Event Comment: Benefit for Scrase and Miss Thomas. Tickets of Scrase at Mr Cross's in Crown Court, Russel St., Covent Garden; of Miss Thomas at the Ring and Pearl, Duke's Court, Bow St., and at stage door. No Building on Stage. Receipts: #130 (Cross)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Miss Thomas. Tickets to be had of Miss Thomas, No. 41, Great Portland-street; and of Rice at the Theatre, where places for the Boxes may be taken. To begin at 6:45. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Servants to keep places are requested to be at the Theatre at half past Five o'Clock

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time, i.e. as an alteration of Richard Savage's play; T 5, by William Woodfall. Prologue by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Epilogue by Richard Cumberland (see text)]: with New Scenes and Dresses. Public Advertiser, 13 Feb. 1777: Sir Thomas Overbury (the Publication of which was unavoidably postponed) will be ready this Morning, at Ten o'Clock (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #212 4s. 6d. (210.7.6; 1.17.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Martyr. 2nd piece [1st time; O 1, by John Wolcot. Larpent MS 770; not published]: Being a Translation from the French Opera of that name [Nina; ou, La Folle par Amour, by Benoit Joseph Marsollier des Vivetieres], now performing at Paris with universal applause. With the original Music [by Nicolas Dalayrac, adapted by William Shield and William Thomas Parke. Two other versions of this opera, both unacted, were published this year: one anonymous, and one by George Monck Berkeley]. Receipts: #300 8s. 6d. (150.0.0; 2.18.0; tickets: 147.10.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Afterpiece: A farce never perform'd before. [Possibly Thomas Sheridan's The Brave Irishman, but see Ten English Farces, Leo Hughes and A. H. Scouten (Austin, Texas, 1948), pp. 221 ff.] Last time of the company's performing till the holidays

Event Comment: DDialogue-Epilogue, an Address to the Town-Sparks and Keen, as Lord Chief Justice Joker and his Attorney General. Benefit for Sparks. Afterpiece: By Thomas Sheridan. [The Dialogue-Epilogue is Larpent MS 309.

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for the Author. Play [1st time; T 5]: Written by the Rev. [Thomas] Stratford. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Tickets to be had of Dr Stratford, No. 5, Cecil-street, Strand, and of Fosbrook at the Theatre. Dr Stratford, in the overflowing of a grateful heart, is happy indeed in returning thanks to the Ladies and Gentlemen who, with equal benignity and humanity, have so generously exerted themselves in bringing forward his tragedy of Russel. Above the mean manoeuvres that have been practised by persons he had the least reason to expect such a conduct from, and which have detained him almost three years in London, at a ruinous expense, he went with a party of his friends, on Wednesday last, to the Hay-market, in support of the other Lord Russel, penned by superior genius. As he never injured an individual, he trusts every intention to defeat the success of his play will be disappointed by a generous London audience who, he still presumes to hope, will be actuated by the same noble spirit and principle that first induced the Lady and Gentleman to undertake so arduous a task as appearing on a public theatre. As many parts of the play will be expunged and altered, he begs leave to mention that it cannot be again represented till Wednesday next, when the characters of Lord Howard and Hubert will be performed by two other Gentlemen, who have generously undertaken their parts, and an entire new address will be spoken by the Gentleman who performs Lord Russel, wrote by himself. "The performers ... rendered the Doctor's Tragedy one of the most laughable farces at which we were ever present. [It] has much Calimanco in it, and where we could hear a sentence compleat (which was seldom indeed) it abounded with Fustian" (Public Advertiser, 21 Aug.)

Event Comment: Written by Shakespear. Containing the Death of the Duke of Buckingham; the Divorce of Queen Katherine; the Fall of Cardinal Wolsey; the Christening of Queen Elizabeth; with many other Historical passages. [This elaboration occurs on all Subsequent notices this season, but will not be further recorded.] Thomas Griffith died (Burney Actors MS.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Clinch. Doors opened at half past 5. Play to begin at Half an Hour after 6. [Afterpiece written by Sheridan for Clinch, traditionally in gratitude for his saving The Rivals from damnation. (See Thomas Moore's Life of Sheridan [London, 1825], I, 148). The Westminster Magazine for May adds to cast: Irish Corporal-Fox; Soldiers-$Davies, $Wewitzer, Chaplin, and reviews the piece briefly: St Patrick's day is replete with broad humor, homely jests, and extravagant caricature. The language in general shewed the author a man of honour and observation; the situations were whimsical and produced that mirth which the audience in the Prologue were invited to partake of....The jests were occasionally too low and vulgar, and his scene too extravagantly absurd. The main drift of the Prologue was to tell the Audience that a fine Spring impeded the theatrical harvest; and that at this season the benefits of Nature were the greatest enemies to the Performer's Benefits."

Event Comment: Mainpiece: With Alterations [by Thomas Hull]