Smoke and Marys

Young Chang

The prop crew for “The Lonesome West” at South Coast Repertory is

confident they can make the stove -- an important prop in the show --

look great once. But 40 times?

For that, they need special effects involving everything from air

pistons to a substance called Fuller’s Smoke and a little bit of luck.

“Every show has a certain amount of dressing,” said John Slauson, prop

carpenter. “In this case, some of the props needed to do tricks.”

The Martin McDonagh comedy, which will be staged through April 15 on

SCR’s Second Stage, tells the tale of two brothers -- Coleman and Valene

-- who are caught in an extreme case of sibling rivalry.

The Irish play, which is staged on a space about as big as an average

living room, calls for special effects during each of the show’s 40

performances in full view of closely sitting, doubting eyes.

The most striking stunt is probably what happens to the odd, Valencia

orange-colored stove Valene brings home. He forbids Coleman from using it

and gloats over the new purchase.

Coleman throws open the oven door during a particularly heated fight

and shoots it twice with his gun.

A side panel blows off, as do several stove-top burners, and smoke

erupts from the back of the appliance.

“You buy into it,” said prop master Scott Schreck. “But there are no

explosives.”

Instead, a half-load blank gun is shot backstage for the sound effect.

Upon the first firing, the stove is designed to rock side to side and

blow out plumes of smoke. With the second shot, it shakes off a side

panel, rocks some more, blows out more smoke and pops off the two back

burners.

The rising plumes are made of a gray-colored makeup powder called

Fuller’s smoke.

“This is a big Second Stage show. Designers think, why bother [with

special effects] on a big stage? But the person sitting on that seat

right there,” said Schreck, pointing to the furthest seat in the house,

“is going to be affected by the stove.”

And by a few other shocks.

In one scene, Coleman sweeps Valene’s religious figurines of the

Virgin Mary into a pot and cooks them in the oven. The devastated brother

later discovers this mess. It’s a smoking brew -- back stage, crews have

switched pots through a hidden stove door -- created with a cornstarch

mixture and dry ice.

The priest in the show -- a character burdened by the world’s

ugliness, including the two brothers’ hatred for each other -- eventually

shoves his hands into the supposedly scalding mixture of molten plastic

and screams.

But the Mary figures endure yet more abuse. Toward the end of the

play, Coleman sweeps them all into what resembles a duffel bag and swings

them against a table. Smashing sounds are heard and for all the audience

knows, the figurines are being shattered.

The trick? Forty glass bowls scored down the middle so they break for

sure each time and more than 200 flexible, rubber figurines that prop

crew members stumbled upon after trying other failed alternatives. The

bowl in the bag shatters into pieces every night and the Marys remain

intact.

“The first batch of figurines didn’t work as well as we’d hoped,”

Slauson said. “They were still getting broken.”

A final backstage note: The brothers smash about five bags of potato

chips a night during their wild, throw-down fights. Called “Taytos,” the

chips were ordered from Ireland by the case. The final count makes for

exactly 200 individual bags.

“We tried to make everything else so that it doesn’t break or it

breaks so infrequently, we only have to replace it once,” Schreck said.

FYI

WHAT: “The Lonesome West”

WHEN: 7:45 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday,

through April 15

WHERE: South Coast Repertory’s Second Stage, 655 Town Center Drive,

Costa MesaCOST: $26-$47

CALL: (714) 708-5555