Thursday 27 June 2019

27 June, 1595 - the closure of the Rose

A student's lamentation, that hath
sometime been in London as an
apprentice, for the rebellious tumults
lately in the City happening, for
which five have suffered death on
Thursday the 24 of July last
(1595)
Today, performances ceased at the Rose playhouse. We do not know why, but there is no evidence of a plague outbreak, so it seems more likely that the authorities may have been responding to the recent outbreaks of violence in London over the summer. While theatre might seem unrelated to riots over food prices, the authorities were wary of any kind of gathering of large crowds, and may have ordered the theatres closed as a precaution.

Cast out of their home, the Lord Admiral's Men had to return to their old habit of touring their plays around England instead. We do not know much about their activities during this time, but there are records of them performing in Maidstone and Bath until they return in August.

Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will return on 25th August. See you then!


FURTHER READING

 

Theatre closure information

 

  • Carol Chillington Rutter, Documents of the Rose Playhouse (Manchester University Press, 1984), 92-3.

 

Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Wednesday 26 June 2019

26 June, 1595 - The Second Part of Caesar

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

Henslowe writes: ye 26 of June 1595 ... R at the 2 pte of seaser ... xxs 

In modern English: 26th June, 1595 ... Received at The Second Part of Caesar ... 20 shillings.


Mark Antony displaying
the body of Caesar, from
Nicholas Rowe's 1709 edition
of Shakespeare
Today, the Admiral's Men followed up their performance of The First Part of Caesar yesterday with their new Second Part, which probably told of the assassination of Julius Caesar. You can read more about this play in the entry for 18 June.

But this is a disaster. The decision to turn the company's old Caesar play into a two-parter has attracted only a small audience. A huge amount of effort has won the company very little. They must be very disappointed.

Indeed, they will never perform either play again. But one reason may be an interruption that will begin tomorrow, when performances at the Rose will come to an unexpected halt. Tune in tomorrow to find out why!

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Tuesday 25 June 2019

25 June, 1595 - Caesar and Pompey


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

Henslowe writes: ye 25 of June 1595 ... R at the j pte of seaser ... xxijs 

In modern English: 25th June, 1595 ... Received at The First Part of Caesar ... 22 shillings


Detail from Caesar Contemplating
the Head of Pompey
by Tiepolo (1746)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Caesar and Pompey after a three-month absence from the stage, but have now retitled it The First Part of Caesar in order to form a two-part play with the sequel that they premiered last week. This part probably dramatized the civil war that erupted in Ancient Rome between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. You can read more about it in the entry for 8th November, 1594.

It seems like a great idea: take an old play, give it a sequel, and turn them into a two-parter to excite the public. However, today's box office for the revamped 'Part One' is not impressive, and the company will never perform it again. Farewell, Caesar and Pompey!


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Monday 24 June 2019

24 June, 1595 - The French Comedy

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

Henslowe writes: ye 24 of June mydsomerdaye ...  R at the frenshecomodeye ... xxxs 

In modern English: 24th June, Midsummer's Day ... Received at The French Comedy ... 30 shillings.

French commedia dell'arte performers,
from a 17th-century engraving by Jacques Callot
Today was Midsummer's Day, a public holiday and a time of late-night bonfires and celebration! On this day, the Admiral's Men chose to perform, for the last time, The French Comedy, a lost play about which we know almost nothing. You can read more about it in the entry for February 11 

The French Comedy is one of those plays that the company has never performed at frequent intervals, and has never done particularly well. Today, on a public holiday, it has filled only half the theatre, which is not impressive at all. Perhaps this was the final nail in its coffin, as this is its last recorded performance in Henslowe's Diary.

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Sunday 23 June 2019

23 June, 1595 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: ye 23 of June ... R at the vij dayes of the wecke ... 
iijvs  
In modern English: 23rd June, 1595 ... Received at The 7 Days of the Week ... 
£3 and 5 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June.


19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Wow! The Seven Days of the Week really is a hit. No matter whether it is performed on a public holiday or on an ordinary day, it always seems to fill the theatre. If only we knew what it was actually about!


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Friday 21 June 2019

21 June, 1595 - A Knack to Know an Honest Man

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

Henslowe writes: ye 21 of June ... R at the knacke ... xiijs
In modern English: 21st June ... Received at The Knack ... 13 shillings

Two  Young Venetian Men (anon., 1515)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived A Knack to Know an Honest Man, their comical moral romance set in Venice. You can read more about this play in the entry for 23rd October, 1594.

The company last performed this play two weeks ago during the Whitsuntide holiday, when it had been a great success, but today, on a more normal day, the crowd is tiny.

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow, because 22 June was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 23rd for a week that will end prematurely when the riots ongoing in London will finally have an effect upon Henslowe's work. .

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Thursday 20 June 2019

20 June, 1595 - Vallia and Anthony

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

Henslowe writes: ye 20 of June ... R at antony & vallea ... xxs 

In modern English: 20th June ... Received at Antony and Vallia ... 20 shillings.

Portrait of an unknown couple by Lavinia
Fontana (1580s)
Today, the Admiral's Men returned, after a very long time, to the extremely puzzling play that is usually rendered Vallia and Antony or Antony and Vallia. This play is lost and we have no idea what it was about, since no known story has characters of these names in prominent roles. You can read more about the play in the entry for 4 January, 1595.

It is very strange that the company revived this old play back in January and then ignored it until June. The box office is unremarkable, suggesting that the experiment was not a success.

In other news, the authorities in London have begun a crackdown to enforce the rule of law following this week's riots. The number of watches has been doubled, masters have been ordered to control their apprentices, and officers have been sent to look out for 'loose persons' disguised as soldiers, and to round up 'masterless men'. As we will see, this is soon to have an impact on the Rose playhouse.


FURTHER READING


On the apprentice riots

  • Carol Chillington Rutter, Documents of the Rose Playhouse (Manchester University Press, 1984), 92.
  • M.J. Power, "London and the Control of the 'Crisis' of the 1590s", History 70 (1985), 379.
  • "Rebellion by London apprentices in 1595", British Library - Discovering Literature: Shakespeare & Renaissance


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Wednesday 19 June 2019

19 June, 1595 - Long Meg of Westminster

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

Henslowe writes: ye 19 of June 1595 ... R at longe mege ... xxijs

In modern English: 19th June, 1595 ... Received at Long Meg ...  22 shillings

Long Meg, from
a 1750 edition
of the jest-book
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Long Meg of Westminster, their play about the Amazonian warrior woman of London legend. You can read more about this play in the entry for 14 February.

The company is taking longer and longer intervals between their performances of Long Meg, this time waiting a whole month. The play has never been as successful as one might expect from its awesome title. 

.


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Tuesday 18 June 2019

18 June, 1595 - The Second Part of Caesar

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

Henslowe writes: ye 18 of June 1595 ... Ne ... R at the 2 pte of sesore ... lvs 

In modern English: 18th June, 1595 ... New ... Received at The Second Part of Caesar ... 55 shillings.


Today, the Admiral's Men premiered a sequel to one of their older plays! The Second Part of Caesar is lost, but it was presumably the followup to Caesar and Pompey, a play that the company was performing at the Rose a few months ago.

Because both parts are lost, we can only speculate as to their content. But if, as seems likely, the previous play dealt with the civil war between Julius Caesar and Sextus Pompeius, and ended with Pompey's death, the next part of the tale would have told of Caesar's triumph and then death.

Mark Antony displaying
the body of Caesar, from
Nicholas Rowe's 1709 edition
of Shakespeare
In his catalogue of British drama, Martin Wiggins imagines a possible synopsis of the play. Perhaps it began with Caesar's triumphant arrival in Rome and his being made dictator. It would then have told of Caesar's reluctance to give up power, and of the transformation of Rome into a monarchy. Brutus and Cassius would then conspire to have Caesar killed, and the play might have ended with the famous scene of his visit to the Senate on the Ides of March, where the Roman senators assassinate him.

If so, The Second Part of Caesar probably told a similar story to that which Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar would do a few years later. Perhaps Shakespeare, now performing at the other end of the city, was deliberately imitating (in his inimitable way) a play by his rivals at the Rose.

Anyway, there are now three two-part plays in the Rose repertory: Tamburlaine, Hercules and Caesar. But unlike Hercules, which seems to have been designed as a two-parter from the get-go, The Second Part of Caesar is an afterthought, appearing a long time after the first play's debut, and indeed a long time after their last performance of Part One. It was presumably fairly self-contained, since the company is debuting it without bothering to revive Part One, and is thus assuming that the audience will understand who the characters are. The company may have noticed that two-parters are popular and may be scouring the archives for plays that could accommodate a sequel.

Whatever its content, The Second Part of Caesar received fairly good box office, drawing an audience that was large, but not as large as most other premieres.



FURTHER READING


The Second Part of Caesar information


  • Martin Wiggins, British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue, vol. 3 (Oxford University Press, 2013), entry 1004.
  • Domenico Lovascio, "Caesar and Pompey, Parts 1 and 2"Lost Plays Database (2015). 


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Monday 17 June 2019

17 June, 1595 - The French Comedy

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

Henslowe writes: ye 17 of June 1595 .....  R at the frenshe comodey ... xxjs 

In modern English: 17th June, 1595 ... Received at The French Comedy ... 21 shillings.

French commedia dell'arte performers,
from a 17th-century engraving by Jacques Callot
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to The French Comedy, a lost play about which we know almost nothing. You can read more about it in the entry for February 11 

The company continues to perform this play infrequently, this time waiting over a fortnight to revive it. The box office is a bit better than last time, but one cannot help but continue to suspect that The French Comedy wasn't all that funny.


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Sunday 16 June 2019

16 June, 1595 - Warlamchester

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

Henslowe writes: ye 16 of June 1595 ... R at warlamchester ... xxvs 

In modern English: 16th June, 1595 ... Received at Warlamchester ... 25 shillings

The martyrdom of St Alban, from a 13th century
manuscript by Matthew Paris
Today, for the last time, the Admiral's Men performed again their lost play Warlamchester, which was probably about the martyrdom of St Alban during the Roman persecutions of Christians in England.You can read more about this play in the entry for 28 November.

The company last performed Warlamchester a week and  half ago, when it received atrocious box office, but they have brought it back regardless, and this time it has drawn a much larger crowd. Perhaps Warlamchester could have made a comeback, but this is its last appearance in Henslowe's Diary. Its revivals have been infrequent and never very popular, so it was probably time to say farewell.

Meanwhile, the troubles in London are continuing. Yesterday, a huge crowd of nearly two thousand apprentices gathered outside the Lord Mayor's house to protest against the imprisonment of some of their cohort during the riots last week. They supposedly set up a gallows with the aim of hanging him. And today, it will later be claimed, a group of apprentices, soldiers and 'masterless men' (that is, unemployed people) met at St Paul's, where they plotted to behead the Mayor. A fearful atmosphere of violence and rumour is descending upon the city.


FURTHER READING


On the apprentice riots


  • Carol Chillington Rutter, Documents of the Rose Playhouse (Manchester University Press, 1984), 92.
  • M.J. Power, "London and the Control of the 'Crisis' of the 1590s", History 70 (1985), 379.
  • "Rebellion by London apprentices in 1595", British Library - Discovering Literature: Shakespeare & Renaissance

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Friday 14 June 2019

14 June, 1595 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: ye 14 of June 1595 ... R at the vij dayes of the wecke ... 
iijixs  
In modern English: 14th June, 1595 ... Received at The 7 Days of the Week ... 
£3 and 9 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June.


19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

The Seven Days of the Week
is proving to be a splendid success. Once again, the company has revived it after only a few days, and once again the Rose is packed to the gunnels with happy punters. This is what Master Henslowe lives for!


What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow, because 15 June was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 16th for a week that will include a new play but also some troublesome events elsewhere in the city.



Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Thursday 13 June 2019

13 June, 1595 - The Second Part of Hercules

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

Henslowe writes: ye 13 of June 1595 ... R at 2 pt of herculos ... iijll ijs

In modern English: 13th June, 1595 ... Received at Second Part of Hercules ... £3 and 2 shillings.

The Embarkation of the Argonauts by Lorenzo
Costa (16th century). Hercules is on the prow
of the Argo.
The Hercules plays are doing splendidly! After a very popular revival of Part One yesterday, the company now follows it with the almost new Part Two, continuing the story of the Greek mythological strongman. This part may have included Hercules' contribution to the quest for the Golden Fleece. You can read more about it in the entry for 23rd May.

Once again the Rose is full, so Henslowe must be happy. But you may remember from yesterday that there's an ugly atmosphere in London this week. Today, another riot has broken out, this time in Southwark Market, not far from the Rose, where a recent hike in the price of butter inspired a crowd of apprentices to descend on the market and cause uproar.  Eventually, this will turn out to have an effect on the playhouses; hold that thought.




FURTHER READING

On the apprentice riots



  • Carol Chillington Rutter, Documents of the Rose Playhouse (Manchester University Press, 1984), 92.
  • M.J. Power, "London and the Control of the 'Crisis' of the 1590s", History 70 (1985), 379.
  • "Rebellion by London apprentices in 1595", British Library - Discovering Literature: Shakespeare & Renaissance

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Wednesday 12 June 2019

12 June, 1595 - The First Part of Hercules

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

Henslowe writes: ye 12 of June 1595 ... R at the j pt of herculos ... iijll js

In modern English: 12th June, 1595 ... Received at The First Part of Hercules ... £3 and 1 shilling

Hercules fighting the Nemean Lion by
Francisco de Zurbarán (1634)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived The First Part of Hercules, which retold some of the legends of the Greek mythological strongman, perhaps focusing on his Twelve Labours. You can read more about this play in the entry for 7 May..

The company has waited a fortnight to bring back the popular Hercules plays, and today, thanks in part to the Whitsuntide holidays, the Rose is almost full with punters who want to see lions getting bashed and hydras being slain.

But elsewhere in London, trouble is brewing. We should pull back our focus on theatre for a moment and look at the bigger picture, because the mid-1590s were not happy times for everyone. Due to a series of failed harvests, this period saw massive rises in the price of food, and anger over this was beginning to turn into violence. And today, in Billingsgate fish market, a riot broke out, caused by a crowd of apprentices who were protesting rising fish prices.

Riots and fish prices may seem irrelevant to a theatre blog, but today's event is just one in a series of public order offences that will cause the authorities to crack down on large gatherings of people quite soon... so stay tuned.


FURTHER READING


  • Carol Chillington Rutter, Documents of the Rose Playhouse (Manchester University Press, 1984), 92.
  • M.J. Power, "London and the Control of the 'Crisis' of the 1590s", History 70 (1985), 379.
  • "Rebellion by London apprentices in 1595", British Library - Discovering Literature: Shakespeare & Renaissance


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Tuesday 11 June 2019

11 June, 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: ye 11 of June 1595 ... R at wissman of weschester ... xxxxvijs 
In modern English: 11th June, 1595 ... Received at Wise Man of West Chester ... 47 shillings

A man, who might possibly be
wise, carved on the choir
stalls of Chester Cathedral
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to The Wise Man of West Chester, a lost play that 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, 1594.

The Wise Man of West Chester has been declining in popularity over the last few weeks, but it has received a boost today due to the ongoing Whitsuntide holidays. A healthy crowd has shown up to the wizard one again.

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Monday 10 June 2019

10 June, 1595 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: ye 10 of June 1595 ... post 83-0 ... R at the vij dayes of the wecke ... 
iijs  vjs 
In modern English: 10th June, 1595 ... Received at The 7 Days of the Week ... 
£3 and 6 shillings

Today was Whit Tuesday, the second day of the Whitsuntide summer holiday! On this festive day, the Admiral's Men performed the enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June. If you're wondering why Henslowe wrote "post 83-0" next to its name ... sorry, nobody knows.


19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

This is the third outing for The Seven Days of the Week and the festive season has resulted in a full theatre! The company must be pleased that this play has regained some momentum after its disappointing second performance.



Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Sunday 9 June 2019

9 June, 1595 - A Knack to Know an Honest Man

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

Henslowe writes: ye 9 of June 1595 ... whitsun daie ll ... R at the knacke ... lvs
In modern English: 9th June, 1595 ... Whitsunday ...Received at The Knack ... 55 shillings
Two  Young Venetian Men (anon., 1515)
Today was the first day of Whitsuntide, the annual multi-day holiday celebrating the beginning of summer! Londoners had time off and were in a festive mood, so for the Admiral's Men there is the chance of bigger and livelier audiences.

The actors chose today to revive A Knack to Know an Honest Man, their comical moral romance set in Venice. You can read more about this play in the entry for 23rd October, 1594.

The company has not performed this play for over a month, but the holiday has brought a large crowd to the Rose, giving a much-needed burst of energy to this aging comedy.
.

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Friday 7 June 2019

7 June, 1595 - Seleo and Olympo

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

Henslowe writes: ye 7 of June 1595 ... R at  olimpio ... xvs 

In modern English: 7th June, 1595 ... Received at Olympo ... 15 shillings


Portrait of Two Friends by Pontormo (1524)
Today, the Admiral's Men revived Seleo and Olympo, a lost play about which we know nothing at all except that it must have been about two men.You can learn more in the entry for 5 March.

The company seems to be falling into a groove of performing Seleo and Olympo every ten days or so. But today's terrible box office does not seem to warrant the effort.

What's next?


There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 8 June was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 9th for the holiday week of Whitsuntide - see you then!

Henslowe links





Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Thursday 6 June 2019

6 June, 1595 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: ye 6 of June 1595 ... R at the vij dayes of the weack ... xxxxiiijs 

In modern English: 6th June, 1595 ... Received at The 7 Days of the Week ... 44 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men performed the enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June.


19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

The company has rushed The Seven Days of the Week back to the stage only three days after its successful premiere. But word of mouth does not seem to have been great; today's audience is much better than an average day at the Rose but is disappointing for a second performance.



Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Wednesday 5 June 2019

5 June, 1595 - Doctor Faustus

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

Henslowe writes: ye 5 of June 1595 ... R at doctor ffostus ... xvijs 

In modern English: 5th June, 1595 ... Received at Doctor Faustus ... 17 shillings

Faustus summoning Mephistopheles: from the
1616 text of the play 
Today, Admiral's Men returned to Christopher Marlowe's famous tragedy Dr Faustus, in which a scholar summons a demon and sells his soul to the devil. You can read more about this play in the entry for 2 October.

The company has waited over a month to return Dr Faustus to the stage, but the audience is still very small.  They must be wondering whether to say goodbye to this classic play, despite its iconic status.


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Tuesday 4 June 2019

4 June, 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: ye 4 of June 1595 ... R at the wisman of weschester ... xxijs 
In modern English: 4th June, 1595 ... Received at Wise Man of West Chester ... 22 shillings

A man, who might possibly be
wise, carved on the choir
stalls of Chester Cathedral
Today, the Admiral's Men returned to The Wise Man of West Chester, a lost play that 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, 1594.

The Wise Man of West Chester has dominated the Rose for a long time, but we are now seeing its box office shrinking to below average numbers. The audience must be finally tiring of the Wise Man, but it will be interesting to see how long it stays in the repertory after this.

Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

Monday 3 June 2019

3 June, 1595 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: ye 3 of June 1595 ... ne ... R at the vij dayes of the weacke ... iijll xs 

In modern English: 3rd June, 1595 ... New ... Received at The 7 Days of the Week ... £3 and 10 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men performed a new play, The Seven Days of the Week. This play is lost and its title is, quite frankly, puzzling. How could a play be about the days of the week?

One possibility is that this was an anthology play telling seven short stories, each associated with a different week. Anthology plays were quite common in this period; we saw one a few years ago in Henslowe's Diary entitled Four Plays in One. It's hard to imagine what the stories could be about though; how exciting could a play about Wednesday really be? Perhaps it is significant that the seven days of the week were traditionally associated with the seven planets, which are in turn associated with Greco-Roman deities. Could the stories have been about the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the Sun?

19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore

Another possibility is raised by Martin Wiggins in his catalogue of British drama: perhaps the play dramatized the creation of the world by God over the course of a single week. In support of this, Martin Wiggins notes the existence of an Eve costume in Henslowe's inventory. But it seems less likely, since humans did not appear on the earth until after the seventh day, and it's also difficult to imagine how such things as the creation of light and darkness, or the separation of land from sea could be staged in an Elizabethan theatre.

We'll probably never know what The Seven Days of the Week was, but its premiere today attracted a huge audience that nearly filled the theatre.


FURTHER READING


The Seven Days of the Week information


  • Martin Wiggins, British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue, vol. 3 (Oxford University Press, 2013), entry 1003.


Henslowe links



Comments?


Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!