Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@139, p. 125: The Schoole of Complements at Court. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346. The edition of 1667 was licensed 24 May 1667. Gildon, Life of Betterton (1710), states that Betterton had a role in it

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time in London; F 2, by John Philip Kemble, 1st acted at Manchester, 25 Mar. 1778, as The Female Officer. MS: Larpent 723; not published; synopsis of plot in Public Advertiser, 20 Feb. Prologue by James Cobb (European Magazine, Feb. 1786, p. 129)]. Receipts: #222 8s. 6d. (192/0/0; 29/6/0; 0/7/6; tickets not come in: 0/15/0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hull, Mrs Litchfield & Waddy. 1st piece [1st time; C 5, by Thomas Hull. Larpent MS 1215; not published]: Altered from [The Bashful Lover, by] Massinger. [In it the playbill assigns Hortensio to Pope, but he was ill, and in his "stead Johnston read the part of Hortensio" (European Magazine, June 1798, p. 396). Prologue by John Taylor Poems (I, 60).] Morning Herald, 29 May: Tickets to be had of Hull, Duke's Court, Dean's-yard, Westminster; of Mrs Litchfield, James-street, Covent-Garden; of Waddy, No. 214, opposite Southampton-street, High Holborn. Receipts: #261 2s. 6d. (53.9.6; 4.16.6; tickets: 202.16.6; of which Hull took #72 7s.; Mrs Litchfield #60 17s., Waddy #69 12s. 6d.)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To Blackfryars [presumably a slip for Whitefriars, Salisbury Court] (the first time I ever was there since plays begun), and there after great patience and little expectation, from so poor beginning, I saw three acts of The Mayd in ye Mill, acted to my great content. But it begin late, I left the play

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Opera, and there saw Romeo and Juliet, the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do, and I am resolved to go no more to see the first time of acting, for they were all of them out more or less. Downes (p. 22): Note, There being a Fight and Scuffle in this Play, between the House of Capulet, and House of Paris; Mrs Holden Acting his Wife, enter'd in a Hurry, Crying, O my Dear Count! She Inadvertently left out, O, in the pronuntiation of the Word Count! giving it a Vehement Accent, put the House into such a Laughter, that London Bridge at low-water was silence to it. This Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, was made some time after into a Tragi-comedy, by Mr James Howard, he preserving Romeo and Juliet alive; so that when the Tragedy was Reviv'd again, twas Play'd Alternately, Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several Days together. [No specific notices are known which would indicate when Howard's version appeared.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@143, p. 162: At the Fond Husband. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 349. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 36): [This comedy and Otway's The Soldier's Fortune] took extraordinary well, and being perfectly Acted; got the Company great Reputation and Profit. One song, Under the branches of a spreading tree, set by William? Turner, is in Choice Ayres and Songs, The Second Book, 1679. For Nokes and Leigh in this play, see Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, I, 149. According to The Guardian, 15 June 1713, Charles II attended three of the first five nights of this play

Event Comment: By Command of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and the Princesses Amelia, Caroline, Mary, and Louisa. Mainpiece: Written by Sir George Etherege

Event Comment: By Command of Their Royal Highness the Duke and the Princesses Amelia, Caroline, Mary, and Louisa

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mrs Centlivre. 'Tis humbly hop'd no Person will take it ill their being refused Admittance to the Music Room; the Dances depending greatly on the same being kept entirely clear. Receipts: #173 (Account Book); #200 (Rylands MS.). [King, Duke, and Princesses Amelia, Caroline, and Louisa present.

Event Comment: By Command of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and the Princesses Amelia, Caroline, and Louisa. Receipts: #71 7s. 6d. (Account Book); #70 (Rylands MS.)

Event Comment: Benefit for a Gentleman in Distress, and by Command of their Royal Highnesses the Duke, and the Princesses Amelia, Caroline, and Louisa

Event Comment: Benefit Dukes. 5s., 3s., 2s. At the General Session...for Courts of Middlesex...on Thursday the 10th Day of May, 17 George II....This Court being informed, that several common Players of Interludes have for several Years used and accusdomed to assemble and meet together at or near a certain place called Tattenhoe, alias Tattenhall, alias Tottenham Court, in the Parish of St.@Pancras in this County, and to erect Booths, and act or exhibit Drolls and other Shews...whereby great Numbers of His Majesty's Subjects have been encouraged to assemble and to commit Riots and other Misdemeanors, in breach of His Majesty's Peace, and to the disturbance of the Neighborhood, of that Place; and that some of the said Players of Interludes, and other evil disposed Persons, are now seeking out and contracting for ground in or near the Place aforesaid, to build Booths for showing and acting said Plays and Drolls...and whereas all such Players of Interludes are deemed and declared Rogues and Vagabonds, and the Acting of such Plays, Drolls and Shews, are contrary to the Inns and Statues of the Realm...require the High Constable to apprehend all and every Players of Interludes, Plays, and Drolls.--Daily Advertiser, 17 May

Event Comment: Benefit for Shuter and Palmer. Rec'd cash #50 14s., plus #82 15s. in tickets. Paid Duke of Bedford's Steward for leases #3 13s. 6d.; Mrs Swift 1s. 6d., omitted Wednesday; Mrs Roberts #1 omitted Wednesday [Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #150 (Cross); charges, #63 (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire; Afterpiece: By Desire. The Tragedy of Don Sebastian, King of Portugal, written by Dryden; and the Rehearsal, written by the Duke of Buckingham, are reviving at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, and will be play'd there soon alternately. Receipts: #160 (Cross)

Event Comment: Rec'd of Miss Townsend for a place in the Boxes last night 5s. Gave King's Footmen #2 2s.; Queen's Footmen #2 2s.; King's Chairmen #2 2s.; Queen's Chairmen #2 2s.; Duke of Glouster's Footmen #2 2s. (Account Book). [The Account Book shows on this night a profitable balance of #5365 19s. 4d., for the operation of the theatre this season. During Rich's time a regular sum was deduted nightly for the Rich account (#6 in 1760-61) and in addition he withdrew large sums (up to #800) on many occasions. No such deductions or withdrawals appear so far in this last season of Beard's management.] Receipts: #197 15s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hurst and Burton. Afterpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Public Advertiser, 25 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Hurst at his house, No. 374, Strand; of Burton, Duke's-court, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #209 15s. (42.11.0: 11.16.6; 0.2.6; tickets: 155.5.0) (charge: #65 3s.)

Event Comment: [The playbill assigns the Dauphin to Barrymore but, "Benson performed the Dauphin instead of Barrymore" (Thespian Magazine, Nov. 1792, p. 125). It is not stated who acted Duke of Gloster; doubling these two parts is not likely.] Account-Book: Paid The Prince of Wales's Porter for Performances in Cymon [on 31 Dec. 1791, et seq.] #13 10s. Receipts: #169 9s. 6d. (118.6.6; 46.8.0; 4.15.0)

Event Comment: By Authority of the Lord Chamberlain. Under the Patronage of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence. Benefit for the Unfortunate Sufferers in the Glorious Action between Sir John Jervis, and the Spanish Fleet, off Cape St. Vincent [on 14 Feb. 1797]

Event Comment: Benefit Ray, Gray [Constable] and Dunbar [Boxkeeper. See note 29 April.] I hope my diligence as a Constable, in preserving Ladies from the Insults of the Pickpockets... may entitle me to some small Indulgence at my Benefit. James Gray.--Daily Advertiser

Event Comment: This is a farce of Macklin's Writing, it went off very greatly-he play'd Shylock too (Cross). Receipts: #190 (Cross). [Garrick and Lacy had contracted with Macklin for this Farce two weeks before this performance, according to the following document (BM Add. MS 27925): Memorandum of an Agreement relating to Mr Macklin's Farce and his Playing & performing in the said Farce, with such plays as shall be performed on which the said Farce shall be acted as aforesaid as follows: Imprimis: The said Farce to be publicly performed before Christmas, otherwise not this season on account of the Managers other engagements. Item: Mr Macklin to have for his performing in the said plays and Farce a Fifth part of the profits of the first five nights after deducting sixty-three pounds for the charges of each night during the said five nights-and the sixth night to be for the Benefit of Mr Macklin, he paying the usual charges of sixty-three pounds. Item: The Managers to have it in their power to stop the performances of the said Farce at the end of Six nights on account of their other engagements,-and in case the Receipt of any one night of the said nights on which the said Farce shall be performed as aforesaid shall fall short of One Hundred pounds. Then the Managers to have it in their power to stop the performance of said Farce as the Receipt does not amount to One Hundred pounds. Item: The said Six nights for the said Farce & plays in which Mr Macklin shall perform as aforesaid not to be played immediately succeeding one another, but alternately with such plays as the Managers shall think Convenient. Lastly: That if the said Farce shall meet with the disapprobation of the Publick, that then it shall be in the Power of Discretion of the Managers to stop the performance thereof. Dated this 28th day of November, 1759. S@ James Lacy, D. Garrick. Witness: R. Cross, Geo. Garrick.

Event Comment: [Cambray was the stage name of James Fennell; he was from the Edinburgh theatre (and see 16 Oct. 1789). Ryder's 1st appearance as Iago was at the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, 14 Jan. 1767.] "Ryder wore his villainy on his sleeve, and evinced nothing of the insidiousness ordinarily expressed by other representatives of the part" (Public Advertiser, 13 Oct.). Receipts: #196 7s. (195.16; 0.11)

Event Comment: Benefit Boaman, James, Mrs James.Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear

Event Comment: Benefit James and Dupre

Event Comment: Benefit James, Mrs James, Goodall. Afterpiece: By Desire

Event Comment: 2 Benefit James and Rosco