Event Comment: Benefit for Wild, prompter. 2nd piece: With Alterations, and three Pantomimical Scenes. Public Advertiser, 28 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Wild, No. 145, Drury-lane. Receipts: #268 14s. (178.13; tickets: 90.1) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bannister Jun. Tickets to be had of Bannister Jun. at a print shop, four doors below New-street, St. Martin's Lane

Event Comment: A new Comic Opera; the Music by several celebrated Composers [chiefly Scolari], and conducted Ii.e. arranged] by Bianchi. With new Scenes, new Dresses and Decorations. Public Advertiser, 27 Nov.: L'Arcifanfano was performed for the first time on Saturday, and universally disapproved of. It will not be repeated Pit 10s. 6d. 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 at 7:00 [same throughout season, except for L'Omaggio (see 5 June 1781)]. To prevent Inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their Carriages, they are most 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

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Phillips. Tickets delivered for Artaxerxes will be taken. Public Advertiser, 20 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Phillips, No. 56, Drury-Lane. Receipts: #201 12s. (57.14.0; 19.16.6; 0.9.6; tickets: 123.12.0) (charge: none listed)

Event Comment: The last Night of this Season. [On this night Bannister was also acting at dl; on his arrival at the hay he made the following apology, "The instant the opera was finished at Drury Lane I hastened with all possible expedition to execute my duty." But the performance of the 3rd piece was so long delayed that the final curtain did not fall until 12 o'clock (Morning Herald, 17 Sept.).

Event Comment: [In afterpiece the playbill lists Reinhold, but he "being too much affected with a cold to appear in the part of Arionelli, Bannister of Drury Lane Theatre, who originally performed it, was procured to supply his place" (London Courant, 6 Dec.).] Receipts: #158 9s. 6d. (152/3/6; 6/6/0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wrighten. Public Advertiser, 13 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wrighten, Kennington-lane, near Vauxhall. Receipts: #286 10s. 6d. (104/18/0; 7/19/6; 0/4/0; tickets: 173/9/0) (charge: #106 14s. 7d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Phillips. Morning Herald, 16 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Phillips, No. 56, Drury-lane. Afterpiece: Not acted these 12 years [acted 29 Mar. 1773]. The Music composed by the late celebrated Dr Boyce. Receipts: #236 16s. (94/13/0; 32/16/6; 0/14/6; tickets: 108/12/0) (charge: #105 19s. 7d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Aldridge, ballet-master. Morning Herald, 24 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Aldridge at Rumler's, Clare-court, Drury-lane. Receipts: #238 6s. 6d. (142/13/6; tickets: 95/13/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wild. Morning Herald, 20 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Wild, No. 145, Drury-Lane. 2nd piece: With Alterations. 3rd piece: Written by Gay, Author of The Beggar's Opera. [Prologue by the author.] Receipts: #275 3s. 6d. (174/15/6; tickets: 100/8/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Fawcett and Butler. Morning Herald, 27 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Fawcett, Craven-buildings, Drury-lane; of Butler, next door to the stage-door, Little Russel-street, Covent-garden. Receipts: #281 16s. 6d. (43/0/0; 8/1/6; 0/8/0; tickets: 230/7/0) (charge: #109 2s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; c 3, altered from the same, probably by the author, Richard Bentley]: Written in the manner of the Italian Comedy. With new Scenes and Dresses. [Author of Prologue unknown.] "It was originally produced at Drury Lane in the summer of 1761 [27 July] . . . and has now been new dished up, and seasoned to the day" (European Magazine, ibid). J. P. Collier states that "it is not a revival of the former piece" (MacMillan, Larpent Catalogue, p. 98). It was not, strictly speaking, a "revival", but, rather, a revision, as a collation of Larpent MS 586 (the present version, which is unpublished) with MS 199 (Bentley's 1761 version) makes clear. In 1761 Bentley introduced "the speaking Harlequin after the manner of the Italians . . . Mr Harris some years after gave it a second chance on the stage" (Cumberland, Memoirs, I, 212-14). Receipts: #215 19s. (213/5/6; 2/13/6)

Event Comment: A new Comic Opera [1st time; com 2, by Filippo Livigni, with alterations by Antonio Andrei]: The Music entirely new by Bertoni. [Bartolini was from the Opera, Milan.] The Music and Orchestra under the direction of Giardini. New Scenes and Decorations by Novosielski. Entirely new dresses by Lupino. Pit 10s. 6d. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. By Command of Their Majesties no Persons to be admitted behind the Scenes. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin exactly at 7:00 [same throughout season]. To prevent inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their carriages, they are most 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. Subscription tickets will be admitted every Opera Night (Benefits excepted) during the Season

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wrighten. Public Advertiser, 29 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wrighten, Kennington-lane, near Vauxhall. Receipts: #247 12s. 6d. (56/2/0; 17/14/6; 0/2/0; tickets: 173/14/0) (charge: #110 14s. 1d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Wheeler. Public Advertiser, 19 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Wheeler, No. 9, Craven-buildings, Drury-lane. Afterpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Receipts: #111 12s. 6d. (33/8/0; 15/19/0; 0/7/6; tickets: 61/18/0) (charge: #106 4s.)

Event Comment: A Serious Opera [1st time; ser 3, by Giovanni de Gamerra; a pasticcio, with music by Anfossi, Gluck, Alessandri, Martini, Sarti, Giordani]; the Music under the Direction of Anfossi. With new Scenes, painted by Novosielski, new Dresses and Decorations, both for the Opera and Dances. By their Majesties Command, no Person can be admitted behind the Scenes. Pit 10s. 6d. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin exactly at 7:00 [same throughout season]. The Subscribers' Tickets are ready to be delivered at the Office in Unionstreet. To prevent Inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their Carriages, they are most 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

Event Comment: By Authority of the Lord Chamberlain. At the request of several of the Scotch Nobility. Benefit for Raeburn. Mainpiece: In its original state, as it was written by Allan Ramsay in 1724 [recte 1725]. The Characters to be entirely new dressed. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:00. No persons to be admitted behind the scenes, nor any money returned after the curtain is drawn up. Ladies are requested to send their servants by Five to keep places. Tickets to be had of Raeburn, No. 4, Gloucester-court, St. James's; of Walker, the Globe, Pall-mall; of Mackintosh, the George, East Harding-street, Shoe-lane; of Watson, the Fleece, Little Windmill-street (being the original Scotch house); of Mrs Shaw, the St. Andrew, near the Armitage-bridge, Wapping

Event Comment: The Subscription being now at an end for the present season, those of the Subscribers who may wish to retain their Boxes on any particular night are respectfully intreated to signify their intentions in the morning, by sending their commands to No. 3, Market-lane, Pall-mall, that such boxes may not be disposed of to others

Event Comment: To prevent inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their carriages they are most respectfully intreated to give positive orders to their servants to set down and take up with their horses heads towards Pall-mall. The Doors in Market-lane for chairs only

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by half past Four o'clock. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years [acted 15 May 1782]. Afterpiece: Not acted these 5 years [not acted since 25 Mar. 1775]. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Banquo to Bensley, but "Poor Bensley's illness last night took him off; but on another night he will give and take in the triumph" {Public Advertiser, 4 Feb.). In afterpiece he is assigned to The Guardian. On the Kemble playbill in both cases his name is deleted and MS annotations substitute Hull's.] "Macbeth at Drury-lane will. . . gag the drivellers who, on the failure of Constance [in King John], ventured a sweeping prophecy of condemnation that 'the Siddons never could play Shakespeare.' Would it not have been better to have borrowed Farren, rather than Hull, for Banquo?" (Public Advertiser, 4 Feb.). "'Why,'say some of the critics, 'should Mrs Siddons wear a white dress in her last scene of Lady Macbeth? She is supposed to be asleep, not mad.' What reason except custom can be given for a mad heroine appearing in white we know not [and see DL, 20 Dec. 1782]. Yet there is an obvious reason why a person walking in their sleep should wear a white dress of the loose kind worn by Mrs Siddons ... It [is] the nearest resemblance which theatrical effect will admit, to the common sort of night-dresses" (Public Advertiser, 7 Feb.). Receipts: #346 16s. (198/10/0; 7/2/6; 0/8/6; tickets: 140/15/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Ward. Public Advertiser, 22 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Ward, No. 44, corner of Broad-court, Drury-lane. Receipts: #218 2s. 6d. (50/14/0; 32/11/0; 0/9/6; tickets: 134/8/0) (charge: #105 15s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Dignum and Mrs Wilson. Public Advertiser, 2 May: Tickets to be had of Dignum, Little Wild-street, Drury-lane; of Mrs Wilson, No. 2, Catherine-street, Strand. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years. Receipts: #301 19s. 6d. (33/5/0; 15/19/0; 1/2/6; tickets: 251/13/0) (charge: #108 15s.)

Event Comment: A new Comic Opera [in 2 acts]; the Music entirely new by Paisiello, under the direction of [i.e. with additions by] Cherubini. Public Advertiser, 26 Jan.: "Il Marchese Tulipano was in its original state a petite piece [in 1 act] of Paisiello [entitled Le Finte Contesse; performed at this theatre on 26 Mar. 1778 as Il Marchese Villano], enlarged to the size in which it is now before us by Cherubini." By Their Majesties Command no Person can be admitted behind the Scenes. Pit 10s. 6d. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. The Doors to be opened at 6:30. To begin exactly at 7:30 [same throughout season]. Subscriptions are received at Messrs. Ransom, Morland and Hammersley's, Bankers, No. 57, Pall-mall, who will deliver the Subscription Tickets. The Nobility and Gentry, Subscribers to the Opera-house, are respectfully entreated to send for them, in order to prevent future mistakes, as nobody can be admitted without producing a ticket. N.B. To prevent Inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their Carriages they are most respectfully entreated to give positive Orders to their Servants to set down and take up with their Horses Heads towards Pall-Mall. The Doors in Market-Lane for Chairs only. All Persons claiming free Admission into this Theatre by Renters' Shares or otherwise are requested to bring their Titles to the Office every Day, from Eleven to Twelve o'clock in the Forenoon, in order that they may be registered previous to the opening of the House

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Griffiths, formerly of Drury-Lane Theatre. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:00. Tickets delivered by Griffiths for the 27th of February will be taken. Tickets and Places to be had of Griffiths, at the Theatre, every Morning from 10 till 12. Fires are kept to keep the Theatre warm

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wrighten. Morning Chronicle, 11 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wrighten, Kennington-lane, near Vauxhall. Receipts: #321 18s. (82/5; 7/8; 1/4; tickets: 231/1) (charge: #105 17s. 11d.)