Event Comment: Ranger, Mr Garrick (Cross Diary). Tomorrow, A New Comedy, never perform'd, call'd 'Tis Well It's No Worse

Event Comment: Lusignan, Mr Garrick (Cross Diary)

Event Comment: Mrs Barry--Imogen (first time) not so well as was expected (Hopkins Diary). Mrs Barry, Imogen (Cross Diary)

Event Comment: Drugger, Mr Garrick (Cross Diary). Cymbeline Deferr'd on account of Mrs Barry's indisposition

Event Comment: Leon, Mr Garrick (Cross Diary)

Event Comment: Benefit for Fawcett, Mrs Cross and Mrs Millidge. Last time performing till the Holidays

Event Comment: Boxes 5s. Gallery 3s. Pit 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Doors open at half past five. Play begin at half past six. [Repeated.] Before the Play a new Overture and New Occasional Prelude (Public Advertiser). The House has been quite alter'd since last Season and is now fitted up in the most elegant manner Possible by the Adam's etc. and is the most Compleat of any Theater in Europe. Great applause to the House before the Curtain. The Theatrical Candidates is wrote by D. G. Esq and was received with great Applause (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly in wording. In Judging the popularity of a play in terms of box receipts for this season one must be aware of the fact that the treasurer's account books here differ from those of the five preceding years in not recording the income from the tickets delivered out for benefit nights. Hence on those nights the stated income reflects only the money taken at the door the night of the performance, and does not indicate the larger amounts which the actors received for their tickets. Deficits to various actors listed on the following pages were all paid up, presumably from the ticket receipts. Each actor doubtless at least broke even on his benefit.] Ceiling rais'd 12 feet. Old side Boxes top and bottom remov'd. New passages to Boxes. Entrance Bridges St. Light pillars to support Boxes inlaid with plate glass on green and crimson ground. Old chandeliers remov'd. Gilt branches with two candles each on pillars. Four new chandeliers in front. No slit i Curtain. Adam architects. 4,000 guineas. Persons not employed in the night's amusement ordered not to come behind the scenes--performers by that means go cross stage (Winston MS 11, from Dr Burney's News Cuttings). Paid Renters #8; Supernumeraries and Drum #1 16s.; taylor's Bill #10 11s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). [For the 188 acting nights of the season and for 11 Oratorio nights the Renters were paid a total of #1,692. The Supernumeraries were paid an average of #5 per night or #940 for the season. No further account of these items will be made. Full account of the new look given to Drury Lane by the Adam's brothers in the Westminster Magazine for Sept. along with an approving review of the Meeting of the Company.] From Lloyd's Evening Post, 25 Sept., "On the New Front of Drury Lane Theatre": @Garrick asham'd to poke his nose@Too sheepishly beneath the Rose:@And fearing, poor man, what were Worse,@His bashfulness might hurt his purse;@Resolves this year to push a front,@And put a better face upon't.@Not surely meaning to give o'er@His Art, and make no faces more.@Yet, fair as tis, I'd have him know@If tis the last he means to show.@This face will never make amends,@For turning tail upon his friends;@Who own, by general consent,@His face the best Stage ornament.@ (In Folger Library, David Garrick Verses, Prologues and Epilogues, MS, p. 86.) Receipts: #208 11s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: [Emery was from cg. Mainpiece: Epilogue by the younger George Colman.] Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin precisely at 7:00 [same throughout season]. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Rice, at the Theatre. Printed by T. Woodfall, No. 1, Cross Court, Russel Court, Drury Lane

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Cross, Mrs Bridges, Miss Young. The General Advertiser included the following Puff: Sir, As I am continually searching for latent Curiosities, out of a sincere regard for the Public Satisfaction, I think it my Duty (lest among the Multitude of Diversions now flourishing, some other might engross the attention of the Curious) to inform the world, that the Farce which will be perform'd this Evening at Drury Lane theatre, call'd May Day, or the Merry Milkmaids of Islington, was written by the particular desire of King Charles II who had it first performed at Newmarket; how agreeably that jovial Monarch was entertained, every person, who thinks it worth his while to see it, according to his abilities, will be a competent judge, Yours, &c A. Virtuoso. [Part of the Multitude of Diversions referred to included announcement in the same paper for a Rehearsal of the whole Band of Music at Ruckholt House, the following Monday; a paragraph Puff on the diversions at Sadler's Wells in consequence of the late happy Victory of the Duke of Cumberland over the Rebels, with special notice of a New Interlude of Music call'd Strephon's Return, or the British Hero, perform'd this night with many advantages of Dress and Decoration, and a new Ballet by Matthews; and further notice of the Representation of the Battle near Culloden House which had met with universal applause, and which would continue to be repeated at the New Wells in Goodman's Fields. The Farce at Drury Lane this evening was advertised as not having been played for 20 years. It was taken from Thomas Nabbes' Totenham Court Road, by the Compiler of the Muse of Newmarket, 1680. The MS Occasional Prologue praising Cumberland is in the Larpent Collection.

Event Comment: DDaily Advertiser [see Woodward's mimicry of Foote, 22 Jan.]: We hear from Drury Lane that on Monday night Harry the Smuggler, who was tried and convicted last summer in the Haymarket, was found hanging in one of the cells of that prison: It seems he has long had a Design to make way with himself and at several times procured poison from Foppington, Harry Wildair, Tom Thimble, &c. but the Quantity, though it made him exceeding sick, not being sufficient to dispatch him, he at last tuck'd himself up in his own Tit for Tat. When he was cut down he look'd very ghastly, and great groanings were heard in the prison before, at, and after his committing the Fact....It is very remarkable that he had on the very coat, which, in Conjunction with one Abel Drugger, not yet taken, he stole from Sammy the Auctioneer; but from the diligent search made after Drugger, it is believed he will soon be brought to Justice. Receipts: #60 (Cross); #67 8s. (Treasurer's Book)