11 November, 1596 - 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: y^e 11 of novmbȝ  1596 ... R at the vij dayes ... xxxv^s    

In modern English: 11^th November, 1596 ... Received at The Seven Days ... 35 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week. We know nothing about this play 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, 1595

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 a surprise return for The Seven Days of the Week, which has not been seen at the Rose for almost a year. The play, which used to be one of the company's most frequently performed, had gradually faded in popularity by December last year and was replaced it with a sequel which did not do as well. The company is now reviving the original again, in the hopes that Londoners may have been missing it. 

today's box office is quite good compared to what we have seen in the last few days; The Seven Days of the Week may still have the ability to draw a crowd.

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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