AVA: The Secret Conversations, written by and starring Academy Award-nominated actor Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey), officially opened August 7 at Off Broadway's New York City Center. See what the critics have to say below.

The show has McGovern playing Golden Age of Hollywood star Ava Gardner, who sits down for a series of interviews with writer Peter Evans for him to glean the juicy details about her life story, her marriages to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra, and her turbulent relationship to Howard Hughes.

Aaron Costa Ganis (CBS' Bull) plays Peter Evans, and John Tufts (Pride and Prejudice at Primary Stages) plays Ed Victor.

The production is directed by Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel (Hand to God). The limited engagement runs until September 14. Following New York, the play will travel to Chicago's Studebaker Theater September 24–October 12 and to Toronto's CAA Theatre November 6–23.

Read the reviews below.

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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.

READ: Elizabeth McGovern Says Goodbye to Downton Abbey and Hello to Ava Gardner

The production also features scenic design by David Meyer, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker, sound design by Cricket S. Myers, projection design by Alex Basco Koch, and wig design by Matthew Armentrout. Production stage manager is Avery Trunko. General management is by Pemberley Productions.

Visit AvaGardnerPlay.com.

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Photos: Ava: The Secret Conversations at New York City Center

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