Event Comment: A New Grand Serious Opera (1st time in this Country [1st performed at Parma, 1782]); the Music by Sarti [with additions by Federici]. With entirely new Scenes, Machinery and Decorations, designed by Marinari, and executed under his direction; and new Dresses, invented by Sestini. "The Opera...is founded upon the story of Dryden's Alexander's Feast, of which, indeed, it is merely a literal, and, of course, an elegant and tasteful translation into Italian by Count Gaston di Brizzonie [recte Rezzonico]

Event Comment: See Calendar of the Middle Temple Records, ed. Hopwood, p. 169, for a fee of #20 paid to Sir William Davenant's@company, the receipt being signed by Richard Baddeley; and for #1 5s. for baize to cover the stage and scenes. The play may well have been Love and Honour

Event Comment: A play, unidentified, was given by the Duke's Company at this time. The customary fee of #20 was paid. See A Calendar of the Inner Temple Records, ed. Inderwick, III, II

Event Comment: This play, possibly an adaptation from Corneille, was apparently not printed. It bears, however, some resemblances to Walter Hawkesworth's Latin comedy, Labyrinthus (which was first acted at Trinity College, Cambridge, in March 1602@3); and this Restoration play may be a variation on Hawkesworth's. Pepys, Diary: To the King's Playhouse...my wife and I and Madamoiselle. I paid for her going in, and there saw The Labyrinth, the poorest play, methinks, that ever I saw, there being nothing in it but the odd accidents that fell out, by a lady's being bred up in men's apparel, and a man in a woman's

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: And myself to the King's playhouse, which troubles me since, and hath cost me a forfeit of 10s., which I have paid, and there did see a good part of The English Monsieur, which is a mighty pretty play, very witty and pleasant. And the women do very well; but, above all, little Nelly, tha I am mightily pleased with the play, and much with the House, more than ever I expected, the women doing better than ever I expected, and very fine women

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: By and by with Lord Bruncker by coach to his house, there to hear some Italian musique: and here we met Tom Killigrew, Sir Robert Murray, and the Italian Signor Baptista, who hath composed a play in Italian for the Opera, which T. Killigrew do intend to have up; and here he did sing one one of the acts. He himself is the poet as well as the musician.... This done, T. Killigrew and I to talk: and he tells me how the audience at his house [Bridges St.] is not above half so much as it used to be before the late fire. That Knipp is like to make the best actor that ever come upon the stage, she understanding so well: that they are going to give her #30 a-year more. That the stage is now by his pains a thousand times better and more glorious than ever heretofore. Now, wax candles, and many of them; then, not above 3 l6s. of tallow: now, all things civil, no rudeness anywhere; then, as in a bear-garden: then, two to three fiddlers; now, nine or ten of the best: then, nothing but rushes upon the ground, and every thing else mean; and now, all otherwise: then, the Queen seldom and the King never would come; now, not the King only for state, but all civil people do think they may come as well as any....That he hath gathered our Italians from several Courts in Christendome, to come to make a concert for the King, which he do give #200 a-year a-piece to: but badly paid, and do come in room of keeping four ridiculous gundilows, he having got the King to put them away, and lay out money this way; and indeed I do commend him for it, for I think it is a very noble undertaking. He do intend to have some times of the year these operas to be performed at the two present theatres, since he is defeated in what he intended in Moorefields on purpose for it; and he tells me plainly that the City audience was as good as the Court, but now they are most gone

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The Diary of Robert Hooke (p. 108): To Hoskins with Sir Ch. Wren. By water with him to the Playhouse. Saw Tempest. Paid 3sh

Event Comment: John Perin paid #1 10s. for a booth at the Fair in 1680. See Rosenfeld, Theatre of the London Fairs, p. 6

Event Comment: Richard Shore paid #5 for space at Bartholomew Fair. See Rosenfeld, Theatre of the London Fairs, p. 6

Event Comment: This work is advertised in The Loyal Protestant 22, 27, and 29 Aug. 1682: at Mrs Saffry's, a Dutch Woman's booth, over against the Greyhound Inne in West Smithfield. [Her first announcement calls the company "By an Approved Company"; the other two notices refer to it as "the first New-market Company." See Rosenfeld, The Theatre of the London Fairs, p. 6.] John Coysh paid #6 for a booth at the Fair (Rosenfeld, The Theatre of the London Fairs, p. 6). See also Morley, Memoirs of Bartholomew Fair, p. 222, for notice of the Indian Water Worksv. In Wit and Drollery (1682), p. 304, are verses on the Fair: @Here's the Whore of Babylon the Devil and the Pope,@The Girl is just agoing on the Rope@Here's Dives and Lazarus and the World's Creation,@Here's the Tall Dutch Woman the like's not in the Nation,@Here is the Booth where the High-Dutch Made is@Hear are the Bears that dance like any Ladies,@Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat says the little penny Trumpet@Here's Jacob Hall, that does so jump it, jump it.@Sound Trumpet Sound, for Silver Spoon and Fork,@Come here's your dainty Pit and Pork.@ [See also August 1680.

Event Comment: On this date a payment was made to the foreign performers who had come in the spring: To Francis Duperier, for the charge and expences of ye French players attending his Majestie at Windsor and Winchester, and returning to London (Moneys Received and Paid for Secret Services, ed. J. Y. Akerman, Camden Society, LII [1851], 93)

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The fee of #20 was paid to John Miles, an officer of Betterton's Company. See Calendar of the Inner Temple Records, III, 342

Event Comment: By Command. Admission as 23 Oct. 1714. At 6 p.m. Daily Courant 11 May: Whatever Persons paid for Box-Tickets for the Opera of Hydaspes, which was perform'd on Saturday the 7th Instant, by reason of several Persons of Quality (who could not be denyed) coming in without Tickets; those who had taken them, and could not find Room, may send their Tickets to the Theatre-Office...and their Money will be repaid

Event Comment: Benefit the French Comedians. [#40 paid to Bullock presumably the house charges]. By His Majesty's Command. Tickets given out for Pasquin and Marforio taken at this play. [His Majesty Present.] Original Weekly Journal, 29 Nov.: And we hear, his Majesty gave a 100 Guineas

Event Comment: Benefit the French Comedians [Bullock paid #40]. Written by Mons le Noble

Event Comment: TThe King paid #1,000 to the Opera in the Haymarket. See Deutsch, Handel, p. 317

Event Comment: At Cibber-Griffin-Bullock-Hallam Booth by Hosier-Lane. Whereas it has been reported that [the Proprietors] intend to raise the Prices of their Seats...they intend to take only the Common Prices usually paid in the Fair, viz. Boxes Half a Crown. Pit Eighteen pence. First Gallery One Shilling. Upper Gallery Six pence

Event Comment: A New Opera.[Text by Paul Rolli; music by Nicholas Porpora.] The Characters are all new dress'd. N.B. The Tickets of such Subscribers who have not yet paid the last Call will not be admitted. 6:30 P.M

Event Comment: The Prince of Wales paid #250 to Handel's Opera Company. See BM, Add MSS 24, 403

Event Comment: Benefit the Author of Sir Roger DeCoverley [Joseph Dorman]. Receipts: money #38 8s. 6d.; tickets #120 3s. (Account Book); #170 (Rylands MS.). [On 19 Nov. Dorman paid the Treasurer #15.