''Extremities'' is an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

play by William Mastrosimone and directed by Robert Allan Ackerman. It opened at the

Westside Theatre The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs Theatre, which s ...

in New York on December 22, 1982 and ran for 325 performances.

Plot

A young woman, Marjorie, is attacked in her home by a would-be rapist, Raul, and manages to turn the tables on him, tying him up in her fireplace. Her roommates come home to discover the attacker bound with cords, belts and other household items. Terry and Patricia, the roommates, express different points of view about rape in society. Terry, a rape victim herself as a teenager, believes that Raul will not be convicted because a rape did not actually occur and there is no proof. Patricia believes in the judicial system and insists on calling the police. The three friends also turn on each other at various points in the play, due to Raul's knowledge of each through stalking them. For instance, close to the play's opening, Raul reveals to Terry that Marjorie had been having an affair with Terry's boyfriend.

Memorable cast members

Susan Sarandon originated the lead role of Marjorie in the 1982 off-Broadway production. Farrah Fawcett later took over the role, establishing herself as a serious actress. Fawcett also appeared in the 1986 film adaptation. Karen Allen also played Marjorie in the stage production, and actresses who have variously played the roommates include

Ellen Barkin Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an American actress and a producer. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film '' Diner'', and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such as '' Tender Mercies'' (1983), '' Eddie and t ...

, Glenne Headly, Priscilla Lopez, Deborah Hedwall and Lorna Luft. James Russo portrayed the would-be rapist in both the play and its 1986 film adaptation. He was replaced by Thomas G. Waites in the original off-Broadway production. Lauren Hutton played Marjorie in the original Los Angeles production.

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom ...

starred in the London production.

Challenges

Because of the physicality between the two lead roles, injuries were often the norm. It wasn't uncommon to see the lead actress with bandaged and splinted fingers during the run of the play. During one performance of the play, an obsessive fan of Farrah Fawcett was in the audience, and he disrupted the show by asking if she had received the pictures and letters he had mailed her. He was removed from the theatre, and police were only able to issue a summons for disorderly conduct.

Awards

*Winner, 1983 Theatre World Award for James Russo as Raul.James Russo - Awards
at

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

Producers

The play was produced by Frank Gero, Mark Gero, Chris Gero, Jason Gero, and Della Koenig.

References

External links

''Extremities''
at Internet off-Broadway Database 1982 plays Off-Broadway plays Plays by William Mastrosimone American plays adapted into films Rape in fiction {{1980s-play-stub