EDGE Interview: Kathleen Turner Takes on an Iconic Sondheim Character

Kathleen Turner has been a star since she first slinked across the screen as femme fatale Matty Walker in Lawrence Kasdan's neo-noir "Body Heat." In that film she was catnip to lawyer William Hurt as the pair schemed murder while having some of the hottest onscreen sex of the 1980s. From there the sultry-voiced Turner turned to comedy with "Romancing the Stone," "Peggy Sue Got Married," and, most notably, "Serial Mom," John Waters' hilarious satire of a suburban mom turned mass killer that in a more perfect world would have won her an Oscar.

But it was during the filming of "Serial Mom" that Turner came down with "inexplicable pains and fevers," as she would later explain. A year later, in 1993, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which she has lived with for the past 30 years. Her condition became so bad she couldn't walk or hold a pen, but she received little sympathy from the press didn't know of her health crisis. "They snipped that I had become fat and unrecognizable because I was an angry, washed-up diva, an out-of-control has-been, when in truth the changes in my physical appearance were caused by drugs and chemotherapy and were not within my control. Still, I did not reveal what was happening to me," she wrote in her memoir "Send Yourself Roses: My Life, Loves and Leading Roles," written with Gloria Feldt.

And things got worse. Turner turned to alcohol to deal with the pain; and was accused of being difficult to work with. But with new therapies, her rheumatoid arthritis went into remission, and she was able to work more fully, even taking on the arduous task of eight shows a week on Broadway. While she appeared in films and television, most famously on "Friends" where she played Chandler's dad, who had become a drag performer, the stage became Turner's focus. She made her Broadway debut as the bedridden mother to an electrifying Jude Law in the British transfer of a little seen Cocteau play "Les Parents Dangereuses" (retitled "Indiscretions"); then as Maggie in a revival of "Cat on the Hot Tin Roof," for which she received her first Tony nomination. She made headlines for her full-frontal scene as Mrs. Robinson, both in London and New York, in a stage adaptation of "The Graduate;" then proved a revelation as Martha in an acclaimed revival of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," for which she received her second Tony nomination.

It has been in regional theaters where Turner has made her mark in the past 20 years, playing tough, real-life writers Molly Ivins and Joan Dideon; a hard-ass nun determined to help a meth addict ("High"); Bertolt Brecht's mercenary Mother Courage, and even God in a regional theater production of the Broadway play "An Act of God."

Turner is currently in a wheelchair; thankfully, not because of any health issue, but on stage because playing an iconic Sondheim character: Madame Armfeldt in "A Little Night Music" at the Ogunguit Playhouse through August 17. The musical, written by Sondheim and his long-time collaborator Hugh Wheeler, is an adaptation of a Bergman film, "Smiles of a Summer Night" that follows the romantic escapades of a group of well-to-do Swedes at turn-of-the-19th century. Sondheim's ingenious score is written in waltz meter and makes vocal demands more operatic in style than most musicals. Turner's character presides over the musical's numerous romances, and comments on their very nature in her droll number "Liaisons," in which she ruminates on her shrewdly executed affairs, which helped her land her estate and, as she sings, "a tiny Titian."
Introduction by Robert Nesti

EDGE spoke to Turner about her love of regional theater, being on stage in a wheelchair, and her upcoming gig as a professor this fall.

EDGE: Can you talk about what stands out most about performing in the Ogunquit Playhouse?

Kathleen Turner: It's the quality. I've worked at many regional theaters, but they prioritize where they spend money. The staff, the heads of each department, the cast, and everyone at the playhouse are at the top of their game. It's really a pleasure to be a part of it all.
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EDGE: How did A Little Night Music come about for you?

Kathleen Turner: I turned 70 in June and thought I probably wouldn't be doing eight shows a week anymore, so I got the call for this opportunity. The best part is that my character is in a wheelchair, so after 30 years of living with rheumatoid arthritis, I can sit down and act.

EDGE: What's it like being wheelchair-bound for the entire show?

Kathleen Turner: It's a little frustrating. I have to tell you. I find myself feeling a bit tied down, but on the other hand, I've never done a musical before, so that is the upside. This show is so intricate and precise, and everyone is so good. I sit in the wings on stage and listen to these extraordinary people. I am knocked out by them and their talent.

EDGE: For those unfamiliar with the show, how would you describe it?

Kathleen Turner: It's a period piece that takes place before the turn of the century. The brilliant Julia Murney plays Madame Armfeldt's daughter, Desiree Armfeldt. Desiree is an actress who is touring the country. Mike McGowan plays Fredrik, a lawyer who was Desiree's love years ago and now suddenly has returned, and then there's Fredrika, my granddaughter who lives with me. There is an entire cast of people, and all the relatives go on and on.

EDGE: How would you describe the character of Madame Armfeldt?

Kathleen Turner: My character, Madame Armfeldt, was a great courtesan. She was the lover of kings and princes and had a very good life.

EDGE: Do you see yourself in her?

Kathleen Turner: Yes, in some ways. She does not suffer fools. She says what she wants and what she intends. She is also gracious and loving, and I like that.

EDGE: You have been in great shows and played fantastic characters. Is there a character you truly loved playing?

Kathleen Turner: Martha, of course, from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" What a wonderful and complex character to play.

EDGE: You played God once in a regional theater production of "An Act of God." If you were God, what changes would you make?

Kathleen Turner: I'd make at least half, if not more, of the governing bodies in this country and the world women. Then, I would boot out all these old men in politics who do the same thing repeatedly and expect a different response. Wouldn't all that be fun?

EDGE: What experience are you hoping the audience walks away with?

Kathleen Turner: I want to realize they had just experienced some of the best of Sondheim's music. They will be thrilled with it. It entwines you. You have these melody lines, melodic lines that twist and turn and then layer on top of each other. It's so gorgeous. I'm so happy with the show, the music, and the fantastic cast.

EDGE: After this show, what is next for you?

Kathleen Turner: This fall, I will again be teaching full-time at Pace University. I'm a professor and I've always taught masterclasses at different universities. In the past, I would only do a week here and a week there, but I finally decided I wanted to have more consistency than just a week with the students. I wanted to work with them for a semester, so that's where I will be. I am very excited for the new school year to begin and get to spend more time with my students.

Kathleen Turner appears in "A Little Night Music" at the Ogunquit Playhouse, 10 Main Street, Ogunquit, Maine, through August 18. For ticket information, visit the Ogunquit Playhouse website.