4 September, 1595 - Olympio and Eugenio

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 4 of septmbȝ 1595 ... R at  olempeo and hengenyo ... xviij^s 

In modern English: 4^th September, 1595 ... Received at Olympio and Eugenio ... 18 shillings

Portrait of Two Friends by Pontormo (1524)

Today's entry is confusing. In previous months, Henslowe has recorded a lost play called Seleo and Olympo, which he often calls simply Olympo (you can learn more about it in the entry for 5 March). From today onward, he will record one called Olympio and Eugenio, which he will often call simply Olympio, and was apparently not new.

Is this the same play, with Henslowe's perception of its title evolving? Probably, since it would be odd to drop one play and replace a it with another having such a similar title. But, as Martin Wiggins points out in his catalogue of British Drama, it may be significant that Henslowe consistently records the main character's name as Olympo or Olympio respectively, which might suggest him distinguishing two different plays.

All of this is splitting hairs, however, because we know absolutely nothing about the content of either play. And the box office for today was terrible, suggesting that Londoners didn't care either way.

FURTHER READING

Olympio and Eugenio information

• Martin Wiggins, British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue, vol. 3 (Oxford University Press, 2013), entry 996.

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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