Extremities

By William Mastrosimone

Directed by Gregory Gerhard

At The Actors Workshop Theatre

1044 W. Bryn Mawr

Chicago, IL

Call 773-728-play, tickets $10

Mondays & Wednesdays at 7:30 PM

Running time 1 hour 45 min with intermission

Through December 28, 2005

Extremities is a scary psychological thriller

The Actors Workshop Theatre’s inaugural Toolbox Series (a low cost short run play series) is off to a terrific start with Extremities. Director Gregory Gerhard has cast four talented actors led by Julie Griffith (Marjorie) and Johnny Garcia (Raul) in a riveting and upsetting look at the dynamics of power as displayed through an attempted rape and the subsequent punish as the victim becomes the oppressor.

This is strong theatre with an eerie performance by Johnny Garcia as Raul, the psycho serial rapist and Julie Griffith as the rape victim turned torturer. Mastrosimone has penned a scary, all to real story that has us first sympathetic to Marjorie, then gradually, through some cleverly and plausible plot twists, our empathy turns to Raul. The movement from vicious attacker to somewhat sympathetic torture victim is effectively conveyed through Johnny Garcia’s fine acting. But is he a monster or not?

Julie Griffith’s Marjorie moves from complying sexual assault victim to raging torturer with appropriate seething rage. It is a case of the victim becoming the oppressor in a story that gets nicely complicated with the arrival of Terry (Laurie Koss) and Patricia (Laura Hooper) the roommates. The moral righteousness and degree of criminality becomes richly confused in this tightly written, thought provoking piece.

Extremities will upset you as it clearly demonstrates that justice and individual rights can get muddled and that moral certainty can be an illusion.

The Actors Workshop Theatre offers a first class, inexpensive show with Extremities that fills in as fine Monday or Wednesday entertainment.

Recommended

Tom Williams

Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments

Talk Theatre in Chicago Radio Network

This show is eligible for a Non Equity C.S.T. Theatre Award

December 12, 2005