19 February, 1596 - 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 18 of febreary 1595 ... R at  olempeo ... x^s 

In modern English: 19^th February, 1595 ... Received at Olympio ... 10 shillings

Portrait of Two Friends by Pontormo (1524)

Today, the Admiral's Men performed their play Olympio and Eugenio, which may or may not have been the same play as Seleo and Olympo (you can learn more about them in the entry for 4 September).

Sometimes the Admiral's Men behave very oddly. This is the first time Olympio and Eugenio has been performed since late November, and that performance had been the first in six weeks. The November performance had resulted in one of the worst box office figures ever recorded at the Rose. Yet here is Olympio and Eugenio again, and its box office is still dismal. Why does the company keep reviving this play so determinedly yet so infrequently?

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!

22 November, 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 22 of novmbȝ 1595 ... R at  olempo ... iiij^s vj^d

In modern English: 22^nd November, 1595 ... Received at Olympio ... 4 shillings and sixpence

Portrait of Two Friends by Pontormo (1524)

Today, the Admiral's Men performed their play Olympio and Eugenio, which may or may not have been the same play as Seleo and Olympo (you can learn more about them in the entry for 4 September).

The Admiral's Men have ignored this play for six weeks. Finally, they have returned it to the stage, but it has returned one of the worst box office figures ever recorded at the Rose. Surely it must be time to give up on this play?!

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 23 November was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 24th for a week that will include two new plays. 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!

3 October, 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 3 of octobȝ 1595 ... R at  olempeo ... xv^s 

In modern English: 3^rd October, 1595 ... Received at Olympio ... 15 shillings

Portrait of Two Friends by Pontormo (1524)

Today, the Admiral's Men performed their play Olympio and Eugenio, which may or may not have been the same play as Seleo and Olympo (you can learn more about them in the entry for 4 September).

Whatever its identity, this play has not been revived for a month, and today's terrible box office suggests that it wasn't worth the effort.

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 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?

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