Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Afterpiece: By Desire. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. [See 15 Feb. 1770.] Paid salary list #333 19s.; Mrs Abington's Cloaths acct #1; Mr S. French 6 days #1 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #250 6s. 6d. Charges: #69 16s. Profits to Miss Pope: #180 10s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Part of Pit laid into the Boxes. Paid Mr J. French on acct #5 5s.; Housekeeper's 2 bills #14 16s.; Properties #1 13s. 8d.; Chorus 2 nights (this incl.) #4 7s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #263 10s. Charges: #74 14s. Profit to Miss Pope: #188 16s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted in two years. [See 13 May 1772.] Benefit for Miss Pope. Last time of performing till Easter. Part of p1t laid into boxes. Last play till Holidays. Paid 4 days salary list #378 10s. 8d.; J. French on acct #5 5s.; Tallow chandler's 8th bill #27 11s. 4d. Receipts: #287 3s. Charges: #66 3s. 6d. Profits to Miss Pope: #220 19s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Public Advertiser, 8 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #280 19s. (114.8; 7.9; 0.16; tickets: 158.6) (charge: #74 14s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Afterpiece [1st time; F 2, by James Cobb, based on La Fausse Suivante; ou, Le Fourbe Puni, by Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux. Prologue by the author (Knapp, 117). Larpent MS 476; not published. In 1780 this was acted at the hay as The Female Captain]. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Public Advertiser, 15 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #202 10s. (54.14; 17.6; 1.12; tickets: 128.18) (charge: #65 17s. 2d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Pope. Tickets delivered for March 15 and 31 will be taken. Public Advertiser, 14 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Pope at Mrs Sledge's, Henrietta-street, Covent Garden. "In the prominent display of Iago's jealousy, a material question of the play--slightly handled by the poet, and almost untouched by every preceding player--in this, Henderson's claim to praise is quite unrivalled" {Public Advertiser, 25 Apr.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years [acted 31 Dec. 1783. Pope had acted Beverley in Edinburgh in the summer of 1786 (Morning Post, 26 Sept.). The playbill assigns Stukeley to Aickin, but he "having had the misfortune to lose his wife, Stukeley was played by Inchbald" (Morning Chronicle, 26 Sept.), from the York theatre, 1st appearance on this stage (see 4 Oct.)]. Afterpiece: Never acted there. Paid Properties the 22nd Instant 6s. 8d.; Wardrobe #6 2s. 6d.; Guard [master carpenter] for Scenemen #10 18s. 6d.; Supernumeraries #4 7s. 6d. Receipts: #194 16s. (193.0.6; 1.15.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pope. Public Advertiser, 23 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Pope at her house, Half-moon-street, Piccadilly. Receipts: #267 12s. (178.4.6; 3.13.6; tickets: 85.14.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pope. Public Advertiser, 22 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Pope at her house in Half Moon-street, Piccadilly. Receipts: #306 12s. (190.13.6; 10.0.6; tickets: 105.18.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Mainpiece: Not acted these 14 years [acted 1 June 1786]. Public Advertiser, 14 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, No. 62, Great Queen-street. Receipts: #264 19s. (91.6; 28.3; 4.2; tickets: 141.8) (charge: #121 4s. 10d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pope. Mainpiece: Not acted these 20 years [not acted since 12 Mar. 1771]. Afterpiece [1st time; F 2, by Andrew Franklin]. Morning Chronicle, 5 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Pope at her house, Half-Moon-street, Piccadilly. Receipts: #272 14s. (151.14; 5.3; tickets: 115.17) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. 1st piece: Not acted these 8 years [acted 8 Nov. 1788]. 3rd piece: To conclude as 3 Oct. 1791. Morning Herald, 24 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, No.62, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's Inn-fields. Receipts: #336 19s. (95.15.6; 35.7.0; 2.15.0; tickets: 203.1.6) (charge: #168 4s.)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Pope, but "Pope's part in The Mysteries of the Castle was read by Middleton, on Saturday evening last, on account of the indisposition of the former" (Morning Herald, 9 Mar.).] Receipts: #174 6s. (165.16; 8.10)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. [Mainpiece: Epilogue by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.]Afterpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Morning Chronicle, 17 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, No. 9, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. Receipts: #402 2s. (144.16.0; 76.3.6; 1.12.6; tickets: 179.10.0) (charge: #211 1s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Pope. Morning Chronicle, 13 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Pope at his house, Half-moon-street, Piccadilly. Receipts: #187 0s. 6d. (87.0.6; 7.12.0; tickets: 92.8.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. 2nd piece: Written by David Garrick, Esq. Morning Herald, 23 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, No. 63, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Receipts: #367 8s. 6d. (127.15.0; 62.1.0; 9.17.6; tickets: 167.8.0; odd money: 0.7.0) (charge: #210 16s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Afterpiece: With a Sea Fightv. True Briton, 28 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, No. 63, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. Receipts: #386 8s. 6d. (125.17.6; 76.1.6; 7.16.6; tickets: 176.13.0) (charge: #224 9s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. [Mrs Jordan's 1st appearance as Lady Bell was at this theatre, 21 Apr. 1789.] 3rd piece: To conclude with a Prospect of the Infernal Regions, and a Rain of Fire. Times, 4 May: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, No. 63, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-Inn-Fields. Receipts: #318 11s. 6d. (78.0.6; 84.18.0; 4.12.6; tickets: 151.0.6) (charge: #216 8s. 1d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Mainpiece: Not acted these 20 years [not acted since 15 Apr. 1777]. Morning Chronicle, 3 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, No. 62, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Receipts: #318 (89.7.6; 50.1.6; 0.16.6; odd money: 0.18.6; tickets: 176.16.6) (charge: #234 7s. 6d.)

Event Comment: 2nd piece [1st time; D 3, by Henry Neuman, based on Der Opfertod, by August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue. Text (R. Phillips, 1799) assigns no parts]. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00 [same throughout season]. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Rice, at the Theatre. The Theatre, since the last Season, has been newly Decorated. [Beginning with 19 June the playbill: Printed by T. Woodfall, Drury Lane; on 4 Sept.: No. 104, Drury Lane.] Morning Chronicle, 27 June 1799: This Day is published Family Distress (2s.). Gentleman's Magazine, May 1800, pp. 406-8, prints a letter from "J. B." in which strong exception is taken to Kotzebue in general, and this play in particular. "Theatrical entertainments have an extensive influence upon the manners of Society. When well regulated, and the pieces for representation well selected both as to matter and manner, they may be esteemed friendly to morality, and improvers of public taste. But what shall we say when both these ends are disregarded; when moral virtue is banished from the scene, and purity of taste is destroyed by affected language and pantomimical decorations? Improvements in almost every art and science have been within a few years, rapid and important. But that is not the case with the stage; nor can it be, while Kotzebue and his friends usurp the venerable boards of Shakespeare." The writer then, in sarcastic terms, outlines the plot of Family Distress. [Pope and Miss Chapman were both from cg.

Event Comment: Incledon continuing Hoarse, the new Comic Opera of The Turnpike Gate [advertised on playbill of 6 Nov.] is necessarily obliged to be postponed [see 14 Nov.]. "[Mrs Pope's] whole soul seems to be engrossed with the study of attitudes and postures; how to display to the best advantage a genteel shape...Her very looks are artificial, and betray an excess of female vanity" (Dramatic Censor I, 11). Receipts: #337 13s. (333.11.6; 4.1.6)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Pope, but "An apology was made for Pope, who it seems is prevented by indisposition from attending to his professional duties. Claremont appeared as his substitute in Albert. The part in itself is so trifling and despicable that it is of little signification who performs it" (Dramatic Censor, I, Claremont's original part was probably omitted; see 21 Jan.] Receipts: #272 8s. 6d. (268.4.6; 4.4.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. No Building on Stage

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Beaumont and Fletcher, reviv'd. Afterpiece: Not acted these three years. [See 8 Aug. 1761.] Mr Powell made his first appearance this Night in Philaster. His Reception was very great, he play'd the part amazingly well, & Seems to have Requisites to make a very Capital Performer. N.B. Covent Garden Theater begun to play every Night (Hopkins). Philaster by Mr Powell. Prodigious applause (Cross Diary). This play [Philaster] was wrote by Beaumont and Fletcher, and is now altered by Mr Colman. Mr Powell, a young gentleman clerk to Sir Robert Ladbrook, made his first appearance in the character of Philaster.--A greater reception was never shown to anybody,--he was so very much frightened, he could not speak for some time, and, when he did, the tears ran fast down his cheeks,--but he soon recovered himself, and went through the part with a great deal of nature and feeling,--Continued claps and huzza of bravo! &c. &c. Upon the whole I think him possessed of every requisite necessary to make him an ornament to the stage.--N.B. Mr D. Garrick instructed him in this part--when I see him in another shall be able to judge better of his capabilities.--Miss Pope appeared this Night in the character of Maria in the Citizen,--by endeavoring to be very fine she overdid it,--and it was plain to see she wanted her master. N.B.--Covent Garden began to play of our nights--the first time they ever begin first since Mr Garrick was manager (Hopkins Diary--MacMillan). Receipts: #258 11s. 6d. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: Benedick by Obrien-1st time (Hopkins). Benedick does not sit so well upon Mr O'Brien as Ranger-Miss Pope Beatrice-indifferent (+Hopkins Diary-$MacMillan). New Occasional song introduc'd in The Rites of Hecate, the words will be printed and given away at the theatre. Receipts: #130 9s. (MacMillan)