Kathleen Turner In “Finding My Voice” Gives Voice To Strong Views and Lengthy Career

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Thursday, 03 February 2022 15:19

Written by Brad Balfour

Kathleen Turner
“Finding My Voice”
Director: Andy Gale
Producer: Ken Davenport
Musical direction/arrangements/accompaniment: Mark Janas

Town Hall
123 W. 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036
Thursday, December 16th

Recently when I got invited to see Kathleen Turner’s one-woman show Finding My Voice. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Certainly she was never seen as a mellifluous singer. But with her husky-smoky tonality, she applies her voice to offer commentary on a life of fame and money but one graced with a sense of social responsibility, too.

She filled out her solo stage performance with songs from the great American songbook, crooning hits such as It’s Only a Paper Moon, I’d Rather Be Sailing, On the Street Where You Live and Every Time We Say Goodbye. Showcasing not only her trademark voice, “Finding My Voice” proves to audiences that she can project a sense of intimacy cabaret-style even in a concert venue such as Town Hall.

She took the sizable audience on a quip-laden behind-the-scenes look at her extensive and well-documented career. She’s a talented performer, a stage and screen star, a notable name who has struggled with the travails of age in a world where women get the shit end of the stick as they grow older and seem less bankable.

As the 67-year-old actress has said: “When they know me, they love me.” People have been telling Turner about her career since she broke out in 1981’s Body Heat — a steamy thriller co-starring William Hurt. That film and “War of the Roses” both earned her Golden Globe nominations. Turner’s other movies include “Romancing the Stone” and “Prizzi’s Honor,” each of which also earned her a Golden Globe; Peggy Sue Got Married, which brought both Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations to her. Turner supplied the voice of temptress Jessica Rabbit in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

For her stage work, she was nominated for Tonys in 1990 for playing Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and in 2005 for her performance as Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opposite Bill Irwin. She also toured as Texas-based political columnist Molly Ivins in Red Hot Patriot: The Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins. And she starred in Joan Didion’s solo drama, The Year of Magical Thinking, at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

Whether it was producers intimidated by her power at a young age or studio executives’ insistence that men sold more tickets than women, Turner has never walked away from a challenge. She maintains that those she’s worked closely with over the years regard her with respect — despite her reputation as a crusty diva. But her survival in this cut-throat business is testimony to her power of personality and an ability to earn continuing recognition.

For all those reasons, seeing her live on stage was a rare experience. That coupled with her strong progressive political views, self-deprecating humor and lighthearted takes on various standards made the night all the more worthwhile.

Directed by Andy Gale, Finding My Voice featured musical direction, arrangements and accompaniment from pianist Mark Janas. Though the show never took any really adventurous turns, this rarely seen, bluntly honest performance made the evening a memorable event. Packed with humor, classic music, and pointed insights spanning her lengthy career, it was a rare opportunity to see another aspect of her life.

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