Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 12 years [not acted since 4 Nov. 1780]. "Mrs Siddons's manner of receiving the death ofMoneses, and the struggle that ended in her own, was one of the best efforts of the art we ever beheld. This effort, however, was too much for her powers; for after her fall, her groans were so audible that the curtain was properly dropped [in the middle of Act V], and it was some moments before she could be removed from the stage. [The curtain was raised again, and] on the conclusion of the tragedy the audience would not suffer the farce to begin until Whitfield came forward, and assured them that she was perfectly recovered" (True Briton, 4 Feb.). Receipts: #257 13s. 6d. (181.18.0; 73.5.6; 2.10.0)

Event Comment: By Desire of his Excellency the Turkish Ambassador [Ismail Ferrouh Effendi]. Benefit for Mrs Martyr. [In 1st piece the playbill retains Fawcett as Trudge, but "Munden, in the absence of Fawcett, sustained the part of Trudge in a manner that gave the audience no cause to regret the change" (Morning Herald, 10 May).] Times, 25 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Martyr, No. 16, Martlett-court, Bow-street. Receipts: #425 4s. (211.6.6; 14.10.0; tickets: 199.7.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for King. [This was Smith's last appearance on the stage, from which he had officially retired on 9 June 1788.] Broadside in Kemble playbills announcing this benefit: Mr King most respectfully informs the Public that his Night is fixed for Friday the 18th of May, when will be presented The School for Scandal. Mr King has the pleasure to add that Mr Smith, who was so long and so worthily applauded by the Public, and was the original performer of Charles Surface in the above, distinguished Comedy, at the particular request of Mr King, backed by a strong assurance from many admirers and encouragers of the Drama that it will not only add to Mr King's emolument but highly gratify the Town, has kindly consented to return to the Theatre for one night, and resume his favourite Character. "We had been told that Smith pourtrayed the Manners of a finished gentleman with more delicacy and characteristic propriety than any actor of his day; but this did not appear to us to be his particular excellence; he stands too wide to be graceful, and his deportment gains no advantage from a perpetual application of his hand to the lower part of the waist. These habits are far from elegant. His Charles, however, is a favourable specimen of that sort of acting which commonly falls under the denomination of the old school: light, airy, and natural; which excites applause without any anxious endeavour to produce it; which suffers the points to tell of themselves, and does not place them as so many traps to ensnare the injudicious part of the audience" (Monthly Mirror, May 1798, p. 299). "He was received with the most heart-felt gratulations by an audience who did not expect any apology for such acting, though he saw fit to deliver one at the conclusion of the play" (Monthly Visitor, May 1798, p. 72). Times, 4 May: Tickets to be had of King at his house, New Store-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #674 6s. (388.0.6; 55.17.6; 2.0.0); tickets: 228.8.0) (charge: #212 5s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; M. INT 1, by Thomas John Dibdin. Prologue by Richard Cumberland (see text)]: The Overture and Music composed by Attwood, with some favorite Selections from the Works of Dibdin and Mazzinghi. Books of the Songs, including a descriptive Sketch of the Ballet, to be had at the Theatre. Morning Herald, 5 Nov. 1798: This Day is published The Mouth of the Nile (1s.). Receipts: #309 3s. 6d. (303.0.6; 6.3.0)

Event Comment: Mr Salomon having insinuated that he alone is in possession of a correct Score of this celebrated Oratorio, I feel compelled, in justice to myself, to state that the Oratorio was published by subscription at Vienna, and that the printed Copy, from which I had the Parts transcribed, was delivered by Dr Haydn to a subscriber in Vienna, and brought from thence expressly for me, and on which is the Doctor's initials. The accuracy with which it was performed, and the enthusiasm with which it was received, are, I hope, convincing proofs that no other directions are necessary to "produce the effect required by the Author." I should not thus have obtruded myself, but I conceived it requisite to justify myself from the imputation of having attempted to impose a spurious production upon that public to whom I am under so many obligations. I am, with the greatest respect and gratitude, their most obedient servant, John Ashley. March 29. [On 29 Mar. the following card had appeared in most of the daily newspapers: Mr Salomon having received from Dr Haydn an early Copy of his New Oratorio called The Creation of the World, and having been favoured by him exclusively with particular directions on the style and manner in which it must be executed, in order to produce the effects required by the Author, begs to acquaint the Nobility and Gentry, that he means to perform it on Monday, the 21st of April next, at the King's Theatre. The performance took place on that date in the Ancient Music Room, i.e. the large concert-room situated inside the King's, on the east side, level with the first tier of the boxes. The reason for this change was, states the playbill, "the present Performances in the Opera House not allowing sufficient time to erect an Orchestra on the Stage." The principal singers were Mme Mara, Mme Dussek, Small, Page, Denman, Bartleman. Samuel Wesley presided at the organ and at the piano forte.

Event Comment: A Comic Opera; the Music by Paisiello. The Dialogue, for the first time in this Country, will be delivered without the Music of the Recitative. "Nina [Bolla] performed for her benefit in a novel and singular manner, the dialogue being spoken in prose without recitative, which had not a bad effect; but this way of acting it was deemed an infringement of the rights of the English theatres, and after a few nights it was stopped by authority, as unlawful at the Opera" (Mount-Edgcumbe, 111-12). Tickets to be had of Mme Bolla, No. 6, Haymarket

Event Comment: On this day (L. C. 5@137,p. 343) Davenant was granted a warrant to act the following plays: Tempest, Measures for Measures, Much Adoe About Nothing, Romeo? and Juliet, Twelfe Night, The Life of King Henry the Eyght, The Sophy, Kinge Lear, The Tragedy of Mackbeth, The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark, and The Dutchesse of Malfy. In addition, he was to have exclusive right for two months to The Mad Lover, The Mayde in Ye Mill, The Spanish Curate, The Loyall Subject, Rule a Wife and have a Wife, and [Pericles] Persiles Prince of Tyre. Davenant also received the right to act his own plays

Event Comment: See also 15 Dec. 1662. Evelyn, Diary: I went with Sir S. Tuke to heare the Comedians con, & repeate his new Comedy, the Adventures of 5 houres: a play whose plot was taken out of the famous Spanish Poet Calderon

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 31) lists it as one of several plays whose runs expired on the third day. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's playhouse, but the house so full, it being a new play, The Coffee House, that we could not get in...The Journals of John Lauder Lord Fountainhall (ed. Donald Crawford, 1900), pp. 174-75: heir is the Dukes playhouse, wheir we saw Tom Sydserfes Spanish Comedie Tarugo's Wiles, or the Coffee House, acted....He could not forget himselfe: was very satyricall sneering at the Greshamers for their late invention of the transfusion of blood, as also at our covenant, making the witch of Geneva to wy it and La Sainte Ligue de France togither

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Downes (p. 30): This Comedy in general was very well Perform'd. Pepys, Diary: I alone to the Duke of York's house, to see the new play, called The Man is the Master, where the house was, it being not above one o'clock, very full. But my wife and Deb. being there before, with Mrs Pierce and Corbet and Betty Turner, whom my Wife carried with her, they made me room; and there I sat, it costing me 8s. upon them in oranges, at 6d. apiece. By and by the King come; and we sat just under him, so that I durst not turn my back all the play. The play is a translation out of French, and the plot Spanish, but not anything extraordinary at all in it, though translated by Sir W. Davenant, and so I found the King and his company did think meanly of it, though there was here and there something Pretty: but the most of the mirth was sorry, poor stuffe, of eating of sack posset and slabbering themselves, and mirth fit for clownes; the prologue but poor, and the epilogue little in it but the extraordinariness of it, it being sung by Harris and another in the form of a ballet

Event Comment: In L. C. 5@12, p. 212, is a list of plays formerly acted at Blackfriars and now allowed (ca. 12 Jan. 1668@9) to the King's Company: Everyman in his Humour. Everyman out of his Humour. Cyntheas Revells. Sejanus. The ffox. The Silent Weoman. The Alchymist. Catilin. Bartholomew ffayre. Staple of Newes. The Devills an Asse. Magnitick Lady [The Humours Reconciled]. Tale of a Tubb. New Inn [or The Light of Heart]. Beggers Bush [by John Fletcher, with Philip Massinger?]. Bonduca. Custome of ye Country. The Captaine. The Chances. The Coxcombe. The Double Marriage. The ffrench Lawyer. The ffalse One. The fayre Mayd of ye Inn. The Humorous Leivt. The Island Princes. The Knights of Malta. Nathan Field. The Loyall Subject. The Lawes of Candye. Loves Progresse [The Lover's Progress; or, The Wandering Lovers. The Winters Tale. King John. Richard the Second. Loues Cure [or The Martial Maid]. Loues Pilgrimage. The Noble Gentlemen. The Nice Valour [or, The Passionate Madman]. The Prophetesse. The Marshall Mayd [see Love's Cure]. The Pilgrim. The Queene of Corinth. The Spanish Curate. The Sea Voyage. Valentinian. The Weomans Prize [or, The Tamer Tamed]. A Wife for a Moneth. The Wyd Goose-Chase. The Elder Brother. The ffaythfull Shepherdesse. A King & noe King. The Maydes Tragedie. Phylaster. Rollo Duke of Normandy [or, The Bloody Brother]. The Scornefull Lady. Thiery & Theodorat. Rule a Wife. The Gentlemen of Verona. The Merry Wives of Windsor. The Comoedy of Errors. Loves Labour Lost. Midsomer Nights Dreame. The Merchant of Venice. As you like it. The Tameing of ye Shrew. Alls well yt ends well. Henry ye fourth. The Second part Henry IV. The Royall Slaue

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 2. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 347. This performance may well be the premiere. In the Preface the author states that the play was asked for on Shrove Tuesday and he wrote it within a week; a premiere, then, before this date would allow very little time for rehearsal. This play is certainly a "Lenten" performance, for it was acted on a Wednesday in Lent and was referred to in the Prologue as a "Lenten Play." See the discussion under The Spanish Rogue (March 1673) and Gray, pp. 785-86. See also J. G. McManaway, The Copy for The Careless Lovers," MLN, XLVI (1931), 406-9. Preface to the edition of 1673: [This play] was written at the Desire of the Young Men of the Stage, and given them for a Lenten-Play, they ask't it not above a Week before Shrove-Tuesday

Event Comment: An L. C. order, 5@147, p. 239, states: that ye play called ye Spanish Friar should bee noe more Acted (Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 10n)

Event Comment: Dryden to Walsh, 9 May 1693: The play I am now writeing is a feignd story: & a Tragicomedy of the nature of the Spanish Fryar: And I am sure the tale of it is likely to be diverting enough. I have plotted it all; & written two Acts of it. This morning I had their chief Comedian whom they call Solon [Dogget], with me; to consult with him concerning his own Character: & truly I thinke he has the best Understanding of any man in tihe Playhouse (Letters of John Dryden, p. 54)

Event Comment: The Gentleman's Journal, November 1693: Mr Durfey's Richmond Heiress has been Revis'd, and Acted several times, with Alterations and Amendments. We are to have this Winter a Play by him, call'd Don Quixote....We are impatiently expecting a Play by Mr Dryden; 'tis of the Nature of his Spanish Fryar. We are also to have a Tragedy by Mr Southern; a Comedy by Mr Crown; and the Tragedy of Pyrrhus, by Mr H. I need not say any thing of Mr Congreve's Double-Dealer (the only new Play since my last) after the Character which Mr Dryden has given of it

Event Comment: [In Daily Courant, 27 Jan., The Spanish Fryar was announced for this day.

Event Comment: Benefit Young Boman and Young Pervil, who lately acted the Part of Gomez in The Spanish Fryar. Admission as 21 May

Event Comment: Receipts: #31 2s. In Daily Courant, 6 Feb., The Spanish Fryar had been announced for this day

Event Comment: With all Scenes and Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: At the earnest Desire of several Ladies and Gentlemen. At the Anchor and Vine Tavern in Chancery Lane