Reputation and the Red Bull Theatre, 1625-1642

The Red Bull theatre in Clerkenwell has long held a poor reputation among scholars. Most serious critical attention has focused on the early years of the theatre, from its construction in 1604 to the subsequent repertories of Queen Anne's Men and Prince Charles's Men, who performed there during the Jacobean period. This essay surveys extant evidence about the Red Bull from the accession of Charles I in 1625 until the closure of the theatres in 1642, and challenges received critical narratives about the poor reputation of the Red Bull in this period. It concludes with a discussion about how such scholarly views become entrenched and the risk involved in making critical assumptions about reputation based on meagre historical and literary evidence.