Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Hence my wife and I to the Theatre, and there saw The Joviall Crew, where the King, Duke and Duchess, and Madame Palmer, were; and my wife, to her great content, had a full sight of them all the while. The play full of mirth

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: My wife and I...to the Theatre, where we seated ourselves close by the King, and Duke of York, and Madame Palmer, which was great content; and, indeed, I can never enough admire her beauty. And here was Bartholomew Fayre, with the puppet-show, acted to-day, which had not been these forty years (it being so satyricall against Puritanism, they durst not till now, which is strange they should already dare to do it, and the King to countenance it), but I do never a whit like it the better for the puppets, but rather the worse

Event Comment: On this date a band of French comedians received a permit authorizing them to bring their scenes and stage decoration to England. See W. J. Lawrence, "Early French Players in England," The Elizabethan Playhouse and Other Studies, p. 140; Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 252; and Madame M. Horn-Monval, "French Troupes in England during the Restoration," Theatre Notebook, VII (1953), 82

Event Comment: Charles II to Madame, 10 Dec. 1663: I am just now going to see a new play (C. H. Hartmann, Charles II and Madame[1934], p. 89). The Duke's Company. W. J. Lawrence, in a review of Boswell, The Restoration Court Stage, in Modern Language Review, XXVIII (1933), 103, suggests that it was The Step-Mother which was given on this occasion. The edition of 1664 lists: The Prologue to the King at the Cockpit at White-Hall. The Epilogue to the King

Event Comment: The King's Company. This play has generally been assigned to June 1669, partly on the basis of a suit--see Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, pp. 252-53, 348-55-over a scene for it which Isaac Fuller, the scene designer, states was finished by 23 June 1669. The suit also states that the play ran for fourteen days, but it is not certain that the theatres played on consecutive days in the summer. The play has been assigned to 24 June 1669 on the basis of a letter from Charles II to Princess Henriette-Anne, dated 24 June [1669]: I am just now going to a new play that I heare very much commended (Cyril Hughes Hartmann, Charles II and Madame [London, 1934], p. 259). Elizabeth Cottington to Herbert Aston, ca. May 1669: Wee ar in expectation still of Mr Draidens play. Ther is a bowld woman [Aphra Behn (?)] hath oferd one: my cosen Aston can give you a better account of her then I can. Some verses I have seen which ar not ill; that is commentation enouf: she will think so too, I believe, when it comes upon the ptage. I shall tremble for the poor woman exposed among the critticks (Arthur Clifford, Tixall Letters [London, 1815], II, 60)

Event Comment: The Earl of Arran to the Duchess of Ormond, 19 Jan. 1677@8: I met her Lord [Lord Cavendish] last night at the French play (HMC, Ormonde MSS., New Series, 1906, IV, 90). Henri Forneron, Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth (London, 1887): [The Duchess of Portsmouth] was at the last extremity when a slight change for the better took place, and she got up, had herself dressed, and dragged herself to her Sedan chair, to be carried to the French play, where she heard the king was to be with Madame Mazarin. The players had come to London for a short time, and Charles attended all their representations (pp. 197-98). Forneron apparently drew this information from a letter dated 20 Jan. 1677@8

Event Comment: Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole, 3 Jan.: I went to King Arthur last night, which is exceeding fine; they have a new man to supply Delane's place, one Johnson, with ye finest person & face in the world to all appearance; but as awkward, as a Button-maker; in short, if he knew how to manage his Beauties to advantage, I should not wonder, if all the Women run mad for him: the inchanted part of the play, is not Machinery, but actual magick: the second scene is a British temple enough to make one go back a thousand years, & really be in ancient Britain: the Songs are all Church-musick, & in every one of ye Chorus's Mrs Chambers sung ye chief part, accompanied with Roarings, Squawlings & Squeakations dire. Mrs Giffard is by way of Emmeline, & should be blind, but, heaven knows! I would not wish to see better than she does, & seems to do; for when Philidel restores her to sight, her eyes are not at all better than before; she is led in at first, by a Creature, yet was more like a Devil by half, than Grimbald himself; she took herself for Madame la Confidente, but every body else took her to be in the Circumstances of Damnation: when Emmeline comes to her sight, she beholds this Mrs Matilda first, & cries out Are Women all like thee? such glorious Creatures! which set the people into such a laugh, as lasted the whole Act: the Frost Scene is excessive fine; the first Scene of it is only a Cascade, that seems frozen: with the Genius of Winter asleep & wrapt in furs, who upon the approach of Cupid, after much quivering, & shaKing sings the finest song in the Play: just after, the Scene opens, & shows a view of arched rocks covered with Ice & Snow to ye end of ye Stage; between the arches are upon pedestals of Snow eight Images of old men & women, that seem frozen into Statues, with Icicles hanging about them & almost hid in frost, & from ye end come Singers, viz: Mrs Chambers, &: & Dancers all rubbing their hands & chattering with cold with fur gowns & worsted gloves in abundance. Gray, Correspondence, I, 36-37

Event Comment: By the Desire of Madame la Marquise de Mascarille

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years. [In mainpiece the playbill does not list the Child; for the assignment see Morning Post, 10 Oct., and edition of 1787 (Rachael Randall).] "[Mrs Siddons's] merit in the character was infinite, and the applause she received unbounded. In various of her scenes the plaudits were repeated . . . During the fourth and fifth acts there was almost an incessant clapping, and when Isabella expired her death was rendered glorious by the theatre's resounding with thundering applause for more than a minute" (Morning Chronicle, 11 Oct.). "L'actrice la plus noble dans ses manieres, madame Siddons, ne perd rien de sa dignite quand elle se prosterne contre terre . . . Enfin, il arriva ce moment terrible ou Isabelle, s'etant echappee des mains des femmes qui veulent l'empechcr de se tuer, rit, en se donnant un coup de poignard, de l'inutilite de leurs efforts. Ce rire du desespoir est l'effet le plus difficile et le plus remarquable que le jeu dramatique puisse produire; il emeut bien plus que les larmes: cette amere ironie du malheur est son expression la plus dechirante. Qu'elle est terrible la souffrance du coeur, quand elle inspire une si barbare joie, quand elle donne, a l'aspect de son propre sang, le contentement feroce d'un sauvage ennemi qui se serait venge!" (Mme de Stael: Corinne, livre XVII, chapitre iv). Receipts: #181 11s. (147/0; 34/6; 0/5)

Event Comment: "We consider Madame Mara, to use vulgar phrase, as upon he last legs...[Her] Polly is downright burlesque; her figure, countenance, and time of life are directly repugnant to our ideas of the character; and her foreign accent and gesticulation complete the absurdity" (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1797, p. 299). "Mme Mara is merely a singer; her voice is by no means calculated to give effect to the dialogue of the part; and her performance, although she appears to have paid considerable attention to the degree of action necessary for the part, is greatly deficient in point of feeling...Her deficiency in person and performance, however, is amply compensated for in her ability as a singer" (Morning Herald, 26 Oct.) Receipts: #329 16s. (324.6; 5.10)

Event Comment: In consequence of Mme Hilligsberg not being sufficiently recovered from her late Accident, the Dances intended to have been performed this Evening [A Divertisement (i.e. Les Delassemens Militaires) and Cupid and Psyche, both advertised on playbill of 26 Oct.] are unavoidably obliged to be postponed till Tuesday. "Towards the conclusion of Peggy's Love on Tuesday Madame Hilligsberg fell upon the stage, and was so much stunned that she was obliged to be carried off by Didelot" (True Briton, 28 Oct.). Receipts: #252 14s. 6d. (249.3.6; 3.11.0)

Event Comment: Medonte announced, but Morning Chronicle, 17 Dec.: By the sudden indisposition of Madame Banti, there was no opera on Saturday night. Ibid, 18 Dec.: Bills were posted up all over London in the forenoon, and a respectful card sent to the house of each subscriber. Morning Herald, 18 Dec., carries a statement signed by Pere Elisee saying that "about two o'clock, Saturday morning last, I was called out of my bed by a message that Mrs Banti was taken dangerously ill," that she so continues, and that as her physician he is "of opinion it will not be safe for her to quit her sick bed for several days yet to come.

Event Comment: Opera: 1st time [in London; 1st performed at Naples, 1794]. The Music entirely new, composed [i.e. revised] here by Bianchi. With new Scenes (painted by Marinari, and under his direction), Dresses and Decorations. "In the second act there is an Air of Madame Banti in a singular style:-she is accompanied by the Hautboys and Tenors only; the Violins are mute. It had a very fine effect" Morning Chronicle, 23 Jan.)

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. Mainpiece: Mr Colman's Last New Comedy. [He was the author of the Epilogue, which was spoken by the Dramatis Personae. In afterpiece the playbill retains Mrs H. Johnston as Malvina, but she "being indisposed, her part was performed with great effect by Madame [sic] St.Amand" (London Chronicle, 15 Mar.).] Receipts: #379 16s. (378.3; 1.13)