Philly Fringe 2022: Linnea Bond’s Heart Ripped Out Twice and So Can You! and Brooke McCarthy’s How to Be an Ethical Slut

Is existing right for me?

Heart Ripped Out begins with Bond attempting to ignore a ringing phone before introducing herself to the audience as a sales rep and launching into an unusual pitch. The product? Life. “What is existing? Is it right for me? What is being human?” Bond asks rhetorically before covering highlights that range from the five senses to sexual pleasure. Next, she points out the liabilities of human bodies, noting that the American healthcare system makes navigating illness unpredictable—or exciting!—depending on your perspective. The unknown makes life fun, according to the sales rep.

Yet Bond’s own life provides evidence to the contrary. Heart Ripped Out segues into her experience with mysterious, alarming health issues—including long waits to see specialists, bad news, and multiple surgeries—all while falling in love and then enduring a breakup. Because that’s how life works: you can’t pause the action when the universe deals you a crappy hand. But humor offers a release, and time and effort can transform pain into art and laughter. Heart Ripped Out is the triumphant result of this alchemy.

Bond pairs gallows humor with creative storytelling, portraying the tumors on her vital organs as Muppet-y talking puppets. Waking from surgery in unspeakable pain, she later recognizes that pain brings welcome sympathy and attention. More insights arise during recovery before Heart Ripped Out circles back to the ringing phone and its opening sales pitch, tying everything together in a heartfelt and life-affirming conclusion. Though Bond’s sharply observed writing was more polished than her energetic delivery on opening night, the show is witty and moving.

The right to pleasure and bodily autonomy

McCarthy offers a breezy chaser in How to Be an Ethical Slut, inspired by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy’s book The Ethical Slut (first published in 1997), a guide to non-traditional relationship structures. In this comic play set as a cabaret show, McCarthy plays the freewheeling Blake Valentini. A lover of flirtation and adventure, Blake identifies as an ethical slut. “I wasn’t always that way,” she notes, and the show addresses her experiences with non-monogamy and sexual exploration. McCarthy alternates monologues with songs that convey Blake’s feelings, from Bea Miller’s body-positive “S.L.U.T.” (2018) to standards like “Fever” and “Cheek to Cheek,” backed by pianist Rachel Townes and composer Sarah Clemency.

McCarthy gives a solid performance, and Ethical Slut is fun if you don’t think too hard. Despite the show’s title, Blake behaves unethically, from cheating on partners to deceiving the audience. McCarthy attempts to play the latter for laughs, though it undermines her message of honesty. As a result, viewers unfamiliar with non-monogamy may not leave with a better impression. However, as the show points out, people in conventional, socially sanctioned relationships also lie and cheat. And honest communication poses a mighty challenge for many, as it requires skills like self-awareness, emotional intelligence, empathy, and patience. Meanwhile, non-monogamous folks deal with marginalization, stigmatization, discrimination, lack of legal protection, and more.

Ethical Slut focuses more on Blake having a good time, and she enjoys herself thoroughly. The show is less of a “how to” than a “why not?” celebrating bodily autonomy, female sexual pleasure, and the fun of exploration. All women have the right to these things, if they want them, and it’s not their responsibility (or Blake’s) to obtain others’ permission or support.

How to Be an Ethical Slut and Heart Ripped Out Twice and So Can You! combine innovative formats with good ideas and likable performances. Both shows turn setbacks into art and portray women stronger for it, while spotlighting the power and potential of the one-woman show.