23 February, 1596 - The Blind Beggar of Alexandria

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 22 of febreary 1595 ... Shroue monday ... R at the blind beager ... xxxvj^s

In modern English: [23^rd] February, [1596] ... Shrove Monday ... Received at The Blind Beggar ... 36 shillings

Beggars in Alexandria; an undated photograph
from Brooklyn Museum's Lantern Slide Collection

It's Shrove Monday, a day for eating eggs and bacon in advance of the fasting period of Lent! Today, the Admiral's Men revived The Blind Beggar of Alexandria, a comedy by George Chapman about a master of disguise. You can read more about it in the entry for 12 February.

The celebratory feasting of Shrove Monday tends not to increase the box office at the Rose; sure enough, The Blind Beggar's audience has dropped, although Rose is still half full.

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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