Event Comment: Paid for a paragraph of the Pantomime of Dr Faustus the 4th Nov. in the Ledger and Gazetteer 6s. (Account Book). Receipts: #82 19s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: (Never Performed) a Comic Opera by Isacc Bickerstaffe. [The Theatrical Monitor, No XIV (27 Feb.), remarked: We were scraped, squalled and clapped, out of our senses at Covent Garden....It was thought there were no less than 500 orders in the house. O Shameful! Why are not a generous audience left to judge of a piece, Without this forc'd imposition." N.B. Hardly possible for "500 orders" to have filled the house which took in #233 19s.] Receipts: #233 19s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: With Alterations and Additions. Not acted these 7 years. [See 23 May 1763.] With New Music, Dresses, Scenes, and Decorations. The First Scene painted by the Late Mr Lambert, the last by Servandoni (playbill). [See 6 Nov. for specification of Scenes.] Receipts: #240 4s. 6d

Event Comment: [The first payroll of the season was met this night. It includes 91 actors, actresses and dancers, plus 36 named servants to the theatre and 4 groups (women dressers, charwomen, guards, and barbers). The pay period covered was for 3 days. It came to #168 2s. 6d. The highest paid actor for this period was Ross at #8 5s.; the highest paid actress, Mrs Yates at #8 6s. 6d.; the highest paid dancer, Fichar at #3. The lowest paid in each category were: actors: C. Smith and Hollingsworth at 7s. 6d. apiece; actresses, 11 who receiv'd 10s. each (Mrs Ferguson, Evans, White, Allen, Cockayne, &c.); Dancers: 11 who receiv'd 15s. apiece (male) and 2 (female) who receiv'd 12s. 6d. apiece. The highest paid servant listed was Stables at 15s., and the lowest the charwomen.

Event Comment: Paid one year's Assurance on #3000 in the Royal Exchange Assurance Office to 15 Dec. 1772...#6; Paid Morris (herald painter) #19 16s. 6d.; Paid Walker for Partizans &c. #9 6s. 6d.; Paid Snivley & Davis (worsted lace men) #4 4s. 6d. (Account Book). [The Heraldry and Partizans &c. probably for the Institution of the Garter.] Receipts: #147 1s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: The Characters in Mainpiece "New Dress'd" (playbill). Rec'd Mr C. Roberts half year's rent to Mich. Last, #5; Paid Mr C. Roberts (shoemaker) #11 6s. 10d.; Mr G. Garrick on Acct #100; Master Thomson 13 nights (12th incl.) #3 5s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #211 17s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid Banks for Masks, &c. #4 8s. 6d.; Paid Humphries for 130 yds of silver trimming #3 11s. 6d.; Paid Pearce for earthen ware &c. #2 13s. Advanc'd cash to Bensley as per note #200 (Account Book). Receipts: #129 17s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Desire. Play not acted: theatres closed for death of Augusta Princess Dowager of Wales. [For comment Theatrical Review, II, p. 93 attaches to the evening of 7 Feb.]: Another additional scene was introduc'd this evening, for the first time in which Mr Dunstall, in the character of a Female Ballad Singer, entertained the audience with the following new song, relative to the tricks of the Stockwell Conjuror, which it exposes with some degree fo humour, and which has a good effect, from the manner in which it is introduc'd; but from such poetry, Heaven delvier us!@The Stockwell Wonder@Ye beaux, belles and flirts, who the Pantheon stock well,@Come and see the renown'd Pandemonium at Stockwell.@Where the house and the furniture's all in bon ton@And the pewter and crockery dance cottillon. Derry Down, down, down Derry Down.@A pickling-pan first, which exceeds all belief,@Jumps and skips to the tune of old English Roast Beef;@While a barrel so lively, it cannot be said,@That the beer that is in it can ever be dead, Derry Down &c.@ @The tables, chairs, jars, frisk about too, and soon@The pestle and warming-pan move to some tune;@The clock too chimes in, and we very well know@That a clock that don't stand must undoubtedly go, Derry down, &c.@But let not amazement your fancies perplex@The enchantment arose from th'enchanting fair sex;@A sweet girl was the cause, and girls wonders are rich in@For we all know sweet girls-are extremely bewitching.@Derry down, &c.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid Mrs Baks for walking 13 nights in King Henry VIII to 15th Inst.: #3 5s. (Account Book). [Mrs Baks as a walking super seems to have done better in salary at 4s. 1d. per night than did the men (Gard &c.) who perform'd as Ostriches, Asses, Hogs &c. in the afterpieces at 2s. 6d. per night. The difference may have depended upon whether one was a mute in a mainpiece or an afterpiece.] Receipts: #159 2s

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 16 years. [See 19 April 1751.] New Scenes, Machines, Decorations &c. The Characters dress'd in The Habits of the times. This Masque is very well got up with New Scenes & Decorations particularly a Representation of the Grand Naval Review design'd by Mons DeLoutherberg & vastly well Executed had great Applause the piece is very dull (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan's note from Kemble differs slightly in wording.] Paid five day's salary at #86 13s. 10d. per diem, #433 9s. 2d.; Miss Younge 6 days not on the list #1; Mr Courtney 3 days not on list 7s. 6d.; Mr J. French on Act #10 (Treasurer's Book). The Songs, Chorusses, &c. in the Masque (in the order they are now performed) to be had at the Theatre. The Music by Dr Arne and other masters (playbill). Receipts: #158 12s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A New Pantomime (never performed). The Music entirely new, by Fisher, New Scenes, Machines, Dresses, and Decorations. Books of the Songs, Chorusses, &c. to be had at the Theatre. Nothing under FULL PRICE will be taken. [The note about full prices and availability of books of songs, &c. accompanies each subsequent bill for Sylphs this season. The Westminster Magazine (Jan. 1774) fears the afterpiece may have been composed by Woodward. The reviewer recounts the story in some detail, likes the paintings and scenery, but states categorically: "We do not hesitate to pronounce it the worst Harlequin entertainment we remember to have seen...The music too is very insipid and pilfered from other masters."] Receipts: #237 3s. 2d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: A New Comic Opera of Two Acts written by Mr Bate--Much hissing and Crying out no more no more!--Mr Reddish was desired to give out the Play as soon as Matilda was over--but he with his usual politeness ran up and undress'd himself as fast as he could so that the play was not given out till the End of the Farce as soon as the Blackamoor was given out for the next Night they kept a great Noise and call'd for another Farce to be given out--at length they began to be more appeas'd and went away vowing Vengeance on it the next Night (Hopkins Diary). The Overture and Music of the afterpiece entirely New. Books of the Songs &c. to be had at the Theatre. New Scenes, Dresses, &c. [This is Larpent MS 400. Sir Oliver Oddfish distrusts his servants and is about to replace them with blacks, giving his nephew the chance to introduce Frederick , his daughter Julia 's lover, in disguise as a blackamoor, and to effect an elopement. Act I criticizes Londoners and concludes with the comment, "O that I should ever live to see the day when white Englishmen must give place to foreign blacks." MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly.] Paid the late Mr Johnston's bill to his executors #44 18s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). [Afterpiece reviewed in three columns in the Westminster Magazine for Feb. Reviewer thought it had been produced well in all departments, music, scenery, costume, and acting, but concluded it a theatrical trifle giving not much credit to its author.] Receipts: #166 13s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: The People flock'd about the doors by Two o'clock. there never was a greater Overflow-Mr G. was never happier in Lear -the Applause was beyond description 3 or 4 loud Claps Succeeding one another at all his exits and many Cry'd out Garrick for Ever &c., &c. House (Hopkins Diary). [Kemble's note differs slightly.] Paid Mr Short, Chorus Singer #1 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Hannah More wrote to Mrs Gwatkin: The eagerness of the people to see Garrick is beyond anything you can have an idea of. You will see half a dozen duchesses and countesses a night in the upper boxes: for the fear of not seeing him at all, has humbled those who used to go, not for the purpose of seeing but being seen; and they now courtsy to the ground for the worst places in the house" (Hampden, Journal). [Letter to David Garrick, Esq on his appearance in Lear last night 13 May: The correspondent who signs himself Stock Fish and who claims to have been one of the survivors of the Black Hole of Calcutta, and who took a young lady from the country to see Garrick's last performance, blames him for endangering the lives of his majesties subjects for not providing proper bars, lanes, and queue lines to handle the crowds: "I went with intention to get into the Pit as the most eligible Part of the House (for your Boxes are always engag'd) and we got to the Door in Vinegaryard about five o'clock. Here the Passage to the first Door was too full for me to entertain any Hopes of getting in that Way, we therefore made for Catharine-street but the Multitudes of People waiting for the Opening of the Gallery-doors, rendered it impossible for us to get along through the Court; we therefore made a Circuit, and at length arrived opposite the Door in Catharine-street, where it was with Difficulty we could keep our Stands on a Foot Pavement....You will be absolutely inexcusable, if after this Warning you neglect to adopt some Method for the Security of the Lives of his Majesties Subjects on similar Occasions.--What think you of the following Scheme, viz. To keep the outer Doors next the Street shut, till the inner ones are opened ; and then, by a Proper bar, to prevent more than one at a Time entering, who shall there pay Entrance-money, and receive the Tickets of Admission through the inner Doors' (Public Advertiser 18 May).] Receipts: #308 1s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Reynolds. [Afterpiece usually acted as The Man of Quality.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Newton, box-keeper. As Newton superintends the whole Performance of the Play, Farce and Interlude, the greatest care will be taken to gratify the taste of a most generous Public. Tickets to be had of Mrs Newton at the Seven Houses

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2(?), by James Messink and Carlo Antonio Delpini. Not in Larpent MS; synopsis of action in London Chronicle, 26 Nov.]: The Scenery, Machinery, &c. painted new by Carver, Greenwood and Garvey. The Overture and the rest of the Music composed new by Fisher. Nothing under Full Price will be taken. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Account-Book, 3 Feb. 1778: Paid Fisher for composing songs, &c. in The Tempest [see 27 Dec. 1776], and other pieces, as per bill, #131 11s. Receipts: #190 16s. (182.18; 7.18)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time at a public theatre; C 3, by Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven, afterwards Margravine of Anspach, 1st acted privately at the Town-Hall, Newbury, 6 Apr. 1780. Text (G. Riley, 1781) assigns no parts. Prologue by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Epilogue by Joseph Jekyll (see text)]: With new Dresses, &c. "The Prologue [the first 30 lines and the concluding couplet of which were used by Sheridan as the Prologue to Pizarro (see dl, 24 May 1799)] was so much admired that at the request of the Duchess of Devonshire and several other of the nobility it was respoken after the piece; but as King was absent from the theatre, it was delivered by Palmer" (Town and Country Magazine, May 1780, p. 23 ). "The chief singularity was that [Lady Craven] went to it herself the second night, in form; sat in the middle of the front row of the stage-box, much dressed, with a profusion of white bugles and plumes, to receive the public homage due to her sex and loveliness. The Duchess of Richmond, Lady Harcourt,...Mrs Damer, Lord Craven,...and I were with her. It was amazing to see so young a woman entirely possess herself-but there is such an integrity and frankness in her consciousness of her own beauty and talents, that she speaks of them with a naivete as if she had no property in them, but only wore them as gifts of the gods. Lord Craven on the contrary was quite agitated by his fondness for her and with impatience at the bad performance of the actors, which was wretched indeed, yet the address of the plot, which is the chief merit of the piece, and some lively pencilling carried it off very well, though Parsons murdered the Scotch lord, and Mrs Robinson (who is supposed to be the favourite of the Prince of Wales) thought on nothing but her own charms, or him. There is a very good though endless prologue written by Sheridan and spoken in perfection by King, which was encored (an entire novelty) the first night: and an epilogue that I liked still better and which was full as well delivered by Mrs Abington, written by Mr. Jekyl. The audience, though very civil, missed a fair opportunity of being gallant, for in one of those ----logues, I forget which, the noble authoress was mentioned, and they did not applaud as they ought to have done, especially when she condescended to avow her pretty child and was there looking so very pretty...Yet Lady Craven's tranquillity had nothing displeasing;...and it was tempered by her infinite good nature, which made her make excuses for the actors instead of being provoked at them" (Walpole [28 May 1780], XI, 178-80). Public Advertiser, 14 July 1781: This Day at Noon will be published The Miniature Picture (price not listed). Receipts: #144 9s. (94.9; 48.3; 1.17)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: As originally written by Shakespeare. Afterpiece: To conclude with a perspective Representation of the Grand Camp at Cox-Heath [see 15 Oct. 1778]. Receipts: #170 8s. (121/10/0; 48/15/6; 0/2/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Thomas Holcroft; in 1796 altered by the author and acted as The Mask'd Friend. Prologue by William Nicholson (see text). Epilogue attributed to Frederick Pilon (Public Advertiser, 15 Oct.)]: With New Dresses, Scenery, &c. Public Advertiser, 12 Nov. 1781: This Day will lie published Duplicity (price not listed). Paid Music #8 4s. 8d.; Chorus Singers #3 15s. Receipts: #204 16s. (202/7/6; 2/8/6)