Behind the café
Théâtre Prospero gets in on the bilingual act
Bilingualism, once a dirty word to francophone theatre artists, is no longer verboten on stage.
This trend is most noticeable in the Montreal Fringe Festival, where the lines of linguistic division have become blurred beyond recognition. But La Licorne has also led the way by presenting shows like Johanna Nutter’s My Pregnant Brother in both languages, and by providing English surtitles, on certain nights, for French productions of edgy new plays imported from the British Isles.
Now, Théâtre Prospero is getting in on the bilingual act, thanks to a young francophone company (which got its start at La Licorne) called LAB87. It focuses on new American plays and has taken things one step farther by presenting a translation of American playwright Annie Baker’s Aliens featuring an anglophone character who speaks a mixture of English and awkward French.
Translated as Les flâneurs célestes, Baker’s play is a characterdriven work about three guys hanging out behind a café. Two of them have nothing better to do and the third (the anglophone) works at the café. It’s his duty to chase away the bums.
Downstairs at Théâtre Prospero, in the tiny Salle Intime, Les flâneurs célestes, directed by JeanSimon Traversy, gets up close and personal, with two actors already lounging on the stage as people take their seats. Both are busker types, in their early 30s. One of them, the guitar-strumming Jasper (Mathieu Quesnel, of Quebec SNL fame), is writing a novel, inspired by Charles Bukowski. His sidekick, KJ (Eric Robidoux), is a college dropout and stoner.
The anglo named Evan is only 17. (He’s played by Laurent Pitre, a Dawson College grad.) He initially tells the other two to leave but they gradually become his buddies and mentors.
Setting the play in a bilingual town and having an anglo interacting with two francophones adds a Quebec touch to a play notable for its laid-back attitude, folky music and Pinteresque pauses.
Why has bilingualism become more acceptable than it was 20 years ago? LAB87 founder David Laurin, who translated Les flâneurs, sees it as a generational difference. Younger theatre critics don’t seem to have a problem with what his company is doing, he said, but some of the older ones do: “I think maybe that generation had to fight for the preservation of French. And our generation didn’t have to fight so much.”
Then there’s the issue of funding. Governments can attach strings to their arts funding, insisting on Quebec content at the provincial level, and Canadian content at the federal level.
But young, unsubsidized companies like LAB87 are free to do what they please. And in Laurin’s case, he likes pleasing his friends.
Many of them, he says, tend to fall asleep at the theatre. So he tries to find plays that will keep them awake.
“The thing about American theatre,” he said, “is they work a lot to captivate the audience. David Mamet did that in the ’80s by trying a new style which is really fast paced. And Annie Baker is trying something new here, which is the opposite. It’s really slow.”
The result is theatre that rings familiar and gets under your skin. Thanks to the smooth teamwork in this bilingual production, the linguistic nuances are delightful. As for Pitre, he’s not only pitch-perfect, he’s adorable.
Les flâneurs célestes, by Annie Baker, translated by David Laurin, continues at Théâtre Prospero, 1371 Ontario St. E., until April 12. Tickets $25, seniors $21.50, under 30, $20. Call 514-526-6582 or visit www.theatreprospero.com