page_title: The Shoemaker's Holiday
section_title: Performance history
hierarchical_section_title: The Shoemaker's Holiday / Performance history
caption_attribution_description: English: Promotional photograph of the Mercury Theatre production of The Shoemaker's Holiday, adapted by Orson Welles from the play by Thomas Dekker; directed by Orson Welles. Production opened January 1, 1938, and ran through April 28, 1938. Subjects of the photograph are Marian Warring-Manley as Margery, Whitford Kane as Simon Eyre, and George Coulouris as the King.
context_page_description: The Shoemaker's Holiday or the Gentle Craft is an Elizabethan play written by Thomas Dekker. The play was first performed in 1599 by the Admiral's Men, and it falls into the subgenre of city comedy. The story features three subplots: an inter-class romance between a citizen of London and an aristocrat, the ascension of shoemaker Simon Eyre to Lord Mayor of London, and a romance between a gentleman and a shoemaker's wife, whose husband appears to have died in the wars with France.
  The play is a "citizen" drama, or a depiction of the life of members of London's livery companies, and it follows in Dekker's style of depicting everyday life in London. The events of the play occur during the reign of King Henry VI, though also hinting at the reign of Henry V. Henry V succeeded his father, Henry IV, as leader of England following Henry IV's death in 1413 at the age of 26. He is best known for securing the French crown and for his depiction in Shakespeare's plays Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V.
context_section_description: Scholars believe the Admiral's Men first performed The Shoemaker's Holiday in 1599 at the Rose Theatre and then later in 1600. During Dekker's lifetime, the only surviving performance record of The Shoemaker's Holiday is in 1600 on New Year's Day as part of Queen Elizabeth I's annual Christmas celebrations and entertainment.
  In April 1898, a Harvard University fraternity performed an abridged version with attention to costuming, music, and dance.
  In November 1912, at Brinkerhoff Theatre, the Philolexian Society of Columbia University presented a well-received parodic interpretation with an all male-cast performing men's and women's roles.
  
  In January 1938, Orson Welles brought significant attention to The Shoemaker's Holiday with his abridged version in the Mercury Theatre in New York. Some critics gave the production highly favorable reviews while others criticized the extreme humor. Welles' production of The Shoemaker's Holiday was offered "in repertory" with his previous show, Julius Caesar.
  In 1967, Director Douglass Campbell of Guthrie Theater Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota presented an adaptation with an instrumental score composed by Dominick Argento. Campbell inserted an extra scene of Ralph singing "How Does My Jane?"
  In 1970, the play was translated by Dan Almagor into Hebrew and directed by David William to celebrate the rebuilding of the Habima Theatre.
  The Shoemaker's Holiday has also been a part of Shakespearean festivals celebrating Elizabethan theatre.
  In February 2005, Peter Dobbins as artistic director of Storm Theatre presented a performance in contrast to Welles' comedic abridgment. The Wall Street Journal favorably reviewed the production for both its comedic and somber moments.
  In 2015, the Royal Shakespeare Company produced The Shoemaker's Holiday at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon to highly acclaimed reviews. Critics praised director Phillip Breen for reinterpreting scenes and evoking contemporary issues of war trauma and oppression.
  In 2016, the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory produced the play with modern music such as "Blue Suede Shoes" by Elvis Presley. Reviewers described the show as a light-hearted, comedic interpretation with exceptional costuming.
caption: Marian Warring-Manley as Margery, Whitford Kane as Simon Eyre, and George Coulouris as the King in the Mercury Theatre production of The Shoemaker's Holiday (1938)
exif: {}