17 April, 1596 - The Wise Man of West Chester

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 17 of ap^rell 1596 ... R at the wisman of weschester ... xxx^s 

In modern English: 17^th April, 1596 ... Received at The Wise Man of West Chester ... 30 shillings

A man, who might possibly be
wise, carved on the choir
stalls of Chester Cathedral

Today, the Admiral's Men revived The Wise Man of West Chester, a lost play that appears to have been about a wizard in the English city of Chester; you can read more about it in the entry for 3 December, 1594.

The Wise Man of West Chester is one of the company's most frequently staged plays and was once very popular indeed. Its appeal gradually dwindled over the months since its premiere, and audiences became very thin. But today's box office is pretty good, showing that some Londoners may have been missing the play during the Lenten break.

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 18 April was a Sunday in 1596 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 19th for a week that will include more of the company's old favourites.

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!