Extremities

by William Mastrosimone

Marjorie is home alone when Raul enters through her unlocked door and attempts to attack and rape her. The tables turn when Marjorie is able to subdue Raul and keep him tied up in her fireplace. When Terry and Patricia, Marjorie's roommates, come home, they are shocked and begin discussing how to handle the situation: call the police or take matters into their own hands?

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Fiction

Paperback

First published December 31, 1998

Reviews

[Antonio Fungairino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really intense, really great. The first scene had me worried this was gonna be some silly, in-poor-taste shocker, but Extremities turned out to be much more complex! I'd argue that in 2022 the cultural perception of rape has softened to the point where Marjorie would not be in the exact same position she fills in Extremities' 1982. Maybe I'm wrong, and I'm sure a great deal of work still needs to be done in favor of rape victims. Basically, my point is that Extremities felt a teensy-weensy bit dated... which isn't a criticism. I mean, that's the point, right? It's been 40 years since this play debuted. Ideally, the play would have aged a bit. Regardless, the play still provided a fascinating conversation on the power dynamics of rape as well as its sexual, sociological, and gendered implications. Also some great stuff on justice- how to enact justice when laws fail, when are lines crossed, when does the victim sink to the level of the perpetrator... all great stuff.

Really great read. Economically written, no fluff. Some great dialogue. Doesn't waste your time or lead your mind elsewhere. You're in the room. This is one of those plays you can blow through in a single sitting, no problem. This would probably translate INSANELY to the stage.

[Vartika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw Verite Theatre Group's production of this play at Prithvi Theatre in Juhu today, and it completely blew my mind. Hence, I'm compelled to break a rule here and review the 'book' without having read the text — in action is how theatre is meant to be consumed, after all.

Extremities is a dark and incredibly intelligent play that lays bare, amongst other things, the ineptitude of law and society to bring victims of crimes committed behind closed doors — crimes like attempted rape — to justice. While dealing with a sensitive issue and making a strong political and psychological statement, it also manages to be funny in places.

Even if you don't read it, definitely try and catch a stage adaptation if you can!

[Taylor Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes revenge is more important than justice. Extremities is a tough play - tough to read, tough to perform, and tough to watch. Onstage violence shocks the play into life and the action quickly evolves into an intense courtroom drama with life or death stakes. I'd love the challenge of staging this show - from difficult fight choreography to the delicate balance of power as friends turn on each other, this show has it all.

[Dallin Stevenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

i found this on the street, was definitely shocked but couldn’t put it down. in the back it said mastrosimone was working with brian de palma on a movie i couldn’t find anything about this right away but that’s definitely intriguing

[John Geddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman manages to subdue an attempted rapist, but with no evidence of the attack, the woman and her roommate disagree on whether to take their own revenge. It’s a very fast-moving and raw play that feels very authentic. Definitely a trigger fir some.

[Kailey Eicher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would say that this play is pretty difficult to read based on content, but it gives a very interesting viewpoint on the topic of rape. I definitely would not recommend to the faint of heart.

[Alex Lavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am I allowed to do plays on Goodreads please let me know

[Bria · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh bitch!!!!!!! oh PLEASE!!

[Edward Cheer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very... intriguing topic for a play. Rape.

Extremities is a play about a girl who traps her almost-rapist inside her fireplace, while debating with her roommates about what should become of her would-be rapist. It covers a controversial issue about who would be to blame for something like rape. It doesn't advocate it, certainly, but it doesn't take a either side in the argument, it merely notifies that there are two ways of looking at something like this. It points out the outlying factors to what can cause it (somewhat like the French film, Irreversible did). It's a very gray topic and an easy one to debate about.

I do think that Raul and Marjorie are fascinating characters, but Terry and Patricia are just kind of there. They help raise the stakes for the plot effectively, but they aren't that easy to get interested in. Along with that, there are some cheesy lines thrown in, and I think the plot would be better if the rape scene wasn't shown. A lot more mystery could be thrown into the plot, if that were the case. It's still a wonderful, quick read that really made me think about this very controversial topic.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play is dark. Super dark. A woman is almost raped and in a turn of events she manages to subdue and lock up her attempted rapist. She then must decide what to do with him. I like the fact that the play is not afraid to get dirty and allow a female character to have anger and want to act on that anger. I am not a big fan of the ending, however, it felt too politically correct and a bit like a lifetime movie.

[Bryan Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting play about various mentalities on rape and what goes through peoples' minds when face with/hearing about rape.

[Katya]

Wow--very powerful play. Definitely read the authors notes on the making of the play at the end; that was equally as thought-provoking as the play itself

[Kristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was required reading for acting class. The rape scene was disturbing but the rest of the play was cliche and boring.

[Kym Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

CONTENT WARNINGS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT.

My main thoughts on this play are: "Wow, the '80s were fucked up." Not because sexual assault isn't still a huge problem, but because I feel like we've at least made some headway in the ways that we talk about it since then?

So many things about this play made me angry when I read it, but then I read the playwright's afterword about his inspiration, which helped me understand where he was coming from a bit more. This was an important play for its time, and I appreciate that Mastrosimone was trying to do something good when he wrote it, and it seems to have helped a lot of people. HOWEVER. Regardless of what one lawyer told Mastrosimone about women on juries in the '80s being quicker to blame a female rape victim than men on juries, it still puts my hackles up to have a man writing women being incredibly callous towards each other's sexual assault experiences. Like, DUDE, WOMEN HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ON THE FOREFRONT OF FIGHTING AGAINST RAPE AND RAPE CULTURE.

And regardless of what Mastrosimone says about Raul "only represent[ing] men who know the law and the system" rather than any particular "social class or ethnic group," I am still not okay with a white dude writing a play in which the female victim is white and the rapist villain dude *just happens to be* Latino. (Well, Marjorie is presumably white, because her race is not actually specified in the play, but considering that Susan Sarandon and Farrah Fawcett played her on Broadway, I don't think this is an inaccurate presumption?)

[Ioana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. Vivid. Every woman's nightmare portrayed. I loved the characters, but I'm a bit disappointed by the ending - that's what I would change.