5 September, 1594 - The Venetian Comedy

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 7 5 of septmbȝ 1594 ... R at the venesyon comodey ... xxxvj^s vj^d

In modern English: 5^th September, 1594 ... Received at The Venetian Comedy ... 36 shillings and sixpence

The Quack Doctor by Pietro Longhi (late
18th century)

Today, the Admiral's Men revived the play that they had premiered last week, The Venetian Comedy, about which we know nothing beyond its title. You can read more about this play in the entry for 27 August.

The Venetian Comedy had attracted a surprisingly small crowd to its debut performance last week, and today's follow-up performance must have been equally disappointing for the players. It received merely an average-sized audience, a very inauspicious sign for its future. It represents a marked contrast with the recently debuted play, Tasso's Melancholy, which has continued to pull large audiences for its second and third performances. The Admiral's Men must have their doubts about this one.

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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