From All Angles

[Dolly Llama]

The company used to use mineral oil to produce smoke effects on the stage during performances. They sprayed the mineral oil through an atomizer at high pressure. At the most, one teaspoon of mineral oil was dispersed into the air, quickly dispersing across the huge stage. But she claimed it adversely affected her health, and could not enter the opera house for 5 days after it was used. That of course meant that she basically was never there. But she got paid, of course.

On those few occasions that she did show up, she wore a gas mask. I'm not kidding. Imagine sitting down in a room to rehearse with a bunch of professional singers, and one of them is wearing a gas mask.