John Manningham at the Blackfriars Theatre

Although it covers a mere 16 months, from January 1602 to April 1603, the Diary of John Manningham, written when he was a 25-year-old law student at the Middle Temple, is a rich and entertaining source of information about life in Elizabethan London, especially at the Inns of Court where he resided. Along with lengthy discussions of the sermons heard each Sunday (usually one in the morning followed by another in the afternoon), people have jokes, gossip, poems, a fascinating account of Queen Elizabeth's last days, and many witticisms he heard and enjoyed, sometimes mentioning the source, but very often not doing so. Of greatest interest to students of the Elizabethan theater is the entry made in February, 1602, wherein he records his attendance at the Middle Temple's Candlemas Feast, when he saw a play called "Twelve night, or what you will." Here, Edelman examines Manningham's experiences at the Blackfriars theater.