27 November, 1596 - A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies and a short hiatus

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 27 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at the toye ... xj^s 

In modern English: 27^th November, 1596 ... Received at The Toy ... 11 shillings

Two Women at a Window by Murillo (1655-60)

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies, an enigmatic lost play; you can read more about it in the entry for 14 November, 1595.

The Toy continues to return very poor box office, as is so often the case. 

A short hiatus

There will be no blog entries for a few days, for reasons unknown. For the rest of December, Henslowe's Diary becomes rather spotty, with the Rose apparently silent on occasional days. We don't know the reason for this, but Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will return on December 2 for a week that will include a new play - see you then!

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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26 November, 1596 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 26 of novmbȝ  1596 ... R at weake ... xvij^s    

In modern English: 26^th November, 1596 ... Received at Week ... 17 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June, 1595.

19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 

The players keep reviving The Seven Days of the Week, but it continues to disappoint, with another mediocre audience today. 

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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25 November, 1596 - Long Meg of Westminster

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 25 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at longe meage ... xj^s

In modern English: 25^th November, 1596 ... Received at Long Meg ... 11 shillings

Long Meg, from
a 1750 edition
of the jest-book

Welcome back! After a mysterious hiatus, the Admiral's Men are back at the Rose to entertain London once more. Today, they have returned to Long Meg of Westminster, their play about the Amazonian warrior woman of London legend. You can read more about this play in the entry for 14 February, 1595.

There has been no nostalgia for the Admiral's Men during their brief absence, however: Long Meg has received a very small audience.  The company desperately needs to excite its audience with some new plays. 

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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15 November, 1596 - The Seven Days of the Week and a mysterious hiatus

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 15 of novmbȝ  1596 ... R at the vij dayes ... xij^s    

In modern English: 15^th November, 1596 ... Received at The Seven Days ... 12 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week, about which we know nothing beyond its title. Perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June.

19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 

The players have rushed The Seven Days of the Week back to the stage after its successful revival a few days ago. But this seems to be to soon, as only a tiny audience has arrived to see it again. 

A mysterious hiatus

There will be no blog entries for the next ten days, as Henslowe records no performances between the 16th and 24th November. We do not know the reasons for this hiatus, although it is interesting to see that when the players return, they will introduce several new plays to the repertory. Perhaps they have realized that their plays are getting stale, and have decided to take the risk of shutting things down in order to focus on line-learning and other preparations.

Whatever the reasons, Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will return on the 25th - see you then!

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!

13 November, 1596 - Tamar Cam

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 13 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at  tambercame ... xvij^s

In modern English: 13^th November, 1596 ... Received at Tamar Cam ... 17 shillings

Today, for the last time that we know of, the Admiral's Men revived Tamar Cam, a lost play that told of war and wizardry during the exploits of the Mongol conqueror Hulagu Khan; you can read more about it in the entry for 28th April 1592.

The two Tamar Cam plays have been around for a long time; we first encountered them four years ago in 1592, at the premiere of the sequel premiered, but the original already existed. We saw that they may have been created to replicate the popular Tamburlaine plays by Christopher Marlowe. At the end of 1594, the company seems to have acquired the right to revive Tamburlaine itself,  and Tamar Cam was thus set aside. But the revival of Tamburlaine wasn't very successful either. Back in May of this year; the company returned to Tamar Cam again, but that revival too didn't do very well.

One cannot help but suspect that plays about Mongol conquerors are now considered old hat by the audience, and the company has thus decided to bid farewell to Tamar Cam. However, the plays have not gone for good; in 1602, it will be performed by another company at the Fortune playhouse in north London.

Persian illustration of Hulagu Khan (the likely inspiration for Tamar Cam) and his Christian wife

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because November 14 was  Sunday in 1596 and the players did not petform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 15th for what will turn to be a mysteriously curtailed week. See you then!

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!

12 November, 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 12 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at the beager ... xvj^s

In modern English: 12^th November, 1596 ... Received at The Beggar ... 16 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.

The company has rushed The Blind Beggar back after just a few days. But although this play is often been a lot more successful than other plays in the repertory, today's performance is disappointing. This winter season at the Rose looks set to be a lean 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)

Comments?

Did I make a mistake? Do you have a question? Have you anything to add? Please post a comment below!

11 November, 1596 - The Seven Days of the Week

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 11 of novmbȝ  1596 ... R at the vij dayes ... xxxv^s    

In modern English: 11^th November, 1596 ... Received at The Seven Days ... 35 shillings

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their enigmatic lost play The Seven Days of the Week. We know nothing about this play beyond its title; perhaps it was an anthology of seven short plays, or perhaps it was about the creation of the world. You can read more about it in the entry for 3rd June, 1595

19th-century Italian bracelet illustrating each of the seven days of
the week with a portrait of the deity associated with it.
From the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 

This is a surprise return for The Seven Days of the Week, which has not been seen at the Rose for almost a year. The play, which used to be one of the company's most frequently performed, had gradually faded in popularity by December last year and was replaced it with a sequel which did not do as well. The company is now reviving the original again, in the hopes that Londoners may have been missing it. 

today's box office is quite good compared to what we have seen in the last few days; The Seven Days of the Week may still have the ability to draw a crowd.

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!

10 November, 1596 - Chinon of England

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 10 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at chinon ... x^s

In modern English: 10^th November, 1596 ... Received at Chinon ... 10 shillings

 

The Knights of the Round
Table, from the Compilation
arthurienne de Micheau
Gonnot (1470)

Today, the Admiral's Men revived Chinon of England, their lost Arthurian drama about a fool who becomes a knight. You can read more about this play in the entry for 3 January. 

The company seems to have settled on Chinon as one of the plays that it will perform frequently this season - this is the third performance in a fortnight. However, the box office suggests that this is overkill, as only a tiny audience has shown up.

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!

9 November, 1596 - The French Doctor

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 9 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at the frenshe docter ... xiiij^s 

In modern English: 9^th November, 1596 ... Received at The French Doctor ... 14 shillings

A French Physician
by Matthew Darly, 1771

Today, for the last time, the Admiral's Men revived The French Doctor, a lost play that you can read more about in the entry for 19 October, 1594.

The French Doctor first appeared in the Diary two years ago, and may already have been an old play. In the past year, it has become a puzzling entity, often attracting very small audiences and yet still being revived, often with several months going by between individual performances. Today is the Diary's very last recording of a performance, but five years from now the company will expend money on buying the text from the actor Edward Alleyn, who seems to have owned it.

As Roslyn L. Knutson writes in her article for the Lost Plays Database, there must have been something valuable about The French Doctor despite its unimpressive box office. She suggests that its virtue may have been "playability" - that is, there was something about the play that made it easy for actors to perform even after an interval of several months between a performance. 

But now, we must say farewell to The French Doctor and start wondering what new plays the company will create to replace it...

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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8 November, 1596 - A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 8 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at the toye ... xiij^s 

In modern English: 8^th November, 1596 ... Received at The Toy ... 13 shillings

Two Women at a Window by Murillo (1655-60)

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to A Toy to Please Chaste Ladies, an enigmatic lost play; you can read more about it in the entry for 14 November, 1595.

This is the first outing for The Toy since the re-opening of the Rose, but it continues to return very poor box office. 

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!

6 November, 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 6 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at the beager ... xxx^s

In modern English: 6^th November, 1596 ... Received at The Beggar ... 30 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.

This is the first outing for the immensely popular Blind Beggar since the re-opening of the Rose. Today's audience represents a half-full theatre, which is not bad in what is proving to be a rather lean period. 

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow, because 7 November was a Sunday in 1596 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 8th. See you then!

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!

5 November, 1596 - Long Meg of Westminster

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 5 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at longe meage ... v^s

In modern English: 5^th November, 1596 ... Received at Long Meg ... 5 shillings

Long Meg, from
a 1750 edition
of the jest-book

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Long Meg of Westminster, their play about the Amazonian warrior woman of London legend. You can read more about this play in the entry for 14 February, 1595.

After the stunning success of Long Meg on All Saints' Day earlier in the week, the company has rushed it back to the stage. But it seems the crowd was only there because of the public holiday. Word of mouth must have been terrible, as an exceptionally tiny audience has shown up for today's performance.  

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!

4 November, 1596 - Doctor Faustus

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 4 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at doctor fostes ... xvij^s

In modern English: 4^th November, 1596 ... Received at Doctor Faustus ... 17 shillings

Faustus summoning Mephistopheles: from the
1616 text of the play 

Today, the Admiral's Men revived Dr Faustus, Christopher Marlowe's famous tragedy about a scholar who sells his soul to the devil. You can read more about it in the entry for 2 October.

After a relatively successful performance a week ago, the company has rushed Dr Faustus back to the stage, but today's mediocre box office is more typical of the fortunes of this over-familiar 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?

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3 November, 1596 - A Knack to Know an Honest Man

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 3 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at the cnacke to knowe ... xv^s

In modern English: 3^rd November, 1596 ... Received at The Knack to Know ... 15 shillings

Two  Young Venetian Men (anon., 1515)

Today, for the last time that we know of, the Admiral's Men performed A Knack to Know an Honest Man, their comical moral romance set in Venice. You can read more about this play in the entry for 23rd October, 1594.

This performance of A Knack to Know an Honest Man marks its first appearance since April. But it's also its last recorded performance. The play premiered two years ago, in October 1594, and for a time it was unusually popular until, like all plays at the Rose, its box office eventually dwindled. 

The company has had a strange relationship with The Knack of late, often ignoring it for months before returning to it for isolated one-off performances (in a similar manner to The French Doctor, which we noted a few days ago). As with most of these performances, the unimpressive box office shows no particular excitement from the audience, and it seems that after today, the company will finally abandon this venerable comedy. Farewell!

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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2 November, 1596 - Chinon of England

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 2 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at chinone of Jngland ... xvij^s

In modern English: 2^nd November, 1596 ... Received at Chinon of England ... 17 shillings

 

The Knights of the Round
Table, from the Compilation
arthurienne de Micheau
Gonnot (1470)

Today, the Admiral's Men revived Chinon of England, their lost Arthurian drama about a fool who becomes a knight. You can read more about this play in the entry for 3 January. 

The company has quickly returned to Chinon only a week after its very successful opening of the company's new season.But today's performance has drawn a much smaller crowd, with the Rose only half full.

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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1 November, 1596 - Long Meg of Westminster

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 1 of novmbȝ 1596 ... R at longe meage ... al holanday ... xxxxvij

In modern English: 1^st November, 1596 ... Received at Long Meg ... All Hallow's Day ... 47 shillings

Long Meg, from
a 1750 edition
of the jest-book

Today is All Saints Day, also known as All Hallow's Day, a public holiday. On this special day, the Admiral's Men have returned to Long Meg of Westminster, their play about the Amazonian warrior woman of London legend. You can read more about this play in the entry for 14 February, 1596.

Long Meg has not been seen at the Rose since last year, when its box office had declined to a truly miserable level. But the company has decided to bring it back for this new season, and thanks to the public holiday, a large crowd has arrived to see it. We'll see if it continues to do better than it had. 

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!