In season 3 of #HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys , we meet up with Salmoneus again. This time he’s king’s bookkeeper, & we can see his logbooks & abacus nearby. Decades later, he will need his own bookkeeper for his Known World Enterprises, a role that his daughter takes on for him. In “Men in Pink,” however, Sal can only dream of such riches.

He’s quickly caught up in one of the most classic screwball comedies of all time, an homage to “Some Like It Hot,” with the ancient world’s equivalent of Marilyn Monroe. Both Sal & Autolycus dress up as women (Autolyca & Salmonella) & hide among a dance troupe to escape a false charge of murder. Sal has gone from avoiding war on #Xena by crowning a transgender model, to the world of cross-dressing men. It’s an old theatre tradition, of course, not to mention, common in military entertainment to this day.

In fact, this dates back to the time of Ancient Greece. They join the Twanky Tulips, a dance revue headed by the imperious Widow Twanky (played by Michael Hurst). The Widow Twanky is also an old theatre tradition, dating back to  the last days of the Commedia del Arte in Britain. She was originally in a pantomime production of the Arabian Nights, a series of Middle Eastern folk tales. The name Twanky is based on a Chinese slang word for tea past its prime.

The part was always played by a man in women’s clothes, & has been played by such actors as Ian McKellan. Michael starred in a production of the Arabian Nights, & created his version of the role, & for Hercules, turned her into a formidable lady who specialized in dance. In this ep, she even uses dance moves to fight with! This ep makes good use of the pantomime tradition of cross-dressing players, with all the leads doing so. It’s the only time we see actor Robert Trebor without his signature Salmoneus facial hair, even after he returns to his old outfit.

This ep ends with the Widow revealing that she knew all along the 2 fellas were in disguise, & fully approved of them doing so. After all, a man can learn a lot by spending some time in a woman’s shoes! The Widow returns for another ep, Greece is Burning, based on the 1990

documentary Paris Is Burning, about the  NY drag scene. I did not use the Widow Twanky in my upcoming story, but was greatly inspired by her to draw upon the pantomime tradition & the Commedia del’Arte, which finds its roots in the ancient world, so I depict what I believe are its earliest known practitioners. In particular, the idea of blending dancing & fighting styles is especially fascinating to me, & important to this project. Michael Hurst is a classically trained actor familiar with the pantomime & Ancient Greek plays, & is another reason why Renaissance Pictures is so well-named. Tomorrow, let’s talk about Eve!