Rose Tints My World

(Photo: Woodlawn Theatre)

Science Fiction, Double Feature

Rocky Horror is something near and dear to my heart. I've had an obsession with the show for years and years, and when I turned 18, I joined a shadowcast to live out my dreams of performing the show on stage. Even though I don't perform anymore, October just isn't complete without a trip to see Rocky live, and whenever I go to a convention, I HAVE to see Rocky or Repo!

I'm really not sure why Rocky Horror appeals to me so much. It's campy, it makes fun of B-grade science fiction, and the cult following means the show is still alive and well decades later. There's something unabashedly fun about dressing up, shouting, and throwing props. The movie itself is even great to me - I love the music unironically, and I've devoted a lot of brain space to memorizing call-outs, the dialogue, and choreography.

Performing at my first-ever Repo! The Genetic Opera show (left). (Photo: Smolder'n' Scully Sins)

Halloween Tradition

My Rocky Horror experience this year was the stage show, which differs from the movie in several important ways. The stage shows are rarely direct replicas of the movie - it stands on its own with a few musical additions, different costumes, and usually, a totally different feel.

This year's stage experience was special because it starred three ladies from RuPaul's Drag Race fame - Bianca del Rio, Courtney Act, and Michelle Visage. I love drag, I love RPDR, and seeing these ladies in person was like a dream come true! The small nods to the Drag Race fans were perfect and not overdone. In fact, although I mainly bought my tickets to see my favorite drag queens, the entire cast was super talented. And, as an added bonus, the entire show was circus-themed, with Frank-n-Furter as the ringmaster! As a lover of circus arts and a die-hard Rocky fan, I couldn't have been happier with how the show was staged.

It was great when it all began, I was a regular Franky fan!

Columbia Rose Tints My World

For the first time, I also had the opportunity to dress up as Columbia, my favorite character from the show. Costume Supercenter, an online costume shop, contacted me to try out a costume from their site, and I chose my favorite glitter monster!

Cosplay is for everyone, regardless of skill level, and I think this costume proves it! While I don't have the skills or confidence to sew my own sequinned jacket yet, I trust myself to modify pieces to my heart's content! The costume itself came with a hat, bowtie, jacket, top, and shorts. I purchased and modified the hat (more on that later), wig, fishnets, socks, and shoes.

The costume itself is not as high-quality as a professional seamstress, but it worked out perfectly for me. I really like the jacket -it's the right shape and color, and even has coattails! The shorts are not my favorite, so I would like to replace them with handmade shorts in the future, but they are comfortable and look great in photos. The top isn't the correct shape, but I love how sparkly it is!

The hat that came with the costume was poor quality and too flat to even fit on my head! I knew from reading reviews on Costume Supercenter's website that it would probably not work out, and made plans to create my own hat. I bought a felt top hat online, purchased sequinned fabric and a ribbon, and glued the fabric onto the hat. I love the result and it was pretty easy - if a little tedious. I feel like the hat makes a huge difference in the costume overall!

One of my favorite parts of Columbia's original costume is her sequinned tap shoes. I bought some similar character shoes and added sequins myself.

The last step to this costume was Columbia's distinctive, over-the-top makeup! I'll go into more detail in a future post, but suffice to say that extreme makeup looks are my new favorite thing. It's hard to tell in these photos, but my blush and lipstick were BRIGHT! I also covered my eyebrows with glue for the first time.

Sneaky theater selfie! We weren't allowed to take photos of the show, sadly.

I had a fabulous time at the Woodlawn's Rocky Horror Show production, loved seeing some of my favorite queens, and had such a great time putting this Halloween costume together!

Do you have any Halloween traditions?

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