Pseudolus

Pseudolus
Zero Mostel in the 1966 film
Characters Adapted from Other Works
First Appearance:	A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
Creator:	Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove, Larry Gelbart
Nationality:	Ancient Greek resident (later citizen) of the Roman Empire
Religion:	Greek pantheon
Date of Birth:	1st century CE
Occupation:	Slave, later a freedman
Professional Affiliations:	Senex household
Appearing in:

"The Great White Way" by Laura Frankos Set in OTL
Type of Appearance:	Direct
Species:	VR avatar
Military Branch:	Sondheads

Pseudolus (whose name is the ancient Greek for "phony" or "faker") is the central character of the 1962 Broadway play A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum by Stephen Sondheim, Burt Shevelove, and Larry Gelbart. He is based on the same-named title character of a play by the Roman writer Plautus, c. 191 BC. In Sondheim's play, Pseudolus is the slave of the wealthy Senex family in Rome during the reign of Roman Emperor Nero. With the promise of eventual manumission, Pseudolus helps the naive young heir of Senex to court a fair maiden. Comical stumbling blocks ensue upon the arrival of military commander Miles Gloriosus.

Zero Mostel originated the role of Pseudolus in Forum on Broadway in 1962, and reprised the role on film in 1966. Mostel's precedent is often considered unmatchable.

Pseudolus in "The Great White Way"

Pseudolus, designed in Zero Mostel's image, played an unconventional role in the Sondheim-Webber battle. Sondhead supreme commander Trina Hutchinson lured the Webberite sniper Norma Desmond into Marcus Lycus' dining room, where Pseudolus prepared Desmond a fancy drink. Rather than poison, as Webberite commander Brent Birley expected, the glass contained a powerful love potion. Desmond and Pseudolus retired from the fighting, traveling off to find a suitable place to consummate their newfound obsession. The computer simulation was not equipped to depict this, so the two lovebirds simply disappeared from the action and were not seen again.

Pseudolus' Funny Forum costar Miles Gloriosus was also a champion in the battle.