Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Strange bedfellows are the thing in Elizabeth McGovern’s AVA: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS and Sophie McIntosh’s ROAD KILLS

• By drediman
• August 21, 2025
• No Comments

Currently on the boards of New York, you’ll find two new Off-Broadway plays that bask in the dramatic fireworks that arise from strange bedfellows. As per usual, read on for my thoughts on these intriguing works.

AVA: THE SECRET CONVERSATIONS
New York City Center
Through September 14

Currently over at New York City Center Stage I, you’ll find Elizabeth McGovern’s new two-hander Ava: The Secret Conversations (RECOMMENDED), which has set up shop in New York this summer as part of a mini-tour of the country. As a twilight encapsulation of Ava Gardner’s life — particularly within the context of the Hollywood sex symbol’s conversations with Peter Evans — the play calls to mind two plays, Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow (which focuses on the tenuous end of Judy Garland’s career) and Peter Shaffer’s award-winning Amadeus. Adapted from Evans’ documentation of their fascinating meetings, McGovern’s tightly-written play blurs past and present, seamlessly toggling between the tug-of-war, Gardner’s increasingly murky interactions with Evans and candid depictions of her notorious romantic relationships (including marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra). Given the familiar theatrical devices it uses, Ava: The Secret Conversations breaks no new ground. That being said, the production has been stylishly and tastefully directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, who has polished the play to a nice sheen. The glamorous McGovern all but loses herself in the role, giving a simultaneously bruised and bruising performance that demands attention. In the arguably tougher role of Evans — who must shape-shift into Gardner’s various lovers over the course of the evening — the darkly handsome Aaron Costa Ganis is excellent in a skillful turn that selflessly showcases McGovern’ selflessly’s Gardner.

ROAD KILLS
Good Apples Collective at Paradise Factory
Through September 6

If you’re looking for a less conventional odd couple-type play, I would look no further than Sophie McIntosh’s new play Road Kills (RECOMMENDED) at Paradise Factory in the East Village. Presented by Good Apples Collective, the work tells the story of a bitterly caustic young woman who has been paired with a one-man road kill cleanup crew as community service for her transgressions. Although they make for a highly unlikely pairing — she’s crass and recklessly impulsive, he’s wholesome and uncommonly patient — the two lost souls embark on an emotionally turbulent journey that find them slowly inching towards each other in a captivating dance-like manner. McIntosh’s play is structurally effective and makes for genuinely intriguing character studies, providing the two actors — D.B. Milliken and Mia Sinclair Jenness, two very fine actors to look out for — a chance to really flex their chops (also in the cast is the game Michael Lepore as two peripheral characters). Indeed, they both give finely honed performances that excavate the characters’ dense psyches with nuance and naked honesty, even if some of their respective character revelations tend to be melodramatic in the unlikeliest of senses (no spoilers here!). Thankfully, Road Kills ends on a note of hope and grace, counteracting much of the violence and grim horrors that dominate much of the play. As directed by Nina Goodheart, the production is tight and intelligently paced, giving the actors both a solid framework and the necessary leeway to fully cultivate their characters.