Of Dresses and Draperies

[Shana A]

Robert Alberdingk Thijm
Screenwriter

Of Dresses and Draperies
Posted: 1/9/12 09:56 PM ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-alberdingk-thijm/ollie-hartmoeds-palace-of-draperies_b_1195481.html

Last week saw the launch of the new ABC sitcom Work It, in which two unemployed straight guys dress up as women in order to get work. Where have we seen this before? Exactly: the series is essentially a remake of the '80s sitcom with the chipper and not-so-ambiguous title Bosom Buddies -- a kind of Tootsie meets The Odd Couple.

Cross-dressing and comedy go hand-in-hand in all cultures and have for centuries; incidentally, so do cross-dressing and tragedy. From the Ancient Greeks up until the time of Shakespeare, every woman's part was performed by a man.