Florentine Friend, The
Historical Records
The Burn transcript of Herbert's Office-Book
- Broome, Florentine Frend, allowed 1638 Queen's Company.
- Love Sick Courtier, alld for Salisbury Court, 1638
(Cited from Bawcutt, Control and Censorship, 202)
Marriott's list
Marriott's list (1653) is transcribed and discussed here. The third item on it is:
- The fflorentine freind
Theatrical Provenance
Queen Henrietta's Men
Probable Genre(s)
Unknown
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
None known
References to the Play
See below
Critical Commentary
Until the rediscovery of the Burn transcript in 1996, what was known of this play was too slight to admit of much commentary. Bentley suggested, only to reject, the possibility that the play might be linked to the lost play The Florentine Ladies referred to by Thomas Jordan. Bawcutt, publishing the record for the first time, observes that the Burn transcript clearly attributes the play to Richard Brome. This identification is strengthened by the fact that the next play listed in the transcript seems to be another Brome play (an error for The Love-Sick Court), and it is corroborated by the company details given in each case. In 1638, Brome was a retained professional dramatist for Queen Henrietta's Men, who were performing at Salisbury Court. Steggle (136-7) puts the play in the context of the other plays written for them in this period. He also observes that Jordan and Brome were colleagues in the company at this date, which might marginally strengthen the feeble case for an identification between The Florentine Friend and The Florentine Ladies.
For What It's Worth
Are there many other Renaissance plays set in Florence? Massinger's The Great Duke of Florence is the only one that comes to mind offhand.
Works Cited
Steggle, Matthew. Richard Brome: Place and Politics on the Caroline Stage. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2004.
Site created and maintained by Matthew Steggle, Sheffield Hallam University; updated 13 December 2009.