Depflies X
ends with a surprise

Tenth episode concludes “Depalogue”

By Byron Toben

I have reviewed Depflies since its first episode and enjoyed each of the nine sequels. Alas, this tenth, Till Dep does Us Part, is the end of the line for the Depalogue. For those not familiar with Alain Mercieca’s madcap bilingual series, here is a brief backgrounder.

Depflies poster

His Nouvel International, operating out of the intimate Théâtre Ste-Catherine is basically an improv group. Thus, although Depflies is scripted, the actors chosen give it most definitely an improvisational feel.

A depfly is a character that hangs around a depanneur, similar to a bar that attracts barflies. The bar in question here is a fictional one located in Montréal’s St.Henri district. This mythical setting immortalizes it, as does Garrison Keillor’s Minnesota “Lake Woebegone” and William Faulkner’s Mississippi “Yaknapatawpha County”.

The depanneur, cluttered with beer and candy posters like Molson’s Export, Old Milwaukee. O’Henry and Twizzlers, is run by Marie Isa (Elizabeth Fennell), who employs her brother Peter (Mercieca) as a delivery boy. He really is a rap/rock (sometimes rock/rap) poet who often opens an episode with a song “I’ll be your depanneur”. He allies with hoodie Zoe (Lise Vigneault), an activist anarchist poet.

Roger (Simon Chaveri) is a typical hanger on, lounging with beer in one hand. Although a Quebec separatist, he lives with Anglo Nancie (Sandi Armstrong) who is anxious to have children through several episodes despite the two being on welfare, and finally ends up with three. Other regulars such as Maite Sinave and Anton Golikov portray other types like passing yuppies, real estate developers, cops or gangsters.

Recurring touches in the series include the non-existent dep buzzer, for which each character emits a vocal “ding a ling” upon entry or exit. There is often a Seinfeld-like wordplay in some word in the text. For Depflies X, it was douche bag.

In my review of the first Episode for the Charlebois Post (r.i.p), I dubbed Mercieca “the Chekov of St.Henri”. A photocopy of that is no longer on the theatre wall but many questioned the relationship. My observation, despite different eras, different countries, is that they both are non judgmental on the myriad characters onstage, many erratic, many lovable loosers who their creator observes rather than condemns.

The Depanneur series came in second in a CBC search for a new show. However, the exposure awakened interest in its participants ending up on TV in some capacity in the not too distant future.

Unilingual viewers can easily follow the story in these bilingual productions as much is physical theatre…

Dep X, like all the series, makes use of simple props to give it a big stage feel. Thus bicycle bars and car, train or aircraft cut outs do the trick.

Unilingual viewers can easily follow the story in these bilingual productions as much is physical theatre and the switches, governed by the situations, are understandable.

The main thread in Dep X is that Nancie, fed up with living on low income with 3 kids, returns to “cowboy mom” in Calgary. Roger eventually joins her and finds that Alberta, also sharing separatist notions, is not so bad after all. Meanwhile, Peter and Zoe, aghast that the dep just ain’t the same without loungers like Roger, hop a train to persuade the couple to return. Will they or not? Go see for the surprise ending.

In between, some digs at snooty art displays countered by a people’s art party at the under construction Turcot interchange.

Great lesbian swim scene and several original songs and a debate about “hard to get in, easy out…” or is it the reverse?

Depflies X continues at Théâtre Ste-Catherine from September 29 to October 1 and from October 6 to 8.

Tickets: Théâtre Ste-Catherine at 514 284-3939 or go to theatresaintecatherine.com

Images: courtesy of Nouvel International

Byron Toben is the immediate past-president of the Montreal Press Club