‘Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage’ brings mayhem to Meramec:
By: TORI WILLIAMS COPY EDITOR:
In this play, there are the good guys, the bad guys, and a cowboy code to rule them all. This is the wild west, and this is “Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage”, a play that ran in the Meramec theater from Apr. 17 through 21. The comedy was written by Jane Martin and directed by Keith Oliver.
From start to finish, “Flaming Guns…” is an action-packed thrill ride deriving its excitement from death, dismemberment, partial nudity, comedy, and over all, loud noises.
“We have gunplay, violence, and then blood, and then a little thing we laugh about, and then more blood, more violence,” said Oliver.
The comedic element in this show is crucial because of the intensity of the subject matter. The main character, Big 8 (Rissa Crozier), has a mortgage to pay off or she’ll lose her ranch. Big 8 is a healer for cowboys injured on the rodeo circuit, and her current charge is a hokey cowboy named Rob Bob (Nathan Mecey). Her daughter-in-law, Shedevil (Daphne Kelley) shows up, pursued by a sinister character named Black Dog (Zach Sept), who believes Shedevil has stolen his cocaine money. When Black Dog arrives, he is shot by Rob Bob, but just won’t seem to die. Shirl, Big 8’s sister (Beth Burton), solves this problem by dismembering the body while simultaneously attempting to keep her boyfriend, the deputy (Colin Kelley), from discovering what’s really happening. In the end, the young lovers ride off into the sunset in true Western fashion.
Audiences only see the very tip of the proverbial iceberg in a show. “There’s a whole production going on backstage as well,” said Lexie Godefroid, Assistant Stage Manager and Gun Wrangler. The play includes live gunfire which requires careful precautions. “Ten minutes before the gun is supposed to shoot off, (Lexie) has to call campus police,” said Rachel DeNoyer, Stage Manager.
The gunfire effect also gives rise to the necessity of a specially-rigged jacket designed to project blood. “The jacket’s the biggest challenge,” said Godefroid, ”because it’s so unpredictable. And, we can set it up right, and if it gets triggered wrong, it’ll be bad; and if something happened to the jacket beforehand, it’ll be bad; (Black Dog) could just get on stage, and it just doesn’t work.”
Effects include a kicked in door, gunshots, blood and lighting. “We go through about 5 gallons of blood,” said Oliver. This poses interesting challenges for the cast as well as the crew. Some of the comedy is derived from the characters attempting to cover up for their indiscretions, excusing the massive amounts of blood as a nosebleed.
“The cleanup is a mess,” said DeNoyer. Despite the chaotic technical aspects of the play, it has some heart to it. “I think she does touch on something very interesting about America and our values and this idea of an idealized Western versus maybe the harsh reality of it,” said Oliver. The production is silly, but fun. “I’m having the time of my life, but it’s wack,” said DeNoyer. “Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage” made its mark.
