My overall impression
The story of this segment of the love- and professional-lives of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner is so strong and moving that when the lights came up on the unexpectedly sentimental last scene, the audience started applauding and just wouldn’t stop. It’s good that there are no lines in that scene, because we wouldn’t have heard them over the applause. We had come to care deeply about the fates of this long-dead couple. Playwright Willard Manus has gotten right into the heart of Frank Sinatra (shown at a moment when his career is bottoming out) and actor Rico Simonini grabs hold of every well-chosen word and squeezes all the juice from them. Beautiful Stefany Northcutt’s role as Ava is underwritten, but with vocal intonations, facial expressions, and well-timed body language, she holds her own (her extraordinary good looks are a big help, too). The theatre space, the band or cabaret section of a tiny Hollywood club, is crowded, murky, and totally charming, a cave to discover treasure in. Kudos to producer David Svengalis for getting this dark little gem to us, and to director Kelly Galindo for keeping a “talky” script alive and absorbing through many changes of mood.
