Memories of Irish Childhoods Great White American Teeth by Fiona Walsh At the Irish Repertory Theatre Nov 06 By Cahir O?Doherty AS a girl growing up in rural Ireland, writer and performer Fiona Walsh often felt like an alien. An only child in a street filled with 10 person families, she was as bright as she was gregarious and she stood out for her almost unpatriotic disinterest in sports. Sensing her difference other children gave her a wide berth, and in her loneliness she turned inward ? and then eventually outward ? and a star was born. In her hilarious and immensely likeable turn as the narrator of her own play Great White American Teeth at the Irish Repertory Theatre (in which, naturally, she also stars) Walsh reenacts her vexed childhood among the puzzled locals of Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, each of whom follow her antics with varying degrees of indulgence or consternation. Roscrea, Walsh reminds us, is the bacon capital of the county, and the local butcher is the ordained voice of the community (and what a gossipy community it turns out to be). It?s a tale as old as time: a misfit is rejected by her community, but in the process she finds her own voice, moves to New York City and become fabulous. What singles out Walsh?s play is its wit and openhearted joyfulness, which is obviously the result of the talent that created it. Roscrea?s loss was New York City?s gain, clearly. The play and the community it portrays has a dark side too. Beneath all the brittle gaiety on the stage, we discover that Walsh has had some formative adolescent experiences that would have derailed weaker spirits. Casually she mentions the putrid smell of bone and gristle that wafts out of the bacon factory on certain days, she mentions hearing the squealing pigs in their death throes, but before we can even shudder, reflexively she?s off again on another distracting caper that has us laughing once more. Teenage erotic stirrings, in Walsh?s case, bring with them gossamer dreams of Warren Beatty and his preternaturally perfect teeth and sun tan. In comparison to her Hollywood idol, the local lads of Roscrea are a let down indeed. The future, it become clear, will involve disco music, glittering fashions, extensive dining options and a plane ticket. There?s a quiet tenderness lurking beneath the surface of her play, for her home town, for its colorful characters, for her family and even for herself for having survived the ill starred marriage that was her life there until the day she finally left. Walsh skillfully manages all of these disparate elements without ever once veering into sentimentality or score settiling and so we're treated to a vivid memoir with the most reasurringly of American outcomes, a happy ending.

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nytheatre.com review "Pick of the Week"

Judith Jarosz, July 19, 2004

Walking in to be seated, I am greeted with no real set, just one black folding chair, stage left, and a large speaker stage right, from which is booming forth the disco song ?I Love America.? Then the lights dim and a small spotlight illuminates the face of Ms. Fiona Walsh, who is about to be abducted by aliens who wish to take her to their ship to study, because she is, after all, a very special child. Thus begins Great White American Teeth, a delightful solo performance journey through Walsh's childhood from the age of eight until her landing upon American soil, in New York City, as an adult in 1994.

The once bare stage becomes filled with our imagination as we travel to the town of Roscrea, in the county of Tipperary in Ireland. There, through Walsh's versatile artistry, we are introduced to a colorful roster of local characters. There?s Liam, the gossipy butcher who thinks he knows everyone?s business; the minister with the voice so booming you couldn?t sleep through a sermon if you wanted to; and the nun who spits when she speaks. The young Walsh longs to escape the conventions of her small town, where, ?if you part your hair a different way, they would talk about you for weeks,? and feels she is destined for greater things. When she reads a magazine article on New York City she feels she has found her paradise.

We follow along through many adventures: her girlish infatuation with Warren Beatty and his big white American teeth, the ?co-ed? community center disco dance for teens (some of the dancing alone is worth the price of admission), and, finally, winning a visa lottery to come to America. There?s much more, and each episode is loads of fun. When she finally gets to the Big Apple, her lively descriptions of what goes on in the city remind me of what it?s like when a relative comes to visit, and you see through their eyes all of the wonderful, amazing things in New York that we residents tend to take for granted.

Though director Virginia Scott keeps the action moving, I found myself wanting to know more about what happens to Fiona after she arrived in New York. Some slight trimming to the Ireland section, an intermission, and then a second act in New York City would be grand! But either way, with her sparkling energy, masterful mimicry, colorful phrasing, and dead-on comic timing, Walsh has the audience in her hand and almost constantly, erupting with laughter.

Irish Emigrant - July 2004 By Hannah Cassidy

Here?s a beauty tip for you.  If you?re going to see Great White American Teeth, the one-woman show written and performed by Fiona Walsh, remember to wear waterproof mascara.  Walsh?s take on an Irish childhood and the dream of coming to America is so funny that I cried laughing.  Not for Walsh tales of poverty, misery and dying siblings.  In fact Walsh?s brother and sister were both black, adopted, ?and existed entirely in my imagination.? 

Walsh?s show deals with the usual aspects of small town life, the gossiping, the boredom and the isolation of anyone that doesn?t ?fit in?.  Although a lot of the references are specifically Irish, in some cases specifically regional, the truth and humor of the writing reflect the global experience.  The materials broad appeal was apparent by the diverse nature of Walshes audience, all colors, sizes, shapes, ages, ethnicities, and all of them laughing uncontrollably.   One African American woman laughed so hard I thought she?d have an accident.  Some things traverse social, racial and national boundaries and the inner life of children is definitely one of them.  Children across the western world, whether they?re in Wisconsin or Roscrea, spend hours practicing their Oscar acceptance speech; wish they had superpowers to fight back at bullies; and fantasize about marrying someone famous.  In Walsh?s case, the famous person was film star Warren Beatty, and her long-term love affair with the actor is hilariously recounted.   ?I was totally obsessed with Warren Beatty,? Walsh said when I spoke to her after the show. 

Regular readers of Trendz are probably wondering what this show has to do with make-up.  Well let me tell you!  Where Eagles Dare Theatre on West 36^th Street, where Walsh has been performing her one-woman piece, is a small and unforgiving space from the performers point of view.  Walsh is right in the audiences lap so to speak, and with the theatrical lights, no flaw goes unnoticed.  Of course the first thing I noticed was her make-up, which was immaculate and more importantly, stayed in tact for over and hour under the extremely hot lights and throughout much energetic dancing. While other people questioned Walsh about her theatrical and literary influences, I was more interested in the contents of her make-up bag. ?Right now, I have Body Shop pressed powder,? she replied, ?Revlon lipstick in a fancy case with a mirror, and Body Shop Indian Gardenia perfume.? Walsh went on to add that this particular make up bag was only one of many. ?I'm a make up junkie! I have it stashed in different cases all over the house! I have a proper silver make up case -which a friend gave me for a show I was doing. Then I have various other material bags with various lipsticks and bits and pieces in them. If I'm in a hurry, I can just grab one and go!? Being a ?make up junkie? Walsh is a regular reader of Trendz as she likes to keep abreast of all the new lines. Like most junkies she has a favorite fix, ?I love all make up products,? she said, ?but right now I can?t live without my Urban Decay ?Lounge? eye shadow?. As for perfume, Walsh says she has seven bottles currently on the go, but thinks that her favorite is Angel, by Thierry Mugler. I asked Walsh if she was willing to share her beauty secrets with Trendz readers. ?I have no real secrets,? she said, ?for the stage I just do my make up as I normally would; only I use a lot more of it. The strong lights wash all color out of the face - what would be overdone in real life comes across as normal from the stage. And I experiment a lot; I love playing with make up and different looks.? Experimentation began early for Walsh whose mother was a member of the local musical society and theatrical group, and ?had a big stash of makeup for the stage.? Walsh?s first ever cosmetic purchase was a Cornsilk Pressed Powder compact. ?I'd apply way too much pancake and powder and ended up looking like some kind of Geisha Girl!? Despite her cosmetic creativity Fiona says she never got asked to dance at the local disco. ?Fellas thought I was strange!? Audiences at the Midtown International Theatre Festival couldn?t disagree more. All of Walsh?s performances have been packed out. The night I went along the show was sold out and ten people on the waiting list for cancellations. The response to Walsh and her work has been so good that the producers of the festival have added an extra show on Monday August 8th. In September the show goes to New Jersey for the Asbury Black Box Festival and some additional New York dates are also planned. The idea for a one woman piece came to Walsh when she saw friend Wendy Spiro?s show Microthrills. ?I thought, I?ll have a go,? Walsh says. Spiro recommended the writing class run by Kirsten Ames and Walsh signed up. ?The writing was definitely the most difficult part,? Walsh said. ?Although I had most of it written by last November I still hadn?t a whole show. That?s where my director and collaborator Virginia Scott came in.? Apart from the creative challenges the piece presented there are also physical ones.

Walsh spends just over an hour on stage speaking continuously without any water. The show is very high energy and fast paced and involved a few dance routines. ?By the end of each show I?m both exhausted and enervated at the same time,? Walsh said. And finally, what advice does Walsh have to give for anyone who wants their own set of great white American teeth?

?Floss regularly, brush frequently and smile often!?

JACK'S CRACKERS

?Bite-Size Reviews for Theatregoers on the Run? 

By Jack Sharkey   15 March 2005  

" Great White American Teeth" Directed By Virginia Scott

Devloped with Kirsten Ames and Virginia Scott

The unsinkable Fiona Walsh made a long overdue and most welcome return to the off-off-Broadway 
stage last night in her acclaimed one-woman semi-autobiographical comedic essay ?Great White American Teeth?....or, 
perhaps more accurately, ?GreatER...?, as since last edition Ms. Walsh has further peppered the pot with 
subtle nuances which succeed in making this already-tasty stew all the more delicious.
 
In the course of an economical-while-substantial 55 minutes we accompany Fiona on a whimsically heartwarming
 journey from her native Tipperary to the ?glittering? (remember that word) sidewalks of Manhattan. It's an imaginative 
tale originating with a self-styled alien-abduction plot soon settling back to earth in a colorful narrative rift with 
exultant highs and deeply-felt lows,each purposefully contributing toward an indomitable quest to find and  embrace 
her ultimate heartthrob Warren Beatty, he the proud custodian of those ?Great White American Teeth? provoking Fiona's Muse.
Beyond her own lilting brogue, Ms. Walsh's command of a seeming multitude of Irish dialects proves fascinating, not to 
mention numerous American accents including generic blends, ?New Yawk? and ?down south? variations. 
Fiona's re-creation of her mother's belting Rodgers & Hammerstein lyrics while slicing vegetables in the family kitchen is 
eye-opening, the entrance of her ?Jamaican? woman within a decidedly Gaelic setting lands riotous, her portrayal of an 
East Village drag queen dispensing valuable cosmetic tips proves sidesplitting, each interpretation validating Ms. Walsh's varietal 
range the more  impressively.
 
And wait...there's choreography and athletic endeavor to boot! Lovingly adept at each and every American 70's/80's cliche 
dance phenomenon while dreaming of gold medals, Fiona demonstrates, each in story context, her fluid physical dexterity 
within energized snippets of ?Do the Hustle? and Michael Jackson's ?Thriller? classic ?Billie Jean? (including a ?moonwalk? strut to 
beat the band) plus a triumphant record-breaking feat in the Olympic ?bed jump? to the resounding cheers of thousands, 
fantasized as it may be. It's this reporter's observation, however, that the crowning moment of ?GWAT? is poignantly non-verbal. 
It occurs immediately following Ms. Walsh's show-stopping rendition of the above-referenced ?Billie Jean?, that when commanding 
the floor at a parochial school mixer which she attends glitzed to the nines in pink, while apart and unescorted. As the disco strains 
subside and the couples pair off for the long-awaited slow dance, Fiona stands solitary, estranged and, for an agonizing moment, 
powerless...as her reality crashes in. Posture slumped, she shrinkingly bows her head and, with eyes cast solemnly upward, 
she awkwardly, wantingly nods at a passing couple, as if to simultaneously scream ?I'm here too!? and ?Help me disappear!?. 
The inward pain is palpable, and our empathy swells as tears abound. Here is touching theatre...here defines Fiona Walsh, the actor. 
Would only that Mr. Beatty have here arrived to rescue our heroine in waltz rhythm...it's our turn to wish, to imagine as well. 
 
The rest remains for you to discover...while I will assure there's a happy ending.
Make www.fionawalsh.com your frequent destination marking future performances of ?Great White American Teeth? around 
the tri-state area...and please reserve ample room in your heart for a memory most warm.