Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties

Event Comment: Alteration of Shakespeare's Play by Garrick. New Scenes and Habits. Full Prices

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never Acted Before. [Printed play, Dublin 1762 lists Talthybius-$Castle; Lycus-$Ackman; Cratander-$Moody; Paeonian-$Fox; Officer-$Scrase; Sigea-$Miss Hippisley.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never acted before, a New Dramatic Opera [Bickerstaffe] the Music by Handel, Boyce, Arne, Howard, Baildon, Festing, Geminiani, Galluppi, Giardini, Paradies, Agus, Abos; with a New Overture composed by Mr Abel. Full Prices. Books of the Opera sold at theatre. [See Theatrical Review; or, Annals of the Drama, 1763, pp. 22-36: Compares Bickerstaff's opera at length with Charles Johnson's Village Opera.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: With New Scenes, Dresses and Decorations. This New Comedy by Mr Bickerstaff much hiss'd (Hopkins Diary). [See comment on mainpiece in Town and Country Magazine (from Theatre No. XXII, p. 593.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: An alteration by Cumberland from his Summer's Tale (Genest, V, 321). Theatrical Review, 14 Dec.: We confess we pitied the situation of the performers, who all exerted their utmost efforts to support it in the representation; but it is not the eminent abilities of a Vernon, a Parsons, a Hunt, or a Fitzgerald, that can render a piece worthy of notice, which has nothing interesting in it, and is absolutely devoid of merit. Paid Salary list, #501 3s. 6d.; Mr S. French 6 days #1 10s.; Mrs Abington for cloaths #2; Rec'd stopages #13 18s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipt2: #128 17s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A New Tragedy never performed before. This Tragedy was written by Mr Murphy & has great Merit, it is very carefully got up & well perform'd, & receiv'd uncommon Applause Mrs Barry Display great Tragick powers & receiv'd the vast Applause She merited--She will gain great Reputation in the part (Hopkins Diary). New Scenes, Dresses, Decorations. Theatrical Review, 26 Feb.: Mrs Barry rose beyond herself, if we may be allowed the expression, in the laborious Character of Euphrasia....The scenes and decorations were well adapted to the importance of the piece. The representation of the city of Syracusev, with a view of the sea; and the Temple scene, with the mausoleum, in particular are extremely well executed, and do credit to the theatre, and honor to the artists who designed and painted them. Paid two notes for Mr J. Aickin, per order #12 1s. 8d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #251 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Barry. King Arthur oblig'd to be deferr'd on account of Mr Barry's illness. Tickets deliver'd for The Distressed Mother will be taken. Pit and Boxes are laid together. Send servants by Four o'clock. Afterpiece: Not acted these seven years. [See 21 April 1760.] The Farce hiss'd. Mrs Barry Sir Harry (Hopkins Diary). Paid Salary list #333 19s.; Mrs Abington's Cloaths Acct, #1; Mr S. French 6 days, #1 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #296 14s. Charges: #65. Profit to Mrs Barry: #231 14s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not played for 20 years. Afterpiece: By Desire. The Play very dull Little Applause (Hopkins Diary). Benefit for Reddish. Theatrical Review, 28 March: The plot of this piece is taken from a well known passage in history, which, however, is too barren of incidents for the support of a piece of 5 acts, on which account it is rather languid and tedious, notwithstanding the language in general is tolerable poetical. What could induce Mr Reddish to revive so dull a performance, after it had been neglected for 20 years, we cannot conceive, unless it was with a view of having an opportunity to rant a few speeches in favor of liberty; but (as the piece was miserably represented except in the characters of Timoleon and Eunesia) we think Mr Reddish extended his liberty a little too far with the public; for which neither his Occasional Prologue, the Solemn Sacrifice, nor the Epilogue spoken by Miss Younge, made sufficient atonement. Paid 4 days salary #333 19s.; Mrs Abington's Cloaths Acct #1; Mr S. French 6 days #1 10s. (Treasurer'sBook). Receipts: #205 16s.; Charges: #67 6s. 6d.; Profit to Reddish: #138 10s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Davies and Inchbald. Paid Easter Offering to St Martin's 10s. 6d. Receipts: #160 13s. 6d. Charges: #65 2s. Profits to Davies and Inchbald: #95 11s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mr Diamond made his first appearance upon the Stage in the Part of Romeo he is very younge a Smart Figure good Voice & made a very tolerable first appearance he met with great Applause (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan's note from Kemble differs slightly.] Paid Chorus 2 nights (this inc.) #5 1s.; Paid Mr French on acct #20; Paid printer's bill #11. Paid Mr Garland, for copper plate printing #10 17s. 6d.; Paid Mr Weston, per order #18 17s. 4d. [The printer's bill was paid regularly each Thursday, averaged #8 19s. per week, and will not be further noted. Total payments this season #353. See Town and Country Magazine for favorable review of Miss Mansell as Juliet and of Diamond as Romeo.] Receipts: #208 13s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: The Rose is a New Musical performance of Two Acts by Dr Arne a very dull insipid piece. Mr G. protested against its being perform'd its being perform'd it was hiss'd from the beginning & wd not Suffer it to be given out again, therefore Mr King went on & told them it Should not be perform'd again until it be alter'd (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan's note from Kemble differs slightly. See critical damnation of The Rose in British Theatre Article in The London Magazine, Dec. 1772.] Book of the Entertainment to be had at the Theatre (playbill). Paid Mr Petit for men's cloaths, #8 8s. CTreasurer's Book). [Reviewer for Town and Country Magazine (Theatre, No. XLI) disappointed with the Rose: "We are told that this precious piece of stuff is the production of an Oxford student; it may be so, of this every auditor is certain, that the collegian who penned it was so entirely lost in the pursuit of some abstruse study, that he has totally forgot grammar, common sense, and even his mother tongue...it was unanimously damn'd."] Receipts: #172 6s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never perform'd. New Scenes and Dresses (playbill). This Comedy was written by Mr Obrien. It was very much hiss'd from the 2d Act & with the greatest difficulty we got thro' the Play amidst Groans hisses &c. They would not Suffer it to be given out again. After many Altercations between the Audience Mr G. & Mr King by the Author's Consent the Play was withdrawn (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan's note from Kemble briefer. See long review of The Duel in British Theatre article, London Magazine, Dec. 1772, and Town and Country same month.] Paid Mr Scott (c[opper] laceman) #83 9s.; Mr Waller (hosier) #17 18s. 6d.; Mr Hatsell (mercer) #80 19s.; Mr Barrow & Co. for oil, #45 13s.; Mr Cropley (linen draper) #73 14s.; Mr Cubitt (tinman) #15 19s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #241 4s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Music of Afterpiece entirely new Composed by Dibdin. [An adaptation of Goldoni's Il Filosofo di Campagna.] Book of Songs to be had at Theatre (playbill). The Wedg R. a Comic Opera of Two Acts wrote & composed by Mr Dibdin. The Music very pretty--as the Author was kept a Secret The Town fancy'd that is one of Mr Bickerstaff & call'd out to know who was the Author. Mr Garrick inform'd them that he had no power to declare who the Author was but he could assure them that it was not Mr Bickerstaffs this did not Satisfy them at last Mr Dibdin went on & declard himself to be the Author & made an Affidavit of it & then the Farce went on with Applause (Hopkins Diary). [Account of The Wedding Ring in Westminster Magazine for Feb. 1773.] Paid #4 4s. for licensing The Wedding Ring and Alonzo (Treasurer's Book). [Maria Macklin, in a MS letter to her father, 3 Feb. 1773, commented fully on this night's performance: "Written as it was suppos'd by Bickerstaffe. The music by Dibdin. I went with a party into the Gallery to see the event as there was a great riot expected, & indeed never did I see an audience more inflamed. They would not suffer them to begin the piece. At last Mr King came on with a written paper in his hand, which he said he was desir'd to read in the name of the managers. After a great noise they let him read it. He said just before the play began the managers had receiv'd a letter from Mr Dibdin in which he declared that Bickerstaff was not the author of that piece, that he had made oath of it, and was ready to do the same again, but that for very particular reasons the author could not be given up. Then they stopp'd him & roar'd out that the author should be given up then. He continued as loud as he possibly could, reading on that 'but that if Mr Dibdin did not very soon given up the author he never should be suffered to appear again on that stage or any other.' Very luckily that turn'd them as I believe the House would have come down. The piece then began. Before the end of the first act one of Bannister's songs were encor'd. The other party were against it and would not let it go on. They all stood up and insisted that the author should be known then. After some time the house being nothing but confusion, Dibdin was push'd upon the stage ready to drop with fright, and declared that he was the author himself. Then they were as noisy the other way. Made them finish the piece, but how you may guess in a storm. It is like the Padlock, but the songs not so good." (Brander Matthews, Actors and Actresses, extra illustrated, Vol. I. Harvard Theatre Collection.). Westminster Magazine this month included in parallel columns flattering "Characters of Mr Garrick and Mr Colman," the Rival managers. The article especially praised Garrick's acting.] Receipts: #252 3s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Cautherly. Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [See 24 Nov. 1769.] Paid Tallow Chandler's 8th Bill #20 19s. 3d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #122 7s. 6d. Charges: #64 14s. Profit to Cautherley: #57 13s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)