Event Comment: Benefit for Cautherley. House Charges #66 2s. 6d. [Afterpiece advertised as not acted for 3 years, but see 29 March 1764.] Paid J. Johnston by order #12 12s. (Treasurer's Book). Linco's Travels by particular Desire

Event Comment: Benefit of the Charity, at the Chapel of the Lock Hospital. To begin at 12 noon. A new Oratorio. Music by Worgan. It was to hear him [Giardini] that I went (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Company. At the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket [repeated in all bills] will be performed, by particular Desire, a Comedy...Places to be taken of Mr Jewel, at the Theatre. 7 p.m. [Repeated in the bills.] The house has been altered, as there was formerly but one gallery. [Miss Ogilvie was the young gentlewoman.] Went at 5:30 (before ye doors were open) to Foote's new Theatre in ye Haymarket which was open for ye first time tonight, and is very neatly fitted up. Got a good place in ye Pit...a very humorous Prologue in Prose by J. Palmer as Snarl a writer of Political Letters for the newspapers. Weston as Laconic a newspaper poet--Foote as Manager and Scaffold ye Builder (ye real one of ye house as some said)...in Smirk (Foote) took off Langford to a hair, not forgetting his son's affair with Dr Chauncey. Shift and ye Epilogue as Dr Squintum by Bannister, who took off Holland, Dodd, Moody, and Champneys surprisingly well...The house pretty full. York there awhile (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: NNeville MS Diary: At 6 took my place in ye Pit. I expected ye Taylors would have been damned; but with certain alterations and additions it went off better than it did last night. It is a sort of burlesque tragedy. If there is any wit in it, it is very low and unlike that in Mr Foote's other pieces. The Prologue, spoken by him, is more diverting than any part of ye play. Some Masters and leading Journeymen are taken off. [Cast listed.] The Citizen was vilely performed, except Old Philpot by Weston. Palmer is not equal to ye young one. They went off without concluding it. We had ye Builders Prologue before ye farce, by ye same means we had it last night. Foote wished for ye Builder, as ye person who supplied his place did his part vilely

Event Comment: The Third Day

Event Comment: The Fourth Day

Event Comment: [G$Genest, V, 140, notes that Bannister's name does not appear in the playbill; the Public Advertiser bill, which does not specify any parts, includes Bannister as well as Strange, Loveman, Keen, and Smith, for which there is no support in the 1767 edition.] Before six went into the Pit to see the new tragedy of The Countess of Salisbury performed for the first time. One cannot judge perfectly of a Play without reading it, but it was received with vast applause. The author being an Irishman, Weston spoke a Prologue in the character of an Hibernian (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: By Permission. Benefit for Mrs Dancer. A new Tragedy altered from Southerne's Oroonoko

Event Comment: MMr Bannister made his first appearance on this stage in Merlin with a new Song introduced.--He was received with applause, --is a tall figure, good voice and sings well (Hopkins MS Notes). [The grand procession of the orders of chivalry hereafter a regular feature of Cymon.

Event Comment: [Afterpiece: With alterations and additions. News arrived of the death in Monaco of His Royal Highness Edward Augustus, Duke of York, next brother to His Majesty. Hopkins MS Notes: About eleven o'clock orders came from the Lord Chamberlain that the House must be stopt performing on account of the death of the Duke of York. --Fresh bills were printed and posted about the House that there would be no play that night. Neville MS Diary: Procured No. 5289 of the General Evening Post which contains my letter concerning the St. James' Company of Comedians. Glad to hear that the Lothario of that Company, the Infamous York, is called to that Tribunal where there is no respect of persons. Canceled

Event Comment: Paid for Licensing The Oxonian in Town #2 2s. Paid for Licensing the New Prologue #1 1s. (Account Book). Receipts: #138 18s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Desire. Music [to afterpiece] by Barthelemon. I often go to both theatres, have seen Garrick and Mrs Yates, who are the first in this theatrical sphere. The former has hitherto [i.e., this season] appeared only in comedy, --his manner, his humour, and his judgment are not to be equall'd. The adoration he meets with from the English is equal to his merit. His every motion they attend to, and every turn of his eye seems to transport them. Mrs Yates [at Covent Garden] has much tragic merit. Her low voice is very tuneful, her feeling great, her action peculiarly graceful and her figure uncommonly fine. She has more power than Mrs Dancer (at Drury Lane] and more variety than Mrs Fitz-Henry, tho' less strength and compass. On the whole she is superior to the former and inferior to the latter. Barry and Mrs Dancer are engag'd here (MS Letter from Henry Grattan to Cornet Broome giving his first impressions of living in London, 27 Oct. 1767, in Folger Library). Neville MS Diary: Went into the Pit to see As You Like It a second time. Reddish did Orlando for the 1st time. He is a pretty good player. End Act I, Hearts of Oak. The Entertainment was the new Farce called a Peep Behind the Curtain. Glib by King who is the author. The piece is not unentertaining, whatever other merit it may have. The Prologue and an Address to the Town by way of Epilogue, are spoken by Mr King, the music by Barthelemon

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A Comedy [by Wm Kenrick] never perform'd before. The characters New Dress'd. [Theatrical Monitor, No VIII (16 Dec. 1767) approved the mainpiece--"engages the mind, affects the passions, totally divested of indecency"--but thought Garrick's art of "puffing" was evident in his note at foot of playbills, "Those Ladies and Gentlemen, who have taken places for this day, are desired to send their servants by one o'clock, in order to ascertain the same, otherwise they cannot be secured," since the house, except the first night, had not been half full. N.B. This note appeared in an Advance Bill, but did not appear in the Bill of the Day.

Event Comment: A new serious opera. Music composed by several. The comic opera is obliged to be deferred on account of the Indisposition of Sga Guadagni

Event Comment: Characters new Dress'd. Receipts: #244 17s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Characters New Dressed. [The Theatrical Monitor No X (30 Jan. 1768), gives a six-page review of the mainpiece under the usual Aristotelian topics: Fable, Characters, Moral, Sentiment, Diction, rather disapproving of the play on all of them. Praises the performers.

Event Comment: Sga Campolini and Sg Guglielmi are extremely sorry that the New Dances intended to be performed this night are prevented on account of the indisposition of Sga Radicatti. The Poetry, taken from an old Book, is altered and adapted to the present Taste by Bottarelli; Music by Piccini. Benefit for Signora Campolini and Guglielmi. Scene Painters and Machinists-Bigari and Conti

Event Comment: Benefit of the British Lying-In Hospital for Married Women in Brownlow St., By Special Licence of the Right Hon. the Lord Chamberlain...will be performed (for that night only) a new Comedy, never acted before...To avoid giving the least offence by too pressing a Solicitation, no Tickets have been sent to any of the Governours or Subscribers. But the Committee hope that this caution will induce every well-wisher to the useful Charity to exert their interest in its favors

Event Comment: A new comedy of three acts. Places to be taken of Mr Jewell at the Theatre. No Admittance behind the Scenes. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. No money to be returned after the Curtain is drawn up. Pit and Galleries to be open at 5:30 p.m.; Boxes at 6 p.m. To begin exactly at seven. Vivant Rex et Regina. [Repeated in the bills.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A new Opera of Two Acts [by Robert Dossie]. Music by Rush

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A new Burletta never performed before, composed by Mr Barthelemon. [Text by Ralph Schomberg.

Event Comment: This comic opera of two acts [Padlock] was written by Mr Bickerstaffe and is a very compleat, pretty piece,--the music very striking.--Mrs Dorman was hissed at first, but the piece went off very well, and much applauded (Hopkins Diary). New Scenes, Dresses, Music and other Decorations. Doors opened at half past 4. Play to begin exactly at 6 o'clock. [A three column retelling of the plot of the padlock appeared in Lloyd's Evening Post, for Oct. 5-7.

Event Comment: For the Farce--New Scenes, Dresses, Music. Book of the play sold at the Theatre. Play to begin at 6 o'clock (Winston MS 10). The Farce went off very well,--some hisses (Hopkins Diary)

Event Comment: [The Young Gentleman who played Zaphna was Wroughton. "His real name was Rottan, but altered euphonia gratia. He was designed for a surgeon and served his apprenticeship at Bath. The following playbills show that he met with approbation on the stage. He remained with Covent Garden from this time till the end of the season 1785-86. He then played in Ireland one Winter, and was engag'd at Drury Lane Theatre in the beginning of the season 1787-88. This was the occasion of Mr Wroughton's leaving Covent Garden, I mean it was thus conjectured. Mr Lewis had been appointed manager of that theatre for Mr Harris. Mr Lewis and Mr Wroughton lived next door neighbors in Broad Court at the top of Bow Street, and were sworn friends:--they laughed together, lived together--In the season 1784-85 two new performers Mr Holman and Mr Pope, appeared on the Covent Garden Stage--these young men were great favorites with Mr Harris; Mr Holman, attracting at this time very crowded audiences, stood so particularly high in his regard, that his partiality made him guilty of some injustice to older and abler actors in the theatre. Mr Henderson had really cause to complain of neglect; and Mr Wroughton thought himself equally oppressed. At this time we had a Club and met every Wednesday fortnight during Lent at the Long Room in Hamstead at dinner. Our Club consisted of a certain number of us belonging indifferently to either theatre, and two or three other gentlemen who were not actors. Mr King, Mr Quick, Mr Farren, Mr Mattocks, myself, etc., etc. When the bottle had a little warmed Mr Wroughton he threw out some sarcasms on his Friend Mr Lewis's management; Mr Lewis retorted; Their tempers grew hot, their words grew aggravating; Mr Wroughton struck Mr Lewis; Mr Lewis returned the blow. They were parted; all the pleasures of the day were over, and the Club broke up in confusion. I was not present this day, but have related what Mr Siddons told me of this Quarrel, and I imagine that Mr Wroughton's attack on Mr Lewis sprang from a suspicion that he was too willing to execute Mr Harris's designs in favour of Mr Holman. Be this as it may, Mr Wroughton was discharged from cg at the expiration of his Articles with Mr Harris."--Hopkins MS Notes.] Receipts: #186 3s. (Account Book)