Event Comment: Benefit for Branson, Mrs Lampe, Mrs Jones, and Miss Besford. Tickets deliver'd by Roffe will be taken. Charges #65 12s. 6d. Deficit to beneficiaries #23 1s., divided as follows: Branson #11 10s. 6d.; Mrs Lampe and Mrs Jones combined #5 15s. 3d.; Miss Besford #5 15s. 3d., covered by income from tickets (Account Book). @Tickets Box Pit Gallery Value@Branson 135 224 178 #85 3s.@Mrs Lampe and Mrs Jones 88 109 76 #45 19s.@Miss Besford 23 82 81 #26 3s.@ [No record of Roffe's tickets appears in the Account Book this night.] Receipts: #42 11s. 6d

Event Comment: Paid 3 days Salary List at #86 15s. 6d. per diem #260 6s. 6d.; Mr Bransby on note #20; Sg Como, Sga Crespi, and Sg Demaria 3 days each not on list, #4 3s. 3d.; Mr J. French on Act #20; 2 pair dancer's shoes 14s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #267 18s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Johnston (Housekeeper and Box-book keeper). Rec'd from Sinking Fund (3rd) #73 10s.; From Mr Clutterbuck (1st) #500; from Stopages #11; Paid Salary list #564 16s.; J. French on acct #5 5s.; G. Garrick on acct #100. Receipts: #276 4s. 6d. Charges: #84. Profits to Mr A. Johnston: #192 4s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Epilogue by David Garrick. Second Ballet: with New Scenes [by deLoutherbourg] and Dresses [by Lupini]. Two new Grand Ballets, composed by Gallet, were introduced in this Piece (The Maid of the Oaks) in which Gallet and Mlle Dupre made their first Appearance upon the Eng. Stage--the first Dance, which was to be in the 2nd Act, was obliged to be deferred till the end of the 3rd Act, as Lupini, who made the Dancers Dresses, had not brought them to the House--this put us all into great Confusion, and Dodd made an Apology to the Audience, that an unforseen Accident had prevented the Dance being done in the proper Place. At the beginning of the 3rd Act most of the Dresses were brought, but not all, and some of the Dancers were obliged to put on what Dresses could be got for them--They were all very much confused--the Music also was not perfect. Gallet went on, and spoke in French to the Audience, and told the Band that he wished they had any Heads. In the first Dance Mlle Dupre fell down, and a little after Gallet fell down, but (they) did not hurt themselves, and the Dance went on--and even with all these Disadvantages was much applauded (Hopkins Diary). Receipts: #181 19s. 6d

Event Comment: Ladies and Gentlemen who have taken Places are desired to send their Servants to the Door in Suffolk-Street by Five o'Clock

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of A Trip to Scarborough, announced on playbill of 9 Mar.] 2nd piece [1st time; M. INT I, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan]: With a new Scene invented and designed by DeLoutherbourg for the occasion. [Music composed by Thomas Linley Sen. Miss Wright is identified on playbill of 24 May; and see 19 Feb.] Public Advertiser, 27 Mar. 1779: This Afternoon at Four is published A Monody (1s. 6d.). Afterpiece: Not acted these 3 years. Receipts: #213 10s. 6d. (180.18.0; 32.6.0; 0.6.6). "Some of the verses [of the Monody] were responded [to] by the principal vocalists, accompanied by the band, who occupied an orchestra built on the stage, as at the oratorios. The whole of the performers [were] requested to appear in black clothes" (Parke, I, 17)

Event Comment: [By Joseph Trapp. Possibly the premiere. For 20 Jan. it is advertised as The Sixth Day of Acting; if performed consecutively, this date would be the first performance.

Event Comment: [Text by Joseph Addison. Music by Thomas Clayton.] A new Opera never yet perform'd. By Subscription. None to be admitted into the Boxes or Pit but by the Subscribers' Tickets. [Both A Critical Discourse upon Operas (1709) and Jacobs (I, 3) refer to the unsatisfactory nature of the music; as a result, according to Jacobs, "It had not the Success due to its Merit."

Event Comment: [By Joseph Addison.] Never Acted before. G. Berkeley to Sir John Percival, 16 April: On Tuesday last...Cato was acted the first time. I am informed the front boxes were all bespoke for nine days, a fortnight before the play was acted. I was present with Mr Addison, and two or three more friends in a side box, where we had a table and two or three flasks of burgundy and champagne, with which the author (who is a very sober man) thought it necessary to support his spirits in the concern he was then under, and indeed it was a pleasant refreshment to us all between the acts....The actors were at the expence of new habits, which were very magnificent. (Rand, p. 113. See also Victor, II, 29-31, and Cibber, I, 122-23, II, 127-33)

Event Comment: [By Joseph Addison]. Never Acted before

Event Comment: Mainpiece: The authorship is uncertain, with both Joseph Mitchell and Aaron Hill connected with the play.] Benefit the Author. Receipts: money #33 14s.; tickets #76 12s