12 June, 1594 - Esther and Ahasuerus

Here's what the Admiral's Men and/or the Chamberlain's Men performed at the Newington Butts playhouse on this day, 424 years ago...

Henslowe writes: y^e 10 of June 1594 ... R at heaster ... v^s

In modern English: 12^th June, 1594 ... Received at Esther ... 5 shillings

Esther accusing Haman: Jan Lievens' The Feast
of Esther (c. 1625)

Today, the players at Newington Butts revived Esther and Ahasuerus. This lost play retold the biblical legend of Queen Esther, who saves the Jewish people from the devious Persian vizier Haman. You can read more about it in the entry for 5th June.

Even by the standards of the Newington Butts playhouse, whose box office always seems lower than the Rose's, the takings for Esther and Ahasuerus are particularly low. This does not appear to be a popular play.

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!