Event Comment: A new Serious Opera (1st time [in London; 1st performed at Venice, 1781]); the music by Sarti, under the direction of Mazzinghi. "At length in the spring arrived the celebrated Marchesi, whose fame had long reached this country, and who had been extolled to such a degree that impatience and expectation were raised to the highest pitch; and on the first night of his appearance the theatre was not only crowed to the utmost in every part, but on the rising of the curtain, the stage was so full of spectators that it was some time before order and silence could be obtained, and with some difficulty that Marchesi, who was to open the opera, could make his way before the audience. Marchesi was at this time a very well-looking young man, of good figure, and graceful deportment. His acting was spirited and expressive: his vocal powers were very great, his voice of extensive compass, but a little inclined to be thick (Mount-Edgcumbe, 66-67). Receipts: #437 15s. 6d., i.e. 560 tickets delivered to Prendergrass [see 8 Dec. 1787], who sold 558; 110 to Toosey, who sold 86; 400 to Butler, who sold 285; 236 to Snelson, who sold 204. Total non-subscription tickets sold: 1133

Event Comment: [1st piece in place of The Young Quaker, advertised on playbill of 19 June.

Event Comment: Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Atkins, Masters, Roberts, Young, Painter, Curteen, Bourrelier, Longley, Dalby, Mrs Doyle, Jackson, Mrs Clark will be admitted. Receipts: #378 17s. (56.16.6; 5.14.6; tickets: 316.6.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bannister. [Mrs Wells had 1st acted Macheath at the hay, 14 Sept. 1781; Bannister had acted Polly at the same theatre, 16 Sept. 1785.] Gazetteer, 3 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Bannister, No. 7, Suffolk-street, Haymarket. "There is now a most vehement rage of innovation in language, government, religion, and everything else...On the British stage, with infinite applause, young and beautiful actresses perform sometimes the Parts of highwaymen; and some singing actors squall in an affected voice resembling, and intended to imitate, that of women; the most humourous dramatic pieces are frittered away into songs; and I should not be surprised to hear that henceforth Miranda and Juliet are to be personated by grim-visaged grenadiers seven feet high, and Falstaff by a slender miss just entered her teens" (Universal Magazine, Mar. 1795, p. 171). Receipts: #285 14s. (162.4.6; 5.9.6; tickets: 118.0.0)

Event Comment: Tickets delivered for The Merry Wives of Windsor will be admitted. Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Bourrelier, Shuter, Simmons, Strahan, Luxmore, Walker, Saby, Atkins, Young, Curteen, Hall [box-keeper], Hill, Combes, Heathcot, W. Ansell will be admitted. Receipts: #349 15s. (57.6; 5.16; tickets: 286.13)

Event Comment: Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Shuter, Simmons, Strahan, Luxmore, Walker, Saby, Atkins, Young, Curteen, Hall [box-keeper], Hill, Combs, Heathcot, Widow Ansell, Keys, Berecloth, Egan will be admitted. Receipts: #376 12s. 6d. (29.17.6; 2.12.0; tickets: 344.3.0)

Event Comment: 2nd ballet: With new Dresses, Scenes and Decorations. "The Simonets were very unexpectedly introduced as vocal performers; they sung a duet in the Seraglio Scene, accompanied on the harp by young Meyer, which was very pleasing" (Morning Herald, 16 Apr.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; DO 3, by Prince Hoare, based on Didone Abbandonata, by Pietro Metastasio]: The Musick is chiefly new, and composed by Storace. The Selections are made from the most celebrated works of Salieri, Paer, Rampini, Sacchini, Sarti, Giordani, Cimarosa, Schuster, Andreozzi. The Scenery and Machinery designed by Greenwood and executed by himself and his Pupils. The Dresses of the Tyrians, Trojans and Africans entirely new, and taken from the most accurate descriptions of the Habits of their respective Nations. [Both Miss Barclay and Master Welsh had 1st appeared at the king's oratorios, 24 Feb.]. "A procession was introduced in which an Ostrich, a Dromedary and an Elephant marched to slow music. The Masque, which concluded the opera, was some insipid stuff about Neptune and Nereids, with a representation of the Temple of Neptune. Young Welsh sang prettily in this said Masque" (Morning Herald, 24 May). "[Mara] retained only one song of her Didone [see king's, 14 Feb. 1786]; the brilliant bravura, Son Regina, of Sacchini" (Mount-Edgcumbe, 80). Morning Herald, 28 May 1792: This Day is published Dido (price not listed). Receipts: #244 8s. 6d(213.14.5; 28.15.0; 1.19.0)

Event Comment: Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Shuter, Simmons, Strahan, Walker, Saby, Green, Young, Hall, Coombes, Keys, Heathcot, Hill, Wyatt, Street, Hall will be admitted. Receipts: #448 1s. (48.19.6; 3.10.6; tickets: 395.11.0)

Event Comment: Double Drums by Ashbridge. Trombones by Flack, Dressler, Zwingham, Schubert. The Chorusses, which will be far more numerous than on any former occasion, will be supported by the Young Gentlemen of His Majesty's Chapel Royal, and the Choristers of St. Paul's. A Subscription of Two Guineas and a Half will receive Eleven Tickets for the Boxes, transferable either to a Lady or a Gentleman; any number of Tickets may be used nightly at the pleasure of the Subscriber. Books of the performance to be had at the Theatre, price #6d. Boxes 6s. Pit 3s. 6d. Gallery 2s. No Money to be returned. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [same throughout oratorio season]

Event Comment: 1st piece [1st time; INT 1 by Francis Godolphin Waldron): Altered from THE FATAL EXTRAVAGANCE of [Joseph] Mitchell and Aaron Hill. "I went on Monday evening with Mrs Darner to the Little Haymarket, to see The Children in the Wood, having heard so much of my favourite, young Bannister, in that new piece; which, by the way, is well arranged, and near being fine. He more than answered my expectation, and all I had heard of him. It was one of the most admirable performances I ever saw: his transports of despair and joy are incomparable, and his various countenances would be adequate to the pencil of Salvator Rosa. He made me shed as many tears as I suppose the original old ballad did when I was six years old. Bannister's merit was the more striking, as, before The Children in the Wood, he had been playing the sailor in No Song No Supper, with equal nature" (Walpole [4 Dec. 1793], XV, 266-67)

Event Comment: [Litchfield, who is identified in European Magazine, Jan. 1794, p. 50, had made his 1st appearance on the stage at Richmond, 7 Sept. 1793, billed as "A Young Gentleman" (Charles Mathews, Memoirs, 1838-39, I, 70, and Thespian Magazine, Supp. 1793, p. 401). Not. Dram. states that "A person under the name of Litchfield but as I am informed in reality a Mr Holland Nephew to Mr Holland formerly of Drury Lane appeared 1st time at the HM in Richard III." But Holland was at this time acting at Bath, and did not appear in London until 31 Oct. 1796, at Drury Lane.]

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Richard Cumberland. Prologue by the Hon. Francis North. Epilogue by George Colman, the younger (see text)]. Morning Chronicle, 20 Mar. 1794: This Day is published THE BOX-LOBBY CHALLENGE (1s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Tickets delivered for INKLE AND YARICO [Account-Book: by Hall, Blurton, Wyatt, Young, Larkman, Berecloth, Coombs, Finley, Rye, Atkins) will be admitted. Receipts: #316 14s. (41/9/6; 4/14/6; tickets: 270/10/0)