22 December, 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 23 of desembȝ 1596 ... R at the beager ... iij^s

In modern English: [22^nd] December, 1596 ... Received at The Beggar ... 3 shillings

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

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 this play in the entry for 12 February.

Oh dear me, how are the mighty fallen. Back in June, The Blind Beggar of Alexandria was a sure-fire hit that always pulled a huge crowd. Today, it has drawn one of the smallest audiences ever recorded at the Rose. 

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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