Performance artist Brooke McCarthy made an appearance at FMU to perform her original one-woman cabaret comedy show “How to be an Ethical Slut” on Jan. 24 at the Kassab Recital Hall in the Hyman Fine Arts Center.
McCarthy’s theatrical performance was a bold, sexy and vulnerable story about an “unethical slut” named Blake who tackles lies, STDs and triads in her journey of becoming an “ethical slut.” The performance was made for mature audiences only as it covered taboo sexual topics such as orgies, polyamory and swinging.
The different acts represented what stage Blake was in, such as “How to be an Unethical Slut,” “How to be a Dumb Slut” and “How to be a Wild Slut” which included a parody of Frozen 2’s “Into the unknown.”
The performance lasted less than an hour, but even then, was still able to evoke different emotions throughout the audience. One of McCarthy’s songs about betrayal and heartbreak was able to penetrate the hearts of its listeners.
“My favorite part of the show was the second to last song when she was packing her bags and leaving her apartment,” Akleea Nelson, a law major, said. “It made me feel sad for her. I thought he was going to move with her, and I was disappointed he didn’t.”
Another attendee went on to say that the show was humorous because of the parody of “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2.
“I found the Frozen song that she did funny,” Rosheiea Nelson, a management information systems major, said. “It caught me off guard because it was unexpected.”
Although McCarthy has performed her show numerous times before, she goes through rituals to help her get into the right mindset and prepare herself before a show.
“My favorite way to prepare for a performance starts at home,” McCarthy said. “I like to do a vocal warm-up in the shower to allow the steam to hydrate my vocal cords. I stretch to loosen up all my muscles, including smaller muscles people don’t think about, like my jaw, tongue and neck muscles. I do a more physical warm-up to truly get ‘warm,’ like jumping jacks and squats. This also helps energize me before I go out on stage for the show.”
McCarthy’s preparation was worth it because when she finished her show, she received a rain of applause and laughter from the audience. She hopes that the audience can walk away from her performance with a new understanding of how to be a better person.
“I hope that no matter how my audience members identify – whether it be monogamous or polyamorous or anything in between – that they walk away thinking and talking about their own relationships,” McCarthy said. “I hope they ask questions like, ‘how can I be a better partner or friend?’ ‘How can I be more honest and transparent?’ ‘How can I muster up the courage to have tough and even awkward conversations about sexual health or sexual preferences?’ ‘How can I make sure I’m being safe and respectful for and with my partners?’”
More information about Brooke McCarthy can be found online on her website and Instagram. For more information about upcoming performances at FMU, check out the official FMU website.