23 January, 1595 - The Wise Man of West Chester

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 23 of Jenewary 1594 ... R at the wiseman of weascheaster ... iij^ll vj^s 

In modern English: 23^rd January, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man of West Chester ... £3 and 6 shillings

A man, who might possibly be
wise, carved on the choir
stalls of Chester Cathedral

Today, the Admiral's Men returned The Wise Man of West Chester to the stage. This lost play appears to have been about a wizard in the English city of Chester; you can read more about it in the entry for 3 December.

This is crazy! Once again, The Wise Man of West Chester has drawn a huge crowd to the Rose, standing in stark contrast to an otherwise ordinary week. What could be the cause of the this extreme enthusiasm? The simplest explanation is that The Wise Man of West Chester was the BEST PLAY EVER.

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)

Comments?

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