27 July, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 27 | tt at v playes in one | 00 | 14

In modern English: 27^th [July, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One .. 14 shillings

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Welcome back! The Rose has been closed for a week, perhaps owing to the departure of actor Martin Slater, but performances have now restarted. 

For the re-opening, the Admiral's Men have revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. This is the last appearance of Five Plays in One in the Diary.

Things may seem to be back to normal, but in fact the players are about to experience a nasty shock - tune in tomorrow to find out why! 

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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28 June, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 28 | tt at v playes in one | 01 | 00

In modern English: 28^th [June, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... £1 [i.e. 20 shillings]

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today is St Peter's Eve, a day on which the Midsummer's Eve bonfires and festivities were traditionally repeated. On this day, the Admiral's Men have revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

The company has again waited two and a half weeks to return the five plays to the stage. Perhaps owing to the festive summer atmosphere, the box office is somewhat improved.

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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10 June, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 10 | tt at v playes in one | 00 | 11

In modern English: 10^th [June, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... 11 shillings

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

After following a rule of performing Five Plays in One every ten days or so, the company has now waited two and a half weeks. But the box office has plummeted again.  

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!

23 May, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 23 | tt at v playes in one | 01 | 00

In modern English: 23^rd [May, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... £1 [i.e. 20 shillings]

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

The company seems to be following a rule of performing Five Plays in One every ten days or so. The box office has this time risen from awful to adequate; the play's fortunes seem hard to predict. 

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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14 May, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 14 | tt at v playes in one | 00 | 07

In modern English: 14^th [May, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... 7 shillings

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

The company has again waited a week and a half to return the five plays to the Rose. But now the box office has plummeted even further into truly awful territory.

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 15 May was a Sunday in 1597 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 16th for a week that will include some festive fun!

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 May, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 6 | tt at v playes in one | 00 | 16

In modern English: 6^th [May, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... 16 shillings

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

The company has waited a week and a half to return the five playlets to the Rose. But the box office has now plummeted to half what it was. Value for money is clearly not much of an enticement.

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!

25 April, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 25 | tt at v playes in one | 01 | 13

In modern English: 25^th [April, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... £1 and 13 shillings [i.e. 33 shillings]

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

The company has returned these plays to the stage after only five days and the result is surprisingly strong - there may be life in the five plays yet.

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!

20 April, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 20 | tt at v playes in one | 00 | 19

In modern English: 20^th [April, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... 19 shillings

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

This is the third outing for Five Plays in One just a few days after the last one and its box office is already poor. No chance of a sleeper hit here, it would seem.

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!

15 April, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 15 | tt at v playes in one | 01 | 08

In modern English: 15^th [April, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... £1 and 8 shilling [i.e. 28 shillings]

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men revived their lost piece Five Plays in One, which was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by a narrative device; you can read more about it in the entry for 7 April. 

This is the second outing for Five Plays in One and it has not improved on its disappointing premiere. Word of mouth does not seem to be helping its prospects greatly. 

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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7 April, 1597 - Five Plays in One

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

Henslowe writes: 7 | ne | tt at v playes in one | 02 | 01

In modern English: 7^th [April, 1597] ... total at Five Plays in One ... £2 and 1 shilling [i.e. 41 shillings].

The number 5 in a
column of figures
in Henslowe's Diary

Today, the Admiral's Men performed a new play! Unfortunately, it is yet another lost play, and its title tells us very little indeed, except that it was probably a collection of one-act plays, perhaps linked by some kind of narrative device. 

We have already encountered a lost play of this kind at the Rose, back in 1592, entitled Four Plays in One. And one theory about the lost Seven Days of the Week, is that it too was an anthology show.  We know of other lost plays of this kind, too. Thomas Middleton's one-act Yorkshire Tragedy (1607) was once part of an otherwise lost Four Plays in One. The only text of this form to survive in full is Four Plays, or Moral Representations, in One, written around 1614 by John Fletcher and his collaborators. 

Rosyln L. Knutson's entry on Five Plays in One for the Lost Plays Database describes how early theatre historians were over-imaginative in assuming that the playlets were on Classical subjects. In truth, we know nothing at all about their subject matter. All we know is their number. 

In terms of box office, Five Plays in One has not had an auspicious debut: the audience is small for a premiere, and it will need good word of mouth to be a success. 

FURTHER READING

Five Plays in One information

• Rosyln L. Knutson, "Five Plays in One (Admiral's Men)", Lost Plays Database (2019), accessed April 2021. 
• Martin Wiggins, British Drama, 1533-1642: A Catalogue, vol. 3 (Oxford University Press, 2021), entry 1063.

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!