Event Comment: Benefit for Townsend. Morning Herald, 13 May: Tickets to be had of Townsend, No. 153, Drury-lane. Receipts: #354 16s. 6d. (131.13.6; 13.7.0; tickets: 209.16.0)

Event Comment: 2nd piece: By Permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Event Comment: 1st piece: Not acted these 2 years. 2nd piece: By Permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Event Comment: 2nd piece: By Permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Never acted Here. The Musick composed by Storace. The new Musical Entertainment of The Charity Boy [advertised on every playbill beginning with 25 July] is unavoidably deferred till Wednesday next. [But it was permanently deferred at this theatre; see dl, 5 Nov. 1796.

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of The Force of Ridicule; afterpiece of Richard Coeur de Lion, both advertised on playbill of 28 Nov.] "The new Comedy last night was deferred upon the pretext of Miss Farren's illness...The Manager sent after Mrs Siddons, who was found at Covent-Garden Theatre, seeing Abroad and at Home. Brandon, however, ordered her a chair, and she kindly performed Isabella. Wroughton read the Father" (Oracle, 30 Nov.). "For near an hour the audience waited patiently...At half past seven Palmer addressed the audience" He said that Miss Farren was ill, that to those who preferred to leave the theatre their money would be returned, and that instead of the new play Mrs Siddons would act Isabella, "as soon as the dresses could be prepared for that purpose. This address was by no means favourably received, and hundreds of persons immediately left the house. A few minutes after eight, the Curtain drew up to the tragedy, which was well performed, and much applauded by the few who remained to witness it" (Morning Herald, 30 Nov.). "November 30. Miss Farren last night refused to appear in a new Play at Drury Lane which made much confusion in the House. The cause assigned was indisposition but that was not believed by the audience; and the fact Lysons says is, that as she cannot obtain payment from the Theatre, she resolutely told them she wd. not appear unless her demands were paid...Such is the unprincipled conduct of Sheridan" (Diary of Joseph Farington, 1922, I, 174). [On 1 Dec. Morning Herald prints a letter from Miss Farren, from Green-street, Grosvenor-square. saying that she really was ill. The editor of the paper adds a note in which he affirms his positive knowledge that rumours about a dispute as to Miss Farren's unpaid salary were without foundation.] Receipts: #134 2s. (82.2; 50.18; 1.2)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Wallis. 2nd piece: By Permission of the Proprietors of Drury Lane Theatre, and for that night only; with additional Songs [Sga Storace had sung in the oratorios at this theatre in the 1789 season.] True Briton, 13 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Wallis, Gower-street. Receipts: #376 9s. 6d. (192.15.6; 2.16.0; tickets: 180.18.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Townsend. True Briton, 19 May: Tickets to be had of Townsend at Mr Kilvington's, No. 153, Drury-lane. Receipts: #236 2s. (65.16; 8.11; tickets: 161.15)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Follett. [Egerton was from the hay (see 23 Jan.).] 2nd piece: In one Act. 3rd piece: Two new Scenes, as 17 Apr.; Procession, as 26 May. Morning Herald. 5 June: Tickets to be had of Follett, No. 46, Drury-lane. Receipts: #360 18s. (116.13.6; 3.11.0; tickets: 240.13.6)

Event Comment: Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00 [same throughout season.] Places for the Boxes to be had of Rice, at the Theatre. Printed by T. Woodfall, No. 104, Drury Lane [this first on playbill of 26 June, and thereafter]

Event Comment: Benefit for Elliston [whose 1st appearance as Othello was at Bath, 8 July 1797]. Afterpiece: By permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre-Royal, Drury-Lane. True Briton, 30 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Elliston, No. 3, Frith-street, Soho

Event Comment: Morning Herald, 28 Oct.: The manager of Covent Garden...liberally shut up his house on the occasion, in aid of [the] praise-worthy intention of the Proprietors of [Drury Lane] Theatre

Event Comment: Benefit for Townsend. Times, 22 May: Tickets to be had of Townsend, at Mr Kilvington's, Drury-lane. Receipts: #229 17s. 6d. (71.10.0; 3.16.6; tickets: 154.11.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wild, prompter. 2nd piece [1st time; M. INT 1, acted on 30 May as The Sailor's Carousal]. 3rd piece: The Scenery and Machinery by Richards, Hodgins, Walmsley, Phillips, Lupino, and assistants. Times, 25 May: Tickets to be had of Wild, No. 28, Drury-lane. Receipts: #288 18s. (123.9.6; 11.9.6; tickets: 153.19.0)

Event Comment: 3rd piece: Taken from the French of Patrat; Performed but once [at cg on 24 Apr. 1798]. [On this night the following performers appeared both at dl and at the hay: Aickin, Caulfield, Wathen, Trueman, Bannister, Miss DeCamp, Miss Heard.] On playbill of 13 June: Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00 [same throughout season]. Places for the Boxes to be had of Rice, at the Theatre. Printed by T. Woodfall, No. 104, Drury-Lane

Event Comment: Afterpiece: By permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre-Royal Drury-Lane

Event Comment: Benefit for Johnstone. [Mrs Brown is sister to Miss Biggs of Drury Lane, and...has played frequently in her father's company in the country [i.e. Barnstaple, &c.]" (Monthly Mirror, Sept. 1798, p. 179). Morning Herald, 22 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Johnstone, No. 19, Piazza, Covent-Garden

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Miss Biggs, but "Biggs, of Drury-lane Theatre, died yesterday [actually not until 9 Dec.]. The grief of his sister on the occasion prevented her performing in Cumberland's new comedy last night; in consequence of which the part of Matilda was read by Miss Heard" (Morning Herald, 8 Dec.).] Receipts: #158 0s. 6d.(98.0.0; 56.11.6; 3.9.0)

Event Comment: 2nd ballet: With entire new Scenes, Dresses and Decorations, the Scenes designed by Marinari, and executed by himself and others under his direction; the Dresses by Sestini; the Stage Decorations by Johnston of the Theatre-Royal, Drury-lane. "Telemaque is the same as that produced by Dauberval at Bordeaux, as to the management of the story the story on the stage; but the Dances are the composition of Degville. The music is [compiled by D'Egville and Bossi] from Haydn, Pleyel, Sacchini, Gluck, Schulz, Moreau" (Morning Chronicle, 27 Mar.). [Synopsis of action in London Chronicle, 27 Mar.

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for an Infant Orphan Family. Tickets to be had at No. 17, Tufton-street, Westminster; of Appleby, Hosier, Parliament-street; Mrs Cleaver, Cannon-row, Parliament-street; Newcomb, Confectioner, Bridge-street, Westminster; Taylor, Linen-draper, Whitehall; Thomas, Butcher, Charing-cross; Medhurst, Pastry Cook, Russel-court, Drury-lane; Rice, at the Theatre, where Places for the Boxes may be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Wild, prompter. 2nd piece [1st time: M. INT 1]. 3rd piece: As it was originally performed upwards of 50 nights in the Year 1789. Being a Selection of favorite Scenes form the following celebrated Pantomimes: Harlequin Sorcerer, Mother Shipton, Choice of Harlequin, Druids, Friar Bacon, Harlequin Freemason, Omai, Magic Cavern, and Harlequin Rambler. The machinery of the Peacock by Sloper. With the original Scenery painted by Lambert, Dall, Carver, Hodgins and Richards. The Music selected from Dr Arne, Dr Arnold, Dr Fisher, M.? Arne, Vincent, Dibdin and Shield. Morning Chronicle, 4 May: Tickets to be had of Wild, No. 46, Drury-lane. Receipts: #399 19s. 6d. (205.18.0; 16.4.6; tickets: 177.17.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Waters. Afterpiece: By permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre-Royal, Drury Lane. Morning Chronicle, 3 May: Tickets to be had of Miss Waters, No. 43, Conduit-street, Hanover-square. Receipts: #461 0s. 6d. (172.11.0; 5.1.0; tickets: 283.8.6)