bite that is both dangerous and charming. Indeed, the financial constrictions of her later years and her desire for money to pay her expensive London mortgage dominate her perspective. Although she does not want to dig into the past, she has no choice. Although veiled by style and class, desperation simmers below the surface. As she tells the potential ghostwriter of her autobiography, "I either write the book or sell the jewels. I'm kinda sentimental about the jewels.""

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- John Lavitt

Ava: The Secret Conversations at Geffen Playhouse