Scratch and sniff opera: At “Love for Three Oranges” in 1998, patrons received a scratch and sniff card. During the production someone would hold up a number and audience members would scratch off the corresponding number on their card and be “rewarded” with a scent that complemented what was happening on stage. The scents: gunpowder, disinfectant, fart, meat, perfume and oranges.
–Portland Opera at 50: grander and weirder than you thought | OregonLive.com
There’s a gag in my stage play version of The Love of Three Oranges where the delicious smell of oranges fills the theatre to tempt Truffaldino into tasting one. How we accomplished this in the original production was actually funnier than the gag itself. Stage hands ran underneath the audience bleachers, spraying orange scented room freshener while tripping over the legs of the stands and almost killing themselves in pitch black. The audience was less amazed by the sudden smell of oranges and more terrified that there were suddenly random people under them swearing in pain.
Anyway, I bring up this particular little bit because, when I wrote it, I had no idea I was unintentionally paying homage to what I now know is the somewhat infamous Scratch ‘n Sniff production of the Three Oranges opera. (I actually graduated high school the year that production premiered, for whatever that’s worth.)
So, while I appreciate the credit so many of you give me that this was an completely intentional reference, I must confess that I was unaware of the history of this story and scent gags when I wrote it in. Though I am quite pleased that it’s in there, giving the gag another layer to those in the know.
Hillary DePiano is a playwright, fiction and non-fiction writer who loves writing of all kinds except for writing bios like this.
