Take Me in Your Hands A play for two

grown-ups

It is neither a comedy nor a tragedy, but rather an original Flisar tragicomedy, as Slovenian critic and theorist Dr Blaž Lukan has described most of his plays. In this play, perhaps especially in this one, Flisar builds his theatre on the classical role of the actor. Visual elements do not play a significant role. Without exception, Flisar’s characters are established and developed through dialogue.

Iztok, the elderly owner of an antique bookshop, places an ad for occasional help in the bookshop. The ad is answered by Maya, a young, talkative and energetic student. The relationship between the lonely and somewhat embittered Iztok, who is trying to finish an essay on Borges’ blindness among the piles of old books, and Maya, who hopes to find wisdom in books, develops into mutual affection and admiration. What they do not realise during their first moments together is that they will soon have to say goodbye.

MAYA: When did you write that poem?

IZTOK (after a pause): Never.

MAYA: Wait a minute…

IZTOK: It was written by Jorge Luis Borges. The author who inspired me to start writing poems myself. But I wasn’t blind enough.

MAYA: You recited a poem that wasn’t yours?!

IZTOK: I wanted to…

MAYA: Yeah, well, I should’ve known. I typed your name into Google, hoping it would throw out all sorts of things. Nothing. Just the name of this bookshop. Bibliophile.

IZTOK: That’s all I am.

MAYA: No, you’re not. You just don’t want us to become friends.

IZTOK: You mean like on Facebook?

MAYA: No! I mean friends that really care for each other.

IZTOK: But you have so many boyfriends…

MAYA: Boys are not friends. They are for other things. In any case I don’t have one at the moment. I’m alone. And lonely. Like you.

IZTOK: Maya…

MAYA: That’s why you published the ad, didn’t you? You needed someone so you wouldn’t feel lonely.