Ava: The Secret Conversations - Riverside Studios
Mar 3, 2022 23:10:25 GMT
anthony40, TallPaul, and 1 more like this
Post by joem on Mar 3, 2022 23:10:25 GMT
A difficult day to watch this due to the tube strike. It took an hour and a half to get to the Riverside Studios and the best part of two hours to get back to central London. But my personal discomfort is far less important than the blow to attendances given by this strike. Two years of Covid, now Putin and strikes too. Our theatre truly needs our support. An audience of barely thirty attended the matinee, which is a shame as it is a worthy and entertaining production which deserves a wider audience.
On a brighter note, this was my first visit to the Riverside since the refurbishment/rebuilding and boy have they done a good job here! This is a smart new venue with theatre, cinema, bar and restaurant commanding brilliant views of the Thames and with very charming and helpful staff employed throughout.
"Ava" has been put together as an adaptation by actress Elizabeth McGovern of the book by journalist Peter Evans and Ava Gardner. McGovern also plays the eponymous part as Hollywood star Ava Gardner. Based on a number of conversations aimed at writing a memoir of the actress, the play basically tracks their growing relationship as their conflicting motivations come to head - he is being asked to write a warts-and-all story about Ava and her husbands and lovers - especially Frank Sinatra - while she just desperately needs money.
This is not just a bioplay though. If so it would still be interesting but mostly to buffs of old Hollywood. McGovern has successfully adapted the material to give us a study into fame and an expose of the way in which women were ill-used by the studio "starlet" system and condemned for the same actions which were lauded in male actors. You don't need to know anything about Ava Gardner to enjoy this play. Anatol Yusef deserves a mention for his versatility; he plays not just journalist Peter Evans but also all the other male characters including Ava's three husbands - Mickey Rooney, bandleader Artie Shaw and, of course, Sinatra.
I hope today's practically empty auditorium was a blip. This deserves better.
On a brighter note, this was my first visit to the Riverside since the refurbishment/rebuilding and boy have they done a good job here! This is a smart new venue with theatre, cinema, bar and restaurant commanding brilliant views of the Thames and with very charming and helpful staff employed throughout.
"Ava" has been put together as an adaptation by actress Elizabeth McGovern of the book by journalist Peter Evans and Ava Gardner. McGovern also plays the eponymous part as Hollywood star Ava Gardner. Based on a number of conversations aimed at writing a memoir of the actress, the play basically tracks their growing relationship as their conflicting motivations come to head - he is being asked to write a warts-and-all story about Ava and her husbands and lovers - especially Frank Sinatra - while she just desperately needs money.
This is not just a bioplay though. If so it would still be interesting but mostly to buffs of old Hollywood. McGovern has successfully adapted the material to give us a study into fame and an expose of the way in which women were ill-used by the studio "starlet" system and condemned for the same actions which were lauded in male actors. You don't need to know anything about Ava Gardner to enjoy this play. Anatol Yusef deserves a mention for his versatility; he plays not just journalist Peter Evans but also all the other male characters including Ava's three husbands - Mickey Rooney, bandleader Artie Shaw and, of course, Sinatra.
I hope today's practically empty auditorium was a blip. This deserves better.
