Sometimes we need a wake-up call, something that makes us sit up and pay attention — an artistic production that pushes us to question a societal convention or seek to right an injustice.

And sometimes, when we step into that darkened theater, we’re just looking for something ridiculous, something fun, when the lights come on.

This year’s melodrama at the Wright Opera House definitely falls into the latter category.

“Blazing Guns at Roaring Gulch” (or “The Perfumed Badge,” because mel...