By Kyle Osborne
The first fifteen minutes of ‘Extremities’ are an anxiety-inducing swan dive into the dark waters of human behavior. And that’s before the real moral dilemmas begin.
The one-act play, which opened off-Broadway in 1982, is the perfect choice for the always adventurous Molotov Theatre Company, since exploring the monsters of society is practically their mission statement. At the center of this intense drama, is the question of just who is the monster and who is the victim, and can the two swap places? This is territory the edgy troupe can handle.
A young woman, Marjorie (Sherry Berg), is alone in her house, perhaps a bit bored, but that quickly changes when a man walks through her slightly open door and asks to speak to “Joe.” Marjorie almost instantly feels the bad vibes sliding off of Ray ( played by Alex Zavistovich) like beads of dirty sweat,. We sense the danger almost immediately, and can only hold our collective breath, waiting to see what Ray is going to do, since there is clearly no “Joe” on the premises. And, in a flash, a struggle ensues as Ray sexually assaults the young lady and attempts to rape her.
Through a brilliant set of fight choreography (and a twist one shouldn’t reveal) the tables are turned–Marjorie is able to overpower her attacker, tie him up and, essentially, make him her prisoner.
Now what? Ah–now comes time for revenge. But how much is too much? At what point does the victim become as depraved as the original “sinner”? The question is examined with some additional perspective, thanks to Marjorie’s two female roommates, who arrive to find their friend wielding weapons–ready to send her would-be rapist to a freshly dug grave. What follows is a sometimes too thorough philosophical discussion of the set-up. The performance by Berg, never over-played, always grounded in reality, keeps us intrigued. And Zavistovich, truly greasy and scary, yet able to almost charm a flash of empathy out of the other characters (and maybe the audience?) creates a multidimensional character who is loathsome, but always human. Ray is no caricature.
The play is particularly well-suited to the intimate space inside the DC Arts Center–from any seat, you’re only a few feet from the action, which amps up the scares while also giving a clear view of the tears shed by Berg. You are there–right in the living room.
There are several special effects which serve the plot and–without revealing any spoilers–let’s just say that some of the torture (and resulting wounds) endured by Ray is very realistic.
You’ll see local productions with much bigger budgets, stages that are more grand, and actors that are more well-known–but you won’t see a more visceral staging of a play in a more appropriate setting than Molotov’s production of ‘Extremities.’
Extremities plays through November 3, 2013 at the DC Arts Center – 2438 18 Street, NW in Washington, DC. Tickets ($25) are available at: http://molotovdistribution.com/mlp/Tickets/20132014Season/Extremities.aspx
Read a Q&A with actor and Molotov co-founder Alex Zavistovich here: http://www.entertainmentordie.com/2013/10/the-new-and-improved-molotov-theatre-group-there-will-be-blood-just-a-smidgen/
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