Before We Get to Know Each Other

The play opens in a dimly lit hotel room where Nino and Gia engage in a tense, circular conversation after an implied intimate encounter. Their dialogue reveals a profound disconnect: Gia claims to know Nino but refuses to say her name, while Nino challenges his sincerity. The exchange escalates into absurdity, blending humor and unease, as they debate recognition, memory, and identity.

Suddenly, loud knocking interrupts them. Panicked, Gia hides in the bathroom, fearing Nino’s husband—only for the intruder to be revealed as Gia himself, now playing the role of the enraged spouse. The lines between reality and performance blur as the characters switch roles: Nino becomes the adulterous wife, Gia the cuckolded husband. A violent confrontation ensues, culminating in Gia “killing” Nino’s lover (himself) and Nino “killing” Gia’s mistress (also herself).

The chaos peaks when the Author, Basa Janikashvili, appears on the hotel TV, denouncing the actors for distorting her intended ending—a tragedy of irreversible alienation. Defiant, Gia and Nino chase the Author into the streets, where Gia shoots her, reclaiming agency over their narrative. The play ends with the couple staring into the camera, crushing the recording device, symbolizing their rejection of external judgment.

Themes:

1. Identity and Alienation: The characters’ inability to name or truly “know” each other mirrors modern relational estrangement.
2. Meta-Theatricality: The Author’s intrusion critiques artistic control, blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
3. Violence and Power: Love and aggression intertwine, exposing the fragility of human connection.
4. Absurdity of Communication: Repetitive, nonsensical dialogues highlight the futility of language in bridging emotional gaps.

Style: A darkly comic, surreal exploration of marriage and performance.

Final Image: The couple’s defiance—stomping the camera—leaves audiences questioning who holds the power to define their story.

Note: The play’s cyclical structure and shifting roles underscore its central question: Can we ever truly know another person—or ourselves?

Das Stück beginnt in einem Hotelzimmer, wo Nino und Gia nach einer intimen Begegnung in einem surrealen Dialog feststecken. Gia behauptet, Nino zu kennen, weigert sich aber beharrlich, ihren Namen zu nennen. Ihre zirkulären Wortgefechte offenbaren eine tiefe Entfremdung – bis lautes Klopfen an der Tür die Dynamik abrupt verändert:

1. Rollentausch: Gia verwandelt sich vom Liebhaber zum eifersüchtigen Ehemann, der Ninos angeblichen „Liebhaber“ (der ironischerweise er selbst ist) im Badezimmer „erschießt“. Nino wiederum tötet „seine Geliebte“ (wieder sie selbst).
2. Meta-Ebene: Der Autor erscheint auf einem Fernseher und kritisiert die Schauspieler für die Änderung seines ursprünglichen Endes. In seiner Version sollten die Figuren sich nie erkennen, um die Hoffnungslosigkeit ihrer Beziehung zu betonen.
3. Finale: Gia und Nino jagen den Autor auf die Straße, wo Gia ihn erschießt. Das Paar zerstört die Kamera – ein Symbol für die Vernichtung der „Realität“ zugunsten ihrer eigenen konstruierten Wahrheit.

Themen:

• Identitätskrise: Die Weigerung, Namen zu nennen, spiegelt die Unfähigkeit, sich selbst oder den Partner wirklich zu kennen.
• Gewalt und Liebe: Ehe und Untreue werden zu einem absurd-blutigen Spiel, in dem Täter und Opfer verschmelzen.
• Theater im Theater: Der Autor als Störfigur hinterfragt die Macht des Künstlers über seine eigene Schöpfung.
• Absurde Kommunikation: Die Dialoge kreisen sinnlos, wie in Becketts „Warten auf Godot“, und entlarven die Leere menschlicher Beziehungen.

Stilistische Mittel:

• Schwarzer Humor: Etwa wenn Gia seinen „Doppelgänger“ ermordet oder Nino sich als „Taschenrechner“ inszeniert.
• Surrealismus: Die Figuren wechseln mühelos zwischen Rollen (Ehepartner/Geliebte) und Realitätsebenen.
• Bruch der vierten Wand: Der direkte Kontakt zum Publikum und die Einbindung des Autors als Figur.

Schlussbild: Die zertretene Kamera markiert den Triumph des Absurden über die Logik – eine düstere Parabel auf Beziehungen, die in Selbsttäuschung erstarrt sind.

სასტუმროს ოთახში პიესის მთავარი პერსონაჟები – ნინო (ქალი) და გია (მამაკაცი) ერთმანეთის გაცნობას ცდილობს. იხსენებენ როდის გაიცნეს ერთმანეთი და არ უნდათ აღიარონ, რომ ერთმანეთის სახელები არ იციან. ნინო და გია არ აღიარებენ, რომ დიდი ხანია ცოლ-ქმარი არიან და ამ გზით სიყვარულის გადარჩენას ცდილობენ.

ამ უხერხულობას ისიც ამძაფრებს, რომ ლოგინში წვანან და კარზე მოტყუებული ცოლი და ქმარი აკაკუნებს. საკუთარ მეუღლეებს გამოქცეულნი სხვის საწოლში პოულობენ მონოტონური ყოფიდან თავის დაღწევის ფორმულას. მაგრამ, მოულოდნელად აღმოჩნდება, რომ კარს მიღმა მდგარი ცოლ-ქმარიც თვითონვე არიან.