Event Comment: The Ninth Day. For the Author. Charges #71 17s., plus a super charge for the addition of a farce, omitted by mistake when the account was given in, #21; Total #92 17s. Balance to Mr Toms #38 10s. 6d. (Account Book). [This balance was paid Mr Toms on 3 Feb.] Receipts: #131 7s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: By Desire. N.B. The Institution of the Garter will be laid aside after this night (playbill). Paid Mr Davies on note #5; Miss Hopkins 29 nights at 2s. 6d. per night, #3 12s. 6d.; Mr Thomas French 7 days #2 16s.; Master Brown 12 nights last season and 3 nights this season #5 12s. 6d.; (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #221 4s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: The Bills were up this day for Phaedra and Hippolitus & the Wedding Ring for the Benefit of Mrs Barry-about Nine o'clock this Morning Rec'd Note that Mrs Barry was so ill She could not play: therefore fresh Bills were put up (Hopkins Diary). [See 21 April.] Paid Mr Bannister as per order #10 10s.; Mr Turner, extra trumpet 6 nights (14th incl.) #2 5s. Receipts: #225 7s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A new farce by Doctor Heffinal [sic] for his benefit. O Sad! (Cross). Tickets at Forrest Coffee House, The Bedford, and Randall's, and author's lodgings at Mew's Coffee House. To the Printer of the Public Advertiser, 24 April: Sir, Let this suffice for a general answer to all unfriendly whispers or paragraphs against the new farce to be performed tonight at Drury Lane -its author never previously Caballed, never published his sentiments of any stage performance till after the run -then neither the writer nor manager could be injured -its principal characters are Lady Protea, a coquet alarmed at the apprehension of dying amid; Lord Epigram Strainwit, a pert coxcomical witling; Dr Matho, a Virtuoso, Antiquarian, and in love; Dreadnought Broadside, a sea-officer and strenuous Antigallican. I am &c. Receipts: #90 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Rainton, Hawksby, Peacop &c. Tickets (Cross) Tickets delivered for The Fair Quaker will be taken, and those deliver'd by Mrs Bradshaw, Miss Farquhar, and Miss Smith (Public Advertiser). Receipts: #90 (Cross)

Event Comment: [Prologue to the Perplexities and Epilogue publish'd in the Public Advertiser.] Saw the Comedy of the Perplexities. Beard spoke the Prologue....Mrs Mattocks spoke the Epilogue. We had a Dance and the new Masque of the Fairy Favour, which is perform'd by children only. The boy who does Puck played on the violin and danced a hornpipe, with great spirit. The scene which represents Kensington Gardens, the canal, &c. by moonlight is very pretty, the moon and stars are very natural (Neville MS Diary). Receipts: #192 5s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [For Henderson as King Richard see hay, 7 Aug. 1777.] Afterpiece: The Music composed by Dibdin. With New Scenes and Dresses. Books of the Songs, &c. to be had at the Theatre. [The text erroneously assigns: Gillian-$Mrs Wrighten; Floretta-$Miss Walpole, but see Public Advertiser, 8 Oct., which in a review, gives the correct assignment; see also 6 Oct. 1778.] Receipts: #260 7s. (241.14; 17.17; 0.16)

Event Comment: A new Comic Opera; the Music by Paisiello [and "other eminent Composers" (libretto)]; under the Direction of Giordani. With magnificent new Scenes, Dresses and Decorations, both for the Opera and Dances. Tickets will be delivered at the Office, Union Court, Haymarket, at Half a Guinea each. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. By Their Majesties' Command no Person can be admitted behind the Scenes. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin exactly at 7:00 [same throughout season]. The Coffee Room will be open with Tea, Coffee, Lemonade, Orgeat, Ice, Creams, &c. which will be furished by Weltje, of St. James's Street. To prevent Inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their Carriages, they are respectfully intreated to give positive Orders to their Servants to set down and take up with their Horses Heads towards Pall-mall. The Door in Market Lane for Chairs only. [Public Advertiser, 13 Feb. 1778, prints a letter outlining a scheme-never realized-of having occasional plays at king's on non-opera nights acted by performers from both dl and cg, and by "the young Nobility of both Sexes."

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bulkley. Mainpiece: With the Triumphal Entry of Alexander into Babylon. [This was included in both subsequent performances.] Afterpiece [1st time; C 1, author unknown. Not in Larpent MS; not published; synopsis of plot in London Chronicle, 23 Apr.]. Public Advertiser, 9 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bulkley, No. 10, New Ormond-street. Receipts: #195 13s. 6d. [166.16.6; tickets: 28.17.0) (charge: #73 7s.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Hannah Cowley. Larpent MS 548; not published. On 24 Mar. altered by the author as Second Thoughts are Best. Prologue by Richard Josceline Goodenough (Public Advertiser, 8 Mar.). Author of Epilogue unknown]: With New Scenes and Dresses. Receipts: #226 15s. 6d. (224.3.0; 2.12.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Charles Macklin, a re-writing of his The True-Born Scotsman, based partly on Nanine, by Voltaire, 1st acted at the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, 10 July 1764. Author of prologue unknown. Epilogue by Frederick Pilon (Public Advertiser, 28 May 1781). Text 1st published (unauthorized), Dublin, 1785]: The Characters new dressed. Receipts: #173 14s. 6d. (172.12.0; 1.2.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Richard Cumberland. Text (which assigns no parts) 1st published in his Posthumus Dramatic Works, I, 1813. Epilogue by the author (Public Advertiser, 24 Apr. 1782). Prologue probably by same; speakers unknown]: With new Scenery, Dresses and Decorations. Receipts: #171 14s. (166/6; 5/8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Baddeley. Mainpiece: Not acted these 30 years [not acted since 22 July 1718]. Afterpiece [1st time; C 2, ascribed to Jesse Foot. MS: Larpent 650; not published; synopsis of plot in Gazetteer, 20 Apr. Author of Prologue unknown]. Public Advertiser, 16 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Baddeley, No. 2, Little-Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #216 18s. (73/10; 35/11; 3/10; tickets: 104/7) (charge: #106 8s. 4d.)

Event Comment: Macbeth now needs "a less monotonous Macbeth--witches more terrific--gothic scenes--occasional darkness, &c." (Public Advertiser, 28 Feb.). Receipts: #230 13s. (208/9/0; 22/1/6; 0/2/6)

Event Comment: [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as Mrs Lovemore was at Bath, 31 Oct. 1778. Afterpiece in place of The Humourist, announced on playbill of 25 Nov.] "[Mrs Siddons's] retort courteous, mimicry of laugh, and listless indifference of Lovemore were truly excellent . . . [Miss Farren's] descriptions of Ranelagh Ladies meeting, &c. were highly seasoned, and had an excellent counterpart in Smith's appendix" (Public Advertiser, 28 Nov.). Receipts: #232 2s. 6d. (219/3/0; 12/17/0; 0/2/6)

Event Comment: "Miss Hilligsberg cannot be praised enough for her exertions and sucess in the execution of [the second] ballet, which has given her an opportunity of making herself perfect in her profession [this being her 1st season on the stage]...The scenery has no doubt by Noverre, and if it is not more magnificent it is not for want of genius on his part, but to spare the purse of the Managers...The Palace of Cupidv for the reception of Psiche in the first, and that of Venus in the last act, with the appearance of Jupiter, &c. in the skies, were very well executed, and beautifully arranged by the actors" (Public Advertiser, 7 Feb.). Receipts: #202 11s. (non-subscription]

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. [This was his last appearance on the stage; his 1st was c. 1716. In the middle of his first scene his memory failed him, and Ryder, who had been asked by the manager to be prepared for this eventuality, finished the part (Public Advertiser, 9 May; William W. Appleton, Charles Macklin, 1960, 225-27).

Event Comment: Benefit for Bannister Jun. 2nd piece [1st time; C 3, by Thomas Bellamy; on 24 Aug. and thereafter reduced to 2 acts. MS: Larpent MS 841; not published]. Public Advertiser, 4 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Bannister Jun., No. 2, Frith-street, Soho

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Catherine? Cuthbertson. Authors of Prologue and Epilogue unknown. Larpent MS 969; not published]: With new Dresses and Decorations. "The [new] piece possessing nothing like a plot, and being perfectly uninteresting, was much disapproved of...Palmer contributed to its bad reception by being absent when he was most wanted on the stage, and occasioning thereby an aukward chasm, which put the audience out of humour. He was otherwise highly reprehensible for his imperfections in his part" (Public Advertiser, 26 Feb.). Receipts: #375 16s. 6d. (342.13.6; 31.7.0; 1.16.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece by Desire. Benefit Cashell. [Receipts: #34 1s., plus #103 2s. from tickets. Charges #60.] Paid Marshall, Timber Merchant, a Bill for Goods deliver'd for Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre #23 4s. (Account Books, Egerton 2268). Benefit Lalauze, who is oblig'd to change the play advertised for his Benefit on account of the Indisposition of a principal performer. The Tickets deliver'd out for Don Sebastian will be taken for this play (General Advertiser)

Event Comment: Account-Book: Paid Orchestra #61 13s. a week; Peake #10 a week; Soldiers #5 5s. a week. Receipts: #151 4s. (81.13; 65.18; 3.13)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid Jos. Besford for Plumes for the Champion's Horse, &c. 10s.; Paid Mr Tomkyns & Co. a bill for wine at the practises last season #1 17s. 1d. (Account Book). Receipts: #164 19s. (Account Book)