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!

7 November, 1595 - Barnardo and Philametta

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  1595 ... R at barnardo ... xvij^s 

In modern English: [7^th] November, 1595  ... Received at Barnardo ... 17 shillings

Portrait of a couple by an unknown French artist, c.1610

Today, the Admiral's Men revived Barnardo and Philametta, a lost play on an unknown subject; you can read more about it in the entry for 30 October.

The company has returned to Barnardo and Philametta a week after its premiere, but the box office is disastrous. The company is not having any luck with its new plays this season. I don't know who's writing this stuff but they may need to be fired.

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, 1595 - Crack Me This Nut

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 1595 ... R at cracke me this nvtt ... xxiiij shillings


In modern English: [6^th] November, 1595 ... Received at Crack Me This Nut ... 24 shillings

Dessert Still Life by Georg Flegel (1566-1638)

Today, the Admiral's Men returned to Crack Me This Nut. We know nothing about the content of this lost play, but you can read more about it in the entry for 5th September.

After performing Crack Me This Nut twice in one week, the company has waited a week and a half before performing it again. The box office remains somewhat low, but remains at a consistent level, and is not showing the decline that most plays suffer.

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, 1595 - The Wonder of a Woman

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 1595 ... R at the wonder of a womon ... xxvij^s 

In modern English: [5^th] November, 1595 ... Received at The Wonder of a Woman ... 27 shillings.

Artemesia Gentileschi, Allegory of
Fame (early 1630s)

Today, the Admiral's Men revived The Wonder of a Woman. You can read more about this lost play in the entry for 16 October.

This is the third performance of The Wonder of a Woman, and although its box office is a little better than last week, it still shows a lack of enthusiasm for this new 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?

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

4 November, 1595 - The New World's Tragedy

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 3 of novembȝ 1595 ... R at the new worldes tragedy ... xxix^s 

In modern English: [4^th] November, 1595 ... Received at The New World's Tragedy ... 29 shillings

Walter Raleigh attacking Trinidad, by
Theodore de Bry (1595)

Today, the Admiral's Men revived a lost play that Henslowe has previously calls The World's Tragedy, but now has begun to call The New World's Tragedy; it may have been about a calamitous event in the Americas. You can read more about this play in the entry for 17 September.

The company has waited a week and a half to revive The New World's Tragedy. Its box office shows a gentle decline but is still solid.

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 November, 1595 - The Second Part of Hercules

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 1595 ... R at 2 pt of hercolas ... xxviij^s 

In modern English: [3^rd] November, 1595 ... Received at Second Part of Hercules ... 28 shillings

The Embarkation of the Argonauts by Lorenzo
Costa (16th century). Hercules is on the prow
of the Argo.

Today, the players revived the second part of their lost Hercules play. Part Two continued the story of the Greek mythological strongman and may have included Hercules' participation in the quest for the Golden Fleece. You can read more about it in the entry for 23rd May.

The players have tried something different with The Second Part of Hercules: instead of performing it immediately after Part One, they have waited a week. The result has been slightly better 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!

1 November, 1595 - The Disguises

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

Henslowe writes: y^e 30 of octobȝ 1595 ... R at the desgysses ... xxix^s 

In modern English: [1^st November], 1595 ... Received at The Disguises ... 29 shillings

Lorenzo Lippi, Woman with a Mask
(The Allegory of Deception), 1650

Today, the company revived The Disguises, a lost play about... disguises. You can read more about it in the entry for 2 October.

Today was All Saints Day, a public holiday, and that might explain the somewhat larger than expected audience at The Disguises, which has managed to half-fill the Rose against all expectations.

What's next?

There will be no blog entry tomorrow because 2 November was a Sunday in 1595 and the players did not perform. Henslowe's Diary ... as a Blog! will thus return on the 3rd - 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!