THE FLOOR SHOW
Opening the scene with closed red draped curtains. Behind the curtains is Dr. Frank N’ Furter putting the final touches on the marble statues. The long awaited event is seconds away, The Floor Show.
Lights on. Curtains open. Lives are changed.
Looking past their seductive outfits, the lyrics are equally revealing towards the characters. Colombia, Rocky, Brad, & Janet give every piece of their hearts and souls on the stage, making The Floor Show the most significant scene in the film. In Rose Tint My World, we learn every character's vulnerabilities along with their deepest desires.
Columbia sings in regards to how satisfied she was with her life. She's happy and in a committed relationship with Dr. Frank N’ Furter. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? That was until he found someone else and quickly moved on from Columbia, which is not surprising with his extremely excessive lifestyle. In an earlier scene we learned that Frank dated Columbia. Later, in a spiteful act, Frank began to seduce Eddie, this new relationship in no doubt failed. Now with Frank’s failed relationships with both Eddie and Columbia, it sparked inspiration for Frank to create a perfect man. Which we come to know as Rocky. In a previous scene Columbia confesses to Frank, “...you spurn me for Eddie and then you throw him off like an old overcoat for Rocky. You chew people up then you spit them out again…” Columbia moves along to say that past her previous heartbreaks she turned to a love of something quite addicting. Her new addiction distracts her from the all heartache Frank has caused her.
Frank pulls the de-medusa switch now on Rocky. Rocky’s still confused simply of his own existence, he begins to sing about his own beauty. He acknowledges that his only purpose is for others to adore his beauty and have sex. Rocky and his “uncontrollable libido” is the only thing he can trust. No complaint on the sex either, Rocky just wants to continue having it.
Brad. Oh, Brad. He had one sexual experience with Dr. Frank N’ Furter and it drove him into having a spiraling sexuality crisis. Brad, during the crisis of his life, turns to the only being above him. His own mother! (of course) Brad pleads to his mother to help him through his feelings- the feeling sexy and liking it kind. Feelings Brad might have never felt before or has and pushed them down with his mother in mind. Brad starts to beg that if he can feel “normal” again, he’ll be good. If his mother can make Brad feel the way he felt before tonight he'll be good, and he'll show you he can be good. Brad goes on singing “Take this dream away.” only left to interpret that he has yearned to feel like this, but possibly made himself push his “dream” deep down. Brad feels sexy in this moment, he feels the way he’s always wished to feel freely.
The de-medusa is now switched for Janet. Janet looks to be feeling the complete opposite from everyone else on stage; she looks to be in absolute bliss. She says, in a very pleased tone, that she feels released. Was Janet forced to continue the “Christian Suburban’’ look? The same way that Brad wants to be sexy in lingerie. Both Brad and Janet have secrets. They both yearn for something so un-reachable in their society. No can know that they dream of wanting something else, something more. It’s a good time to be alive for Janet Wise. The bad times no longer exist in her world. After having a sexual experience with Frank and Rocky, Janet’s sexual awakening is shown to have given her a huge increase of confidence. Losing her virginity has given her a euphoric feeling and is very thankful for it.
Overall, during Rose Tint My World, every character has revealed themselves in a way the audience would have never predicted from the beginning of the film. Columbia’s heartache and her way of dealing with her failed relationships. Rocky, Brad, and Janet’s exploration on their own sexuality. Brad, revealing his feelings on his gender expression. The Rose Tint My World performance is so impactful and I hope this continues for generations. No matter how many times you watch The Floor Show, you always catch something new or understand the lyrics in a different way from your last watch. You never totally know a character from the first act. The Floor Show has taught me, Why should one try so hard to change something that shouldn’t be changed, but expressed instead.
I have purposefully not mentioned Frank because his character deserves it’s own essay. <3
To be determined…
the video essay:
