Event Comment: The Proprietor of Drury Lane Theatre having receiv'd letters from several Gentlemen pressing him to revive the Tragedy of King John; to comply with this request (as he shall always make it his business to oblige the Publick) he immediately put the play in rehearsal; but upon information that the author of a Play on the same subject, had insinuated that this was calculated only to prejudice him, the Revival was intended to be deferr'd till the run of his play should be over; but upon perusal of the Bills he finds this is no Alteration, as was thought, but a new Tragedy founded only upon that plan; therefore in compliance with the above request, and at the same time to take off all imputation of an injury to this author, the Proprietor has deferr'd the bringing it on till Tuesday next, the day after the author's benefit, when will be exhibited the Historical Play of King John, as written by Shakespear

Event Comment: Three Brothers of ye Delavals play'd ye Eldest Othello, ye next Iago, ye next Cassio--+Brabantio & Lodovico Mr Pine Roderigo-Cap. Stevens and Wife Emelia $Mrs Quan did Desdemona, the performance was very decent & met with great applause the Audience from ye Boxes to the upper Gallery were fill'd with people of ye first rank & make a most brilliant appearance. & ye greatest Crowd at ye Doors I ever saw. their Agreement for ye House was a receipt of one of the Alfred Houses upon an Averidge. they had all new cloaths, & very nicely ornamented with Diamonds (Cross). [See eulogy and criticism in some detail concerning the acting, by John Hill, Inspector No 3.] All Gentlemen and Ladies who intend going in coaches this evening to Drury Lane Theatre, are desired to order their coachmen to drive thro' Covent Garden, and stop at Bridges St. Door, and as soon as they have set down the company to drive off directly towards the Strand.--Those who go in chairs, are requested to order the men to the New Door in Russel St., and to prevent the avenues being stopt up no person will be admitted to either passage without first showing their tickets at the outward door (General Advertiser). Tickets Lost. If any person has found three tickets (numbers forgot) for the private play this night at Drury Lane, and will be so kind as to bring them to the Bar of the Rainbow Coffee House, Ironmonger Lane, shall receive 15s. for the whole, or in proportion for one or two of them (General Advertiser). Tomorrow Morning at 8 o'clock will be published' (price 6d.) by Thomas Carnan, at Mr Newberry's, at the Bible and Sun in St Paul's Churchyard; An Occasional Prologue and Epilogue to Othello, as it will this night be acted at the theatre-Royal in Drury Lane, by Persons of distinction, for their diversion. Written by Christopher Smart, A.M., Fellow of Pembroke Hall in the University of Cambridge. To be had at the place above mentioned, and at the pamphlet shops at the Royal Exchange and Charing Cross. This Prologue and Epilogue will be entered in the Hall Book of the Company of Stationers, and whoever presumes to pyrate them, or any part of them, will be persecuted as the Law directs (General Advertiser). [Both pieces by Christopher Smart, according to the Daily Advertiser. See two exceedingly favorable critical comments and one derogatory reprinted in the Gentleman's Magazine, March 1751 (pp. 119-22): "The greatest part of the play was much better performed than it ever was on any stage before. In the whole, there was a face of nature that no theatrical piece, acted by common players ever came up to." Macklin was Delaval's dramatic coach, according to one of these articles.

Event Comment: To begin each day at twelve noon and end at ten at night during the short time of St Bartholomew Fair at Yates' (from Drury Lane) Great Concert Hall in the Greyhound Inn, Smithfield. There is a commodious way to the Hall opposite the Sheep-Penn. The diverting entertainment contains the distresses of a young lady that was stolen by a French pirate; the gallantry of an English Captain who rescued her; their unfortunate shipwreck, and their being thrown upon a desolate island; their sufferings through famine; the unexpected relief they met with on a part of the island; governed only by women; their being afterwards seized as pirates; the punishment inflicted on them by the Female Goverment; and their amazing delivering by the Queen's finding her husband and her only son, whom she had lost and thought dead upwards of twenty years. Interspersed with the comical and diverting adventures of Lt Fireball, a true English Tar, Noddy a distressed Beau, Snivel Thimble, a tailor; Splitfarthing an Old Userer; and Glisterspite a Finical Surgeon. In which will be introduced a Dialogue between Mynheer Vanflawkin, a Dutchman, and Mynheer-the German

Event Comment: [This was the last performance ever held in this theatre. On 27 June the Morning Chronicle published the playbill for that same evening: Love in a Village and Comical Courtship, but on 29 June the same newspaper reported that on "Friday [26 June] (soon after the performances of the evening were finished at China Hall, Rotherhithe) the theatre was discovered to be on fire. The flames increased so rapidly that in a short time the whole building, with all the scenes, stage, cloaths, &c. were consumed...There is no doubt but the theatre was wilfully set on fire." During the course of the summer it was rebuilt, but "Yesterday morning the play-house at China-hall, Rotherhithe, was blown down by the violence of the wind. The said play-house was burnt down last summer, but it being insured was rebuilt by contract, and the tiling of it completely finished last week" (Gazetteer, 26 Nov. 1778). And see 30 July.