20 December, 1596 - Vortigern

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 21 of desembȝ 1596 ... R at valteger ... xxv^s 

In modern English: [20^th] December, 1596 ... Received at Vortigern ... 25 shillings

Vortigern in his burning
castle. From a 14th-century
manuscript of Peter of
Langtoft's Chronicle of
England.  

Today, the Admiral's Men performed Vortigern, their play about the legendary British king whose actions brought about the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. you can read more about this play in the entry for 4th December. 

This is the fourth performance of the new play Vortigern in just over two weeks. But despite this heavy promotion, the play does not seem destined to be a blockbuster: the box office has now slipped below the Rose average.

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?

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