Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Fringe 2024 Top 20 - #16 - Heart Ripped Out Twice And So Can You! - Linnea Bond


Heart Ripped Out Twice And So Can You!
Linnea Bond

A sales rep clown pitches you on Existing in this (mostly) comedy about pain. Part timeshare presentation, part pity party, part existential howl. Cincy Fringe Critics’ Pick, Encore. ATL Fringe Producer's Pick.

Venue: Barbara Barker Center for Dance
Tagged For: Clowning, Comedy, Solo Show
Content Warnings: Crude Humor, Drug Content, Sexual Content
Ages 12-15 and up

Not gonna lie, this is another one that I’m drawn in by the pedigree.  Each time some part of my brain resists, another part of my brain responds with “People are saying such nice things about it, though.”  Sometimes, artistic peer pressure works with me.

At the Cincinnati Fringe, the show got both Critics’ Pick of the Fringe and the Artist/Audience Vote for Encore Performance.  In Atlanta, the show got Producer’s Pick of the Fringe.

Critics in Philadelphia said it “pairs gallows humor with creative storytelling… witty and moving.”

An Orlando critic said it “manages to transform some of the most painful medical trauma imaginable into an achingly funny plea for existence” so… yikes?

And a self-described “sappy critic” in Cincinnati said it was a “change-motivating piece” that nonetheless “never feels like a sermon.”   Also, “brilliant script and a stunning piece of performance art.”

While the show doesn’t have an LGBTQIA+ tag on it, the writer/performer Linnea Bond’s bio mentions that she has “created and devised performances solo and collaboratively around a myriad of social themes, including addiction, aging and dementia, and queer history” and also acted in the Todd Haynes film Carol.  So it’s at least queer-adjacent, if nothing else.

You can also check out her video trailer for reactions from stunned audience members:

HeartRippedOutTwiceAndSoCanYou!Trailer24 from Linnea Bond on Vimeo.


(It’s not exactly Ha Ha Da Vinci, but it’s filling that niche for me this year, I think.)

 

Here's some handy links to this year's Top 10 list and Top 11-20 list, also a full list of all returning favorites to this year's Fringe, plus a link to all the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Festival coverage.

While I have your attention, please VOTE :) 

Minnesota is currently in the early voting period for our Congressional and local primaries (I had the U.S. Senate, Congress, and the Minneapolis school board on my ballot) - final day to vote in the primary is Tuesday, August 13th, but you don't have to wait until Fringe is over, go vote right now :)

Early voting for the Presidential Election itself in Minnesota starts on Friday, September 20th. We're lucky to have a lot of time to get our voices heard, so cast your vote, and then make sure everyone you know and love is registered and gets to the polls to vote. Election Day, your final date to vote, is Tuesday, November 5th.

As a queer playwright and theater maker, I want a government that's compassionate and competent enough to keep us all safe and healthy, keep theaters open and running, and personally, I'd just like to be legal myself and keep the weirdos out of government and out of my personal business (and the things I post on this blog, for instance). We all have our reasons, so let's make sure we get the leaders we need and deserve, and get our friends, family and co-workers to raise their voices, too.

Find where to vote and what's on your ballot (with links to candidate websites) and other resources at the Minnesota Secretary of State's website.

For other resources on how to register, volunteer or donate, locally or nationally, check out Vote Save America.

Vote.  Raise your voice. We're not going back.

  

 

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