3 October, 1594 - The Ranger's Comedy

Here's what the Admiral's Men performed at the Rose playhouse on this day, 424 years ago...

Henslowe writes: y^e 2 of octobȝ 1594 ... R at the Rangers comodey ... x^s 

In modern English: [3^rd] October, 1594 ... Received at The Ranger's Comedy ... 10 shillings

An Elizabethan hunting scene; one
of the possible subjects of this play

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost Ranger's Comedy. We do not know what this play was about, as the word could refer to a gamekeeper, a rake, a wanderer, or an organizer of troops. You can read more about it in the entry for 2 April.

This is getting ridiculous. The Ranger's Comedy, which was presumably not funny at all, has received one of the lowest returns in this season of the Diary. Yet the wretched thing continues to be restaged time and again. It makes no sense.

Henslowe links

• Transcript of this page of the Diary (from W.W. Greg's 1904 edition)
• Facsimile of this page of the Diary (from the Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project)

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