Plaster of Paris is created by heating gypsum crystals, a soft mineral made of calcium sulphate dihydrate, to turn them into a dry powder. 13 October 2009 • 7:00am ...

Plaster of Paris, I learned, is a powder made by the “calcination or dehydration of gypsum.” When mixed with water it sets into a hard, uniform and inert mass.

Madame, based on Madame Sans-Gene, a vastly popular 19th century melodrama, is a spectacle that recommends to all producers of such pictures this modest list of don’ts. Don’t build a plaster ...