Event Comment: Benefit Luke Sparks, at Silk Dyer's near Castle Tavern

Event Comment: [Sparks was from the Edinburgh theatre.] Receipts: #88 14s. (47.11.0; 36.14.6; 4.8.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr Luke? Sparks. Tickets and places to be had of Hobson at the stage door, and of Sparks at Courteen's Coffee-House in Bow St., Covent Garden. Dramatic Censor, I, 34-35: The whole part of the King, except his soliloquy, is truly wretched for an actor: and, to say truth, I never saw one who did not make a very insipid figure in it, the late Mr Sparks excepted; he was great in the formentioned soliloquy, respectable in every passage of the least regard, and so peculiarly happy in falling, when stabled, from the throne, that we may truly say, a good end apologized for a very bad character. Receipts: #150 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel); cash, #80 7s. 6d.; tickets, #91 5s. (Clay MS)

Event Comment: [The playbill lists Wilson as Justice Shallow in mainpiece, and as Father Luke in afterpiece. On the Kemble playbill his name is deleted, but the substitute name has been cut by the binder. "It is necessary to inform those who may have read a long criticism on Wilson's performance of Justice Shallow, on Tuesday evening [in Public Advertiser, 2 Nov.], that Wilson did not perform that or any other character, as he is laid up, or rather down, with a violent fit of the gout" (General Advertiser, 3 Nov.). For Fearon as Justice Shallow see 30 Apr. 1785, 29 Nov. 1786; for Booth as Father Luke see 25 Nov. 1785.] Receipts: #139 6s. (134/5; 5/1)

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Miss Radley became Mrs Fitzgerald (Winston MS 10). Ld. Townly, Mr Sparks Jun: first Appearance (Cross Diary). Mr Sparks Junr Son of Mr Isaac Sparks made his first Appearance on any Stage in Ld. Townly a fine figure and met with Applause (Hopkins Diary)

Event Comment: Play never acted before. [This new tragedy by MacNamara Morgan is mercilessly scourged by Paul Hiffernan in Tuner No 1, (21 Jan.), pp. 41-61]: To Tune it in Lilliputian Score : @Such sighing@Such Billing@Such Flashing@Such Heeling@And Dying@And Killing@And Dashing@And Kneeling@Such Rizing@Surprizing!@Such Falling@And Bawling@Such Attitudes@And Flattitudes@Were ne'er exhibited before.@ In the representation Mr Barry spared no pains; Miss Nossiter and Mr Smith strained hard-Mrs Bland, as far as her part exposed itself, did it with alacrity, but vanished abruptly in a storm of Lust. Mrs Vincent put as good a face on wanton barbarity as possible-and Mr Sparks who can do justice to a more spirited character, supported his Arcadian Kingship with becoming equanimity...It is a Romance crush'd together without choice, unconnected and full of Exidents not Incidents. Musidorus and Pamela , are duplicates to Pyrocles and Philoclea , which lengthen by so much the play, with repetition of the same dull nauseous tale of love, stirr'd up now and then by a bounce and a cracker-many persons come on we know not why, and disappear we know not wherefore....This new piece is an outlaw from all rules of Criticism; the Unities of Time, Place, and Action are unobserv'd; Plot, Moral, Verisimilitude, or even Probability unknown: many scenes bid defiance to possibility....Mr Rich stopp'd at no expence as to the Dresses and Decorations, and reprieving the play's duration to the utmost extent of Managerian clemency

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks, Charges #60. Deficit to Sparks #11 2s. 5d., covered by #104 11s. from tickets. Paid Redman a bill for writing parts 10s. 4d.; Paid Lampe on acct by Mr Kirkman #12.Receipts: #48 18s

Event Comment: DDialogue-Epilogue, an Address to the Town-Sparks and Keen, as Lord Chief Justice Joker and his Attorney General. Benefit for Sparks. Afterpiece: By Thomas Sheridan. [The Dialogue-Epilogue is Larpent MS 309.

Event Comment: Benefit L.? Sparkes. Tickets and places to be had of Sparks at his Lodgings the corner of Broad Court, Bow St., Covent Garden

Event Comment: Benefit Barrington and I. Sparks. Mainpiece At the Desire of sederal persons of Quality. Tickets deliver'd out for the Distress'd Mother will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Burton, Raftor, I. Sparks (Cross). Last week Mr Garrick Paid to Mr Belchier, Banker in Lombard St., #208 1s., being the whole money receiv'd at the Benefit Play of King Lear, which he most generously gave for the relief of the unhappy sufferers by the late most dredful fire in Cornhill, &c., whithout deducting any charges whatsoever. [See note, 3 May] Receipts: #180 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel); cash, #56 19s. tickets, #128 10s. (Clay MS)

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. [See 3 Feb. 1750.

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. By Particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Tickets deliver'd for the Distress'd Mother the 28th will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Afterpiece: A farce never perform'd before. [Possibly Thomas Sheridan's The Brave Irishman, but see Ten English Farces, Leo Hughes and A. H. Scouten (Austin, Texas, 1948), pp. 221 ff.] Last time of the company's performing till the holidays

Event Comment: Mon: 29 Sept. Mr Rich open'd wth ye Nonjuror. Mr Smith not coming to town, Mr Palmer, from Drury Lane, play'd Frankly wth great Applause (Cross). Jno. Rich paid to Charlotte Lane for the Theatre for Mr Sparks in Dr Wolfe for a superfine full trim'd black cloth coat and breeches, 14s. Sewing silk & twist 4s. 6d. Buckram stays 2s. 6d. Frilly sleeve lining, pockets, & interlining Cuffs 2s. 6d. Hair Cloth, wadding & Poll Davy 5s. Dimety lining, leather pockets, & silk garters 6s. 6d. 4 doz 2 Coat Death's Head Buttons at 14d.-4s. 11d. 12 breast ditto at 7d.-7s. 7d. 5 yds fine black shaloon at 2s. 2d.-10s. 10d. Making a Camblet Surtout Coat, 7s. 6d. Sewing silk, twist, buckram & stays, 4s. Velvet to line the collar, 1s. 17 Coat, 1 breast black basket buttons, 1s. 8d. (MS list Folger Library, Davies, Life of Garrick, Extra Illustrated, II, 322)

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Receipts: #83 2s. 6d. plus Tickets #184 12s. (boxes 335; pit 551; gallery 182). Advanced Mrs Bellamy on her salary #105. Two new Renters came in at 1 share each: Sir Thomas Robinson and Robert Hassell (Account Book). Mr Smith takes this earliest opportunity to return thanks the Ladies and Gentlemen who honoured him with their presence at his Benefit on Tuesday Night, and is very sorry for any interruption that might happen in the performance. The indulgence of his friends that night far exceeded his most sanguine exceptations; otherwise he should have provided proper accomodations for them on the stage (Public Advertiser). [See Theatrical Review, 1757 and Beginning of 1758, for contemporary comment on mainpiece: "It is not paying it a very great, much less an underserved compliment to give it the preference over all the dramatic pieces that have been presented at either house these six or seven years...Tears were the first praises I gave it...no play except Lear ever make such a strong constant impression on my feelings."

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Receipts: #42 4s. 6d. plus #192 2s. from Tickets (Box 345; Pit 543; Gallery 244). Bought of Lord Holderness's Valet by Blackmore 5 ensembles of clothing amounting to #49 10s. Paid Mrs Marg. Lamb Interest due on #315 due 8 March last: #15 (Account Book). Charges: #66 6s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. No Building on Stage

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. None admitted behind Scenes. Last time of performing till Easter Holidays

Event Comment: Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Benson, Coates, Chatterley, Gregson, Gibson, Purser, Sparks, Smith, Whitmell, Willis, Weber, Wells, Mrs Byrne will be admitted. Receipts: #56 12s. (26.17.0; 28.1.6; 1.13.6; tickets: none listed)

Event Comment: [Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Stokes, Archer, Sparks, Fisher, Chatterley, Chippendale, Miss Heard, Miss Tidswell, Mrs Benson will be admitted.] Receipts: #613 0s. 6d. (125.18.0; 43.11.6; 0.4.0; odd money: 18.18.0; tickets: 424.9.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Trueman. [In mainpiece the playbill retains Mrs Walcot as Mrs Heidelberg, but "An apology was made on behalf of Mrs Walcot, in whose stead the papt of Mrs Heidelberg was ably sustained by Mrs Sparks" (Dramatic Censor, II, 243. As afterpiece the playbill announces Three Weeks after Marriage, but "Mrs Jordan happening, like other great performers, to be taken ill (it is wonderful how much great actors and actresses are subject to sudden indisposition!) Trueman was under the necessity of subsituting The Prize for the afterpiece" (ibid, p. 244).] Morning Chronicle, 30 May: Tickets to be had of Trueman, No. 38, Norfolk-street, Strand. Receipts: #127 8s. (70.6; 55.6; 1.6; tickets: none listed) (charge: #201 2s. 2d.)