18 July, 1597 - The Wise Man of West Chester and a departure

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

Henslowe writes:  

marten slather went for the company of my lord admeralles men the 18 July 1597 

18 | tt at wisman  | 01 | 10 

In modern English:

Martin Slater went for the company of my Lord Admiral's Men, 18 July, 1597 

18^th [July, 1597] ... total at Wise Man ... £1 and 10 shillings [i.e. 30 shillings]

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

Today was an unusual day at the Rose, as we must say goodbye both to a play and to an actor.

On this day, the players performed 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. But this is its final appearance in Henslowe's Diary after an extraordinary journey. With 32 performances in two and a half years, it is now the second most performed play in the Diary, beaten only by The Jew of Malta. The Wise Man of West Chester will probably return (the Diary will come to an end later this year, but the Rose performances will not), but for us, this is farewell to a lost icon of the stage. 

Curiously, Henslowe also notes that an actor has departed: Martin Slater "went for" the company, meaning that he left. We don't know much about Slater's role in the company up to this point, but he had belonged to it since at least 1594, and is mentioned in the surviving 'plot' of Frederick and Basilea. 

Slater appears to have taken with him some of the company's playbooks (that is, texts marked up for performance), because next year Henslowe will make notes in the Diary about trying to get them back. These playbooks include some retired plays - parts one and two of Hercules, Phocas, and Pythagoras - but also Alexander and Lodowick, which was on a stage only a few days ago.

It seems that Slater's departure absence is an unexpected problem, as there will soon be a hiatus in the company's output. Watch this space!

FURTHER READING

Martin Slater information

• Carol Chillington Rutter, Documents of the Rose Playhouse (Manchester University Press, 1984), 89, 106, 111, 141-3.
• Andrew Gurr, Shakespeare's Opposites (Cambridge University Press, 2009), 286

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 July, 1597 - 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: July 1597 | 12 | tt at wismane of weschester | 00 | 18 

In modern English: 12^th July, 1597 ... total at Wise Man of West Chester ... 18 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 company seems to be experimenting with returning The Wise Man of West Chester to the Rose after its lengthy absence,  but the box office is already low on the second performance of this revival.

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!

8 July, 1597 - 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: 8 | tt at wismane of weschester | 01 | 00 

In modern English: 8^th [July, 1597] ... total at Wise Man of West Chester ... £1 [i.e. 20 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.

This is a surprise! We have not seen The Wise Man of West Chester for a year. Once upon a time, it was one of the most popular plays ever staged at the Rose, and the company seems to be trying to bring the magic back. But today it has attracted only a small audience; despite the rest, it seems to have lost is mojo.

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!

7 July, 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 7 of July 1596 ... R at wisman of weschester ... xvj^s 

In modern English: 7^th July, 1596 ... Received at Wise Man of West Chester ... 16 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 company seems to be continuing to perform the once-popular Wise Man of West Chester only once a month. As with a lot of recent performances at the Rose, the box office is disappointing; perhaps we are going through a period of bad weather.

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!

8 June, 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 8 of June 1596 ... R at wisman of weschester ... xx^s 

In modern English: 8^th June, 1596 ... Received at Wise Man of West Chester ... 20 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.

This is the first time the once-popular Wise Man of West Chester has been revived for over a month. But, as with a lot of recent performance, its box office is higher than last time - another sign that business in general is improving in summer.

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!

30 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 30 of ap^rell 1596 ... R at wisman ... x^s 

In modern English: 30^th April, 1596 ... Received at Wise Man ... 10 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 had done quite well upon its return to the stage ten days ago, but today's audience is very small indeed; despite the blip, it seems this once-popular play will not be returning to its glory days.

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!

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!

4 February, 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 4 of febreary 1595 ... R at wissman of weschester ... xij^s 

In modern English: 4^th February, [1596] ... Received at Wise Man of West Chester ... 12 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 company has waited a fortnight to revive the once-popular Wise Man of West Chester, and its box office is now very poor indeed.

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!

17 January, 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: R at wissman of weschester ... xviij^s 

In modern English: Received at Wise Man of West  Chester ... 18 shillings

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

The date is missing from today's entry, but a process of deduction tells us that 17th January must be correct. On this day, the Admiral's Men staged 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 company has waited two and a half weeks to revive the once-popular Wise Man of West Chester, and it continues to receive unimpressive audiences today.

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 18th January 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 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?

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

31 December, 1595 - 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 30 of desembȝ 1595 ... R at the wisman of weschester ... xxij^s 

In modern English: [31^st] December, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man of West  Chester ... 22 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men staged 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 Christmastide enthusiasm for theatre seems to be over now, as The Wise Man of West Chester receives an unimpressive 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?

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

8 November, 1595 - 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: m^r p^d ... R at weschester ... xx^s 

In modern English: Master paid ... Received at West Chester ... 20 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men staged 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.

Today's entry lacks a date. It is also the first of several entries to include an abbreviation of "Master paid". As Laurie Johnson explains in his book Shakespeare's Lost Playhouse, this probably refers to a license for operating the Rose that Henslowe had to pay every so often to a court official, the Master of the Revels.

Despite the missing date, it is clear that 9th November was the day on which the company decided to revive The Wise Man of West Chester after three weeks. It has returned slightly better box office than it did last time.

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 9 November was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 11th for a week in which we will meet a new play and say goodbye to two old ones. See you then!

Further reading on "m^r p^d"

• Laurie Johnson, Shakespeare's Lost Playhouse: Eleven Days at Newington Butts (Routledge, 2017), 179.

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 October, 1595 - 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 19 of octobȝ 1595 ... R at the wisman ... xvij^s 

In modern English: [20^th] October, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man ... 17 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men staged 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 company has waited a fortnight to revive The Wise Man of West Chester and it has returned exactly the same - very low - box office that it did last time.

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!

7 October, 1595 - 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 6 of octobȝ 1595 ... R at the wisman ... xvij^s 

In modern English: [7^th] October, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man ... 17 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men staged 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 now limping along, a once-loved play that is struggling to find an audience. But the Admiral's Men don't seem to mind; they have waited only a week before reviving 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?

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

30 September, 1595 - 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 29 of septmbȝ 1595 ... R at the wiseman ... xv^s 

In modern English: [30^th] September, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man ... 15 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men staged 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.

Oh dear. After being one of the Rose's great successes, drawing extremely impressive audiences day after day, The Wise Man of West Chester has finally had a very bad day, with only a scattering of people in the theatre. Could this finally be the end?

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!

8 September, 1595 - 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 9 of septmbȝ 1595 ... R at the wise man ... xxxxiiij^s 

In modern English: [8^th] September, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man ... 44 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men staged 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 the play that can't be kept down. Even now, long after its premiere and following numerous performances, it is still drawing an above-average 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!

26 August, 1595 - 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 26 of aguste 1595 ... R at the wisman of wescheaster ... xxxix^s 

In modern English: 26^th August, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man of West Chester ... 39 shillings

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

Today, on the day after their return to the Rose playhouse, the Admiral's Men staged 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.

After the extremely disappointing box office for yesterday's season opener, the company has today opted to stage one of its big hitters. The Wise Man of West Chester has been one of the greatest hits of 1595, bringing in astonishingly large audiences time after time. But it declined in popularity toward the end of the last season, and today's performance is another disappointment; while much better than yesterday, the theatre is still just over half full, and the company may be wondering what they need to do to excite the theatregoers of London.

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 June, 1595 - 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 11 of June 1595 ... R at wissman of weschester ... xxxxvij^s 

In modern English: 11^th June, 1595 ... Received at Wise Man of West Chester ... 47 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to 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 has been declining in popularity over the last few weeks, but it has received a boost today due to the ongoing Whitsuntide holidays. A healthy crowd has shown up to the wizard one 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!

4 June, 1595 - 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 4 of June 1595 ... R at the wisman of weschester ... xxij^s 

In modern English: 4^th June, 1595 ... Received at Wise Man of West Chester ... 22 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to 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 has dominated the Rose for a long time, but we are now seeing its box office shrinking to below average numbers. The audience must be finally tiring of the Wise Man, but it will be interesting to see how long it stays in the repertory after this.

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!

26 May, 1595 - 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 26 of maye 1595 ... R at weschester ... xxxj^s 

In modern English: 26^th May, 1595 ... Received at West Chester ... 31 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to 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 has, for several months, been the most popular play recorded in Henslowe's Diary so far. Today, however, we see its box office shrunken to the level of the merely average. It has been a long time coming, but perhaps the audience is finally beginning to weary of the Chester wizard.

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 May, 1595 - 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 15 of maye 1595 ... R at the wisse man of weschester ... xxxvij^s 

In modern English: 15^th May, 1595 ... Received at The Wise Man of West Chester ... 37 shillings

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

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to 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 continues to be an incredibly reliable hit. Today's revival is only a few shillings above the average for the Rose, but it's still doing way better than most plays at this time of year.

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!