Event Comment: Benefit Aston and a Gentleman under Misfortune. Afterpiece: A new Pastoral. Written by Mr Aston

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Walter and Mrs Pelling. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Congreve. [Tickets of Mrs Walter at Mr Hook's, Carpenter, in Stanhope Street; of Mrs Pelling at Mr Dagley's, Silversmith, near Castle Tavern, DL.]

Event Comment: A New Comedy. [By Mrs E. Cooper. Apparently not printed. The characters named in the bill are: Lord Belamour, Sir Roger Wrangle, Sir Charles Cumberland, Froward, Wary, Young Wrangle, Peinter, Snare, Lady Cumberland, Felicia, Ready. See also a puff by Mrs Cooper in Daily Advertiser, 17 May.]

Event Comment: Benefit Neale and Vaughan. Receipts: money #8 13s.; tickets #120 10s. London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 25 May: Yesterday Mr Smith [of CG], being disorder'd in his Senses, threw himself out of his Lodging Window up two pair of Stairs near Gray's Inn . . . and ... his Life is despaired of

Event Comment: Benefit Arthur and Delagarde. Mainpiece: Written by Beaumont and Fletcher. [Tickets for E. Thomson, Boaman, Miss Dancey, and Widow Dupre also taken.

Event Comment: Benefit E. Roberts and Mrs Chambers. Receipts: money #20 11s.; tickets #149 2s. (Account Book); #170 (Rylands MS.). [For pit, box, and gallery Roberts had 125, 407, and 177 tickets; Mrs Chambers, 93, 91, and 22 tickets. Each received half the value of his tickets.

Event Comment: Benefit E. Giffard, Numberer and House-Keeper

Event Comment: Benefit Beckham, the Prompter. Tickets at Beckham's Toy Shop, in Cornhill; George's Coffeehouse, Temple Bar, Tom's Coffeehouse, Russel St., Covent Garden; Dodsley's Bookseller, at Tulley's Head; and at Gloucester Tavern, Pall Mall. Tickets deliver'd out by Mrs Steel, Mrs E. Hippisley, the two Masters Granier, and Mr Ravenscroft, will be taken...Servants will be allow'd to keep Places upon the Stage, which (for the better Accommodation of the Ladies) will be enclos'd, and form'd into an Amphitheatre

Event Comment: Benefit E. Roberts and Destrade. Tickets deliver'd out by Reinhold and Mrs Hale will be taken

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Benefit Cibber. The play being chang'd, by Desire, Tickets deliver'd out for the Man of Taste; or the Guardian, taken from Terence and Moliere, will be taken

Event Comment: Written on a plan of Shakespear by Colley Cibber. The characters new Dress'd. With New Scenes and Decorations. No persons admitted behind the scenes

Event Comment: Tickets deliver'd out by Miss Copin for the Merchant of Venice will be taken to the Conscious Lovers (General Advertiser). This day is publish'd, Price 1s., A Letter of Complaint to the Ingenious author of a Treatise on the Passions, so far as they regard the stage; with a critical Enquiry into the theatrical merit of Mr G-k, Mr Q-n, and Mr B-y, &c. With some further remarks on Mr M-n. And a few hints on our modern Actresses, particularly Mrs C-r and Mrs P-d. Magna est Veritas, & pravalebit. Printed for C. Corbett, over against St. Dunstan's Church, Fleet St. (General Advertiser). [Illuminating discussion of actors' abilities]: The Stage is much indebted to Mr M- for his incessant successful endeavours; he not only grac'd it with his own personal merits, but rais'd up several Branches who tho' they have not yet quite eclips'd Mr Giffard's Nursery from Goodman's Fields, will certainly in time prove stars of the first magnitude.--(p. 28). Touch Messrs. Giffard and Ryan and give them better voices; there is nothing else wanting. Help Mr Delane to a new manner and judgment to display the best pipe that ever was heard. Polish a little the rough Beauties of Mr L. Sparkes, give the sensible Mr Havard a few more spirits; and mend the Humour of Hippisley, Chapman, Barrington, and Blakes if you can. Poor Yates wants nothing but a front of brass, a necessary self-sufficient Manner of pushing himself upon a Publick.--(p. 31). If Mrs Giffard's Manner was equal to her understanding, she wou'd compell everybody to acknowledge her a surprising Performer. In Lady Macbeth she is excellent; and Hermione was very near eclipsing a much more popular actress; in short in every Part she performs, the severest of her enemies cannot but own she is more than decent.--(pp. 32-33). [Gives two pages each to discussion of Mrs Clive, Mrs Woffington, Mrs Cibber, and Mrs Pritchard.

Event Comment: MMrs Cibber Play'd (Cross). The Letter sign'd E. L. written in the Name of several Persons of Distinction, is receiv'd; and the Play of King Lear will be acted there, as soon as Mr Garrick is able to perform so long a Character (note "From the Theatre Royal Drury Lane" inserted in the General Advertiser). Receipts: #160 (Cross); #156 17s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: LLondon Post: We hear that the French Players will (barring Accidents) open at the Little theatre in the Haymarket next Saturday. 'Tis added that the Italian Company of Comic Strolers will exhibit the Week after next; but as they have lost three of their ablest performers, the Connoisseurs are in great Pain about those who are to supply their Places. Possibly some Foreigners may think, that the worst Dramatic Offals are good enough for the vitiated Palates of the E-sh No-y and Gen-ry. 'Tis further expected, that the Company of Gallo-English Players, who made the Town laugh so heartily last Winter, are preparing to entertain them this. Why all these unnatural Fooleries?...and for what Y-ke are we preparing? [Schedule of Nights on which the Turkish Dancer Caratha rented the Haymarket in the fall of 1749: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 16, 22, 23, November; 3 December. See Winston MS Calendar of the Haymarket, Harvard Theatre Collection.

Event Comment: Nothing said abour ye prolog: (Cross). The Music of the Funeral Procession compos'd by Dr Boyce. [See "William Boyce's 'Solemn Dirge' in Garrick's Romeo and Juliet Production of 1750," by Charles Haywood, Shakespeare Quarterly, Spring, 1960.] This day is Publish'd at 1s. 6d. Romeo and Juliet a Tragedy, revised and alter'd from Shakespear by Theophilus Cibber, First revised in September 1744, at the Theatre in the Haymarket; now acted at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. To which is added a Serio-Comic Apology for Part of the Life of Mr Theophilus Cibber, Comedian, written by himself. Interspers'd with memoirs and anecdotes relating to the Stage Managements, Theatrical Resolutions, &c. also cursory Observations on principal Players: particularly Mr Quin, Mr Ryan, Mrs Woffington, Mrs Ward, and Miss Bellamy; Mr Garrick, Mr Barry, Mrs Cibber, Mrs Clive, Mrs Pritchard, &c. Likewise Original Letters that passed between the late Sir Thomas DeVeil and Mr Theophilus Cibber relating to the Stage Act, Concluding with a copy of Verses, call'd the Contrite Comedian's Confession. Printed for C. Corbett, the Publisher, at Addison's Head, facing St Dunstan's Church, Fleet St; G. Woodfall, at the King's Arms, the corner of Craig's Court, Charing Cross. [See 11 Oct.] Receipts: #170 (Cross)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. My oath & Mrs Simson's appear'd in ye G: Advertiser, & Mr Fitzpatrick now swore (in ye Inspector) to what before he had given his Honour to--when Woodward appear'd in ye Pant: great Noise, he said gentlemen, if you think the two affidavids to-day not sufficient I will corroberate 'em on Monday with six or Seven more. quiet on Sunday Mr Fitz: waited on Lord Chamberlain, to complain of Woodward's Insolence, my Lord sent for Garrick who told ye whole Story; & upon Mr Fitz owing he threw an apple at him, my Lord said, that act put upon a Footing with ye lowest, & judg'd him the Agressor,--upon wch Fitz; desir'd all affidavids &c shoul'd cease & he wou'd drop his resentment. which was done (Cross). Receipts: #100 (Cross). [In the General Advertiser appeared (1) Letter to the Public from Woodward disclaiming any note of insolence, and accusing Fitzpatrick of having a bad memory; (2) an Affidavit from Cross that he was present and heard Woodward say distincly "Sir I thank you," without any air of menace. He heard this from his prompter's seat "next adjoining the Stage box call'd the Prince of Wale's box"; (3) an Affidavit from Mrs Elizabeth Simson, who was standing in the "First entrance next the stage door, on the Prompter's side," that she heard what Cross Heard and no more, and understood no air of Menace to be present. In the General Advertiser also appeared a letter from one T. C. explaining the approach of Birnam Wood to Dunsinane in Macbeth on the basis of a story told him by a Scots Laird of a nearby castle, to the effect that the Clans used to distinguish themselves in battle by sprays from different trees attached to their bonnets. From this T. C. developed a theory that Macbeth's experience was one of historical face rather tahn a figment of Shakespeare's imagination.

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. Afterpiece: A Comedy in 2 acts written by Foote, with Prologue and Epilogue by him. Miss Macklin did Calista and a part in the farce,-all went well (Cross). A Comedy in answer to the French Farce A Frenchman in London, with a Dialogue Prologue, spoken by Macklin & his wife. Epilogue spoken by Miss Macklin. All by Foote. Part of Pit laid into the boxes, with an amphitheatre on stage, all at 5s. Full Prices (Winston MS 8). The Englishman at Paris has been better recev'd that I expected. Garrick, &c., &c....say kinder things of it than modesty will permit me to repeat. Upon the whole it was damnably acted, Macklin miserably imperfect in the words and in the character (a stain to Comedy). You might have seen what I meant,--an English Buck, by the power of dulness instantaneously transformed into an Irish chairman. Miss Roach, accompany'd by some frippery French woman occupy'd, to the no small scandal of the whole house, the Prince's box, whilst the duchess of Bedford &c., &c. were oblig'd to take up with seats upon the stage. The piece will be printed the 25th instant, which I will enclose to you (Samuel Foote to Mr Delaval, MS in Folger Shakespeare Library, written either 24 March, or, perhaps more likely, 24 April, since Foote states later in the letter he is leaving for foreign parts the first of May)

Event Comment: A tragedy written by Mr Glover, great Applause-but a thought dull (Cross). Never Acted before. [Mainpiece complimented left-handedly by Murphy in Gray's Inn Journal, 8 Dec. The music and scenery were both suited to the piec e, and the acting of it, were there no other inducement, should be sufficient to draw numerous audiences...I cannot but remark that the applause it met with, was scarcely warm enough for such fine writing...I am convinced that this Tragedy will prove an elegant Closet-companion to every reader of taste."] Receipts: #230 (Cross)

Event Comment: Comic Opera in Italian and French, 3 Acts (Larpent MS 107). Subtitle, O Sia, Il Finto Femmina. La Musica e del Sig Leonardo Leo, Maestro di Capella Napolitano (Edition of 1752, Amsterdam). [Rich had applied for license to Duke of Grafton 8 Feb.] This day at Noon will be publish'd at 1s. L'Amor Costante, Dramma Comico, pe Musica, as it is acted at Covent Garden. With an English translation. Sold by H. Woodfall

Event Comment: For the Benefit and Increase of a Fund established for the Support of Decayed Musicians, or their Families. To begin at 6:00 p.m. [Box and Pit at Half a Guinea. Gallery at 5s.