8 February, 1597 - A Woman Hard to Please

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

Henslowe writes: Shrove tewesday | 8 | tt at womon hard to please ... | 01 | 09 

In modern English: Shrove Tuesday ... 8^th [February, 1597] ... total at Woman Hard to Please ... £1 and 9 shillings [i.e. 29 shillings]

A woman looks deeply unimpressed by her
rescuer in Paolo Uccello's St George and
the Dragon (c.1470)

Today was Shrove Tuesday, a time for gluttony and merry-making before Lent! On this special day, the the Admiral's Men have revived their enigmatic lost play, A Woman Hard to Please. You can read more  this play in the entry for 27 January.

Shrove Tuesday does not always have an impact on box office and today is just an average result for this particular play. But that's OK, because the company is performing one of their success stories, A Woman Hard to Please. This is the fifth time they have staged this play in only eleven days, an almost unheard-of level of confidence. And the results are strong: the play continues to attract audiences filling half the theatre, which is again rare during the current season. 

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!

24 February, 1596 - Pythagoras

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 23 of febreary 1595 ... shrof twesday ... R at pethagores ... xxxiiij^s 

In modern English: [23^rd] February, [1596] ... Shrove Tuesday ... Received at Pythagoras ... 34 shillings

Pythagoras as portrayed in Raphael's
The School of Athens (1509-11)

Today is Shrove Tuesday, a holiday and a time for gluttony and merry-making before Lent! On this special day, the Admiral's Men have revived Pythagoras, their lost play about the Greek philosopher. You can read more about this play in the entry for 16 January

The festive occasion has not had any obvious effect on the box office for Pythagoras, which remains almost identical to last week's.

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 March, 1595 - 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 4 of marche 1594 ... R at longe mege on sraftustusday ... iij^ll

In modern English: 4^th March, 1595 ... Received at Long Meg on Shrove Tuesday ... 
£3

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

Today is Shrove Tuesday, a holiday and a time for gluttony and merry-making before Lent! On this special day, 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.

Long Meg has been declining in popularity shortly after its premiere, but the company has rushed her back to the stage after only three days in order to capture the festive crowds swarming to the theatre.

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!