Frank and Ava

I have always loved back stories about Hollywood celebrities, and this show did not disappoint. The show was staged at the Three Clubs, which added the perfect setting to a stellar show. I was especially impressed with the actors and their ease in portraying these two larger than life icons. A definite MUST SEE!... full review

This one is a gem, definitely check it out. For a complete review, please see my writer's website at joybennett.com. Enjoy the Fringe Fest! Joy Bennett... full review

This was very well done. The venue was perfect for the setting. Loved the costumes. I did not like how the audience was encouraged to come and go during the scene changes. The show is short enough that everyone should sit and be quiet. The producer should start the show on time so that we can get to other shows with more time.... full review

For ratpack-Hollywood-in-the-'50s geeks, this is your cuppa. Helped by the tawdry fragrance of old Hollyweird that can never be scrubbed away from the wonderful Three of Clubs bar on Vine Street where Frank and Ava is staged, the play explores the troubled love relationship and careers of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Bookended by a Sinatra soundtrack the characters are soaked with booze (the sound of ice cubes clinking in the actors' glasses was ever-present throughout the show.) Though they appropriately slur out their noir-ish dialogue, at first I was mildly irritated by what seemed rather imitative badinage and by the fact that the gorgeous Stefany Northcutt playing Ava seemed to be acting for an intimate camera and didn't match her act... full review

I went not expecting to much, because two character plays are usually hard to pull off,and then when I finally found the venue at 1123 Vine St, I was more turned off. You enter in this rowdy bar. There was loud talking and two females laughing loudly and hysterically like laughing hyenas, and they didn't let up. I asked the guy taking reservations, where the theatre was, and he pointed to a door right next to all this going on in the bar, and I was sure I'd would be hearing more of the bar than the play. Well, that was the bad part, but when I finally got in this beautiful little intimate space, it was like Alice going into the Looking Glass.It was charming with tables on the top and seats around the set of the living room. It was the ... full review

I was a little bummed when I learned that the understudies would be performing this afternoon, but I was surprised at their level of performance. They were engaging and believable and especially in the Three Clubs setting, they brought me back to Frank and Eva's tumultuous times... Bravo! I'm going back to see Stefany and Rico... Can't wait!!! Jim Clemente, Tech Advisor, Writer, Criminal Minds... full review

I love that it was intimate. The chemistry between the two was well portraited. The play wasn't dragged out. It was the right amount of time to keep everyone's interest. My friends and I really enjoyed last night's performance, and we would definitely go see another play there.... full review

I just finished reading the excerpt from Ava Gardner’s memoir in Vanity Fair about her years with Sinatra. Well, playwright Willard Manus certainly gets all the facts right in this intriguing if melodramatic short play. It’s never boring, but somehow they still didn’t ring true to me as human beings. Ava says they drank and fought and made love and that’s pretty much what they do here. We are flies on the wall enjoying this glimpse into their love nest. It’s a series of snapshot scenes, starting with Frank’s depression over his failing career, through Ava’s wild success in films, then Frank’s decision to try for the role of Maggio in “From Here to Eternity,” their tempestuous marriage, her month’s long shoot in Africa, their infidelities, et... full review