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 ch
andeliers remov'd. Gilt branches with two c
andles each on pillars. Four new ch
andeliers 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 fur
ther account of
these items will be made. Full account of
the new look given to
Drury Lane by
the Adam's bro
thers 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)