Cruel intentions

The new English play Extremities tries to question whether the intention to rape is as criminal as the real act itself

A man decides to rape but circumstance prevents him. Does his very intention make him an offender?u00a0 Should he be allowed to go scot-free just because he failed?

This week, the brand new English play Extremities questions this and much more that has remained embedded in our social and judicial system for decades.
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Staged by DreamScope and written by the famous American playwright William Mastrosimone, Extremities is the thin line that demarcates should from should not.

Explaining what personally inspired her to stage Extremities, Puja Goyal, the director of the play says, "The play questions the complacency of our social thought. It is an insane play.

It is raw, dark, and is stuck in the split second between night and day. I love the raw primitiveness of the play."

Originally a Broadway production, Extremities is the story of Raul, who has been stalking Marjorie, a young woman for days. Suddenly he lands up in her house one day to rape her. But Marojorie manages to subdue him and ties him with cords, belts and other household items.

Soon her roommates Terry and Patricia return and offer their suggestions on how to deal with Raul. While Terry says that there is no point in involving the police, as Raul will not be convicted since the rape did not occur.
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But Patricia, a firm believer in the judicial system insists on calling the police. Soon the three friends start arguing with each other due to their varied opinions.

Moreover, Raul plays a psychological game and soon the three girls start arguing and questioning each other's social and personal ethics.

Confessing that Marjorie and Raul are her favourite characters, Goyal says, "All the characters in the play are expressive of the different aspects of the society we live in and are well-balanced.u00a0

I like Marjorie and Raul. Marjorie is strong and Raul is manipulative; I like how she holds her own in spite of the judicial system and the society trying to pin her down, while the sympathy factor for the Raul increases."

Raw yet sensitive, Extremities makes you wonder what will happen if every victim decides to turn tables on the criminal.

The play not only questions when to call someone a criminal but also shows how at times our own complacency and lack of the sense of right and wrong fosters crime in society.
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The play somewhere hits you and as you leave the theatre you will hear Raul saying, "It is called complicity, which means, you sit there like an asshole and watch someone do a crime."

At KH Kala Soudha, Hanumantha Nagar
On September 11 and 12, 7.30 pm
Call 90084 10075
For Rs 100