Overview
The Formosa Club is the primary setting of “Spirit of ‘87.” It is an analog revival nightclub in Los Angeles where Rosemary Carson meets Will, a ghost from 1987.
Description
The Formosa Club is presented as a post-pandemic revival venue with 1980s music, strobes, a DJ, and a wall of old televisions that throws colored light across the dance floor. Rosemary goes there for its music and atmosphere, and the club becomes the center of her imagined connection to the 1980s.
The story describes several parts of the club, including the main dance floor, the DJ area, a smoking balcony, a staff-only hallway, a break room, and a janitor’s closet. Rosemary first follows Will from the dance floor toward the smoking section and into the staff area. Later, she hides in the janitor’s closet until after closing so she can search for him.
Will remains tied to the club after his death in 1987. He is clearest in darkness, fades under bright light, and appears to Rosemary when the club is empty or nearly empty. Rosemary eventually uses the club’s sound system and low lights to dance with him after closing.
The club’s last major scene is the empty dance floor where Rosemary and Will dance together. After Will disappears, Rosemary leaves the building and interprets the surrounding stillness as a possible sign that he has found rest.