30 October, 1595 - Barnardo and Philametta

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 28 of octobȝ  1595 ... ne ... R at barnardo and phvlameta ... xxxxij^s 

In modern English: [30^th] October, 1595  ... New ... Received at Barnardo and Philametta ... 42 shillings

Portrait of a couple by an unknown French artist, c.1610

Today, the Admiral's Men presented a new play, and once again the play is now lost.

Sadly, we know nothing more about this play, as no known story features characters named Barnardo and Philametta (or indeed Fiametta, which Henslowe will record the name as in some subsequent entries).

Whatever this play was about it, its premiere was something of a disappointment, attracting an audience not much bigger than an average day at the Rose.

FURTHER READING

Barnardo and Philametta information

• Martin Wiggins, British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue, vol. 3 (Oxford University Press, 2013), entry 1017.

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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