4 June, 1596 - Phocas

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 4 of June 1596 ... R at tragedie of focas ... xxxj^s

In modern English: 4^th June, 1596 ... Received at Tragedy of Phocas ... 31 shillings

Phocas depicted in Richard
Rainoldes' Chronicle of all the
Noble Emperors of the Romans (1571)

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Phocas, their tragedy about an army officer who became Byzantine emperor and ruled as a tyrant. You can read more about this play in the entry for 20 May.

The company has waited a week and a half to return this new play to the stage for its third performance. The play is doing solidly well - it's not lighting the stage on fire but neither has it collapsed instantly. Londoners seem to think it's OK.

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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