Event Comment: Ladies send servants by 3 o'clock. A Comic Opera, Never Perform'd [by Isaac Bickerstaffe]. The Scenes, Dresses and Dances entirely new (playbill). [The playbill does not assign parts. Assignment from Genest and Winston who both identify the Young Gentlewoman as Miss Brickler. The Music compiled from Favourite airs of the most celebrated composers." See note for 27 May relative to dances in this opera.] Receipts: #245 14s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Alexander the Great? [announced on playbill of 4 Nov.] is obliged to be deferred. [The playbill lists Mrs Yates as Lady Townly, but see following note. Miss Younge's name appears in all subsequent playbills, except on 19 Dec.] Alexander was advertised for this Night, but Lacy being hoarse, who was to have played Alexander, it was obliged to be deferred, and this Play substituted. It was between eleven and twelve o'clock at (Night) before we got it settled. Mr. Sheridan ordered me not to send to Mrs. Yates about (it) till the Morning. About eight o'clock I sent her Notice that the Provoked Husband was to be performed at Night. A little after nine, she sent Word by her Niece that she was never so ill treated in her life, that she was never before asked to play on the fifth of November [which day was traditionally set aside for the acting of Tamerlane], that she would not play Lady Townly that Night, nor would she play any more; and if she had an Inclination to play, she had no Cloaths ready to play it in; and sent back the Part of Semiramis in a new Tragedy that was preparing [see 16 Nov., 14 Dec.]. I got Miss Younge to do Lady Townly, and an Apology was made by Packer that Mrs Yates having refused this Morning to do Lady Townly, Miss Younge at a Minutes' Notice undertook to do it. Miss Younge was much applauded and Yates had a few hisses (Hopkins Diary). Receipts: #179 11s. 6d

Event Comment: Tickets delivered by Kenny, Briggs, Pemberton, Newton, Leslie, Miss Heard, Miss Richards, Mrs Enoe will be taken. Receipts: #40 11s. 6d. (27/5/0; 13/6/6; 0/0/0; tickets: none listed)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Brunton. Mainpiece [1st time in London; T 5, by Frederick Reynolds, 1st acted at Bath, 3 Dec. 1785. In 1795 reduced to 3 acts. Prologue and Epilogue by William Meyler (Town and Country Magazine, Apr. 1786, p. 215]. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Morning Chronicle, 17 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Miss Brunton, No. 5, George-street, York-buildings. Receipts: #350 17s. 6d. (210/11/0; 3/1/6; tickets: 137/5/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Fontenelle. Public Advertiser, 14 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Fontenelle at her house, No. 271, Holbourn. 2nd piece: Compressed into 3 short Acts. "Miss Fontenelle...is the best Romp we ever saw, Mrs Jordan alone excepted...We were sorry to see [her] fall over the groove of the scene; but as practice is more forcible than precept, we hope it will teach her the truth of Friar Lawrence's caution, 'they stumble who run fast'" (Diary, 4 May). Receipts: #219 19s. (133.14.6; 6.8.6; tickets: 79.16.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Wallis [whose 1st appearance as Lady Eleanor Irwin was at Bath, 2 May 1793, and as Lady Bab Lardoon also at Bath, 15 Mar. 1791]. 2nd piece: With a view of High-street, Portsmouth, at the time of an Illumination. Morning Herald, 18 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Wallis, No. 76, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #377 15s. 6d. (182.16.6; 10.3.0; tickets: 184.16.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never Acted before. [By John Hewitt.] Preface to edition of 1737: This Comedy made it's Appearance under many Disadvantages:...It was read for the first Time to the Performers, Tuesday the 15th, and acted Monday the 21st. Mrs Giffard, who had been Ill the Whole Season, undertook the Character of Lady Betty Manly, but finding herself indisposed, returned the Part on Thursday Evening. It was then given to Mrs Hamilton, who on Saturday about one in the Afternoon declared she could not do it unless it was cut, which the Nature of that Part not admitting, there was a Necessity to ask the Favour of Miss Hughes to undertake it, who with a great deal of good Nature, studied and played it perfect, tho' at so short a Warning

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Clive. Afterpiece [written by Mrs Clive]: A new farce partly singing, part speakg. Went off well (Cross). Music by Dr Boyce. Five rows of Pit &c. [Stage arranged as on 10 March. The framework for financial analysis of receipts appears in Treasurer's Book, but the figures are missing. The parts for The Rehearsal, according to the Larpent MS 86, were: Mrs Hazard, Nelly, Tom, Witling, Mr Cross; Miranda-$Miss Norris; Corydon-$Beard; Marcella, Miss Giggle, Sir Albany Odelove, Miss Sidell, Miss Daudle.] Receipts: #240 (Cross); charges, #60 (Treasurer's Book)

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: [The words of The Pastoral Dialogue as sung by Beard and Miss Hallam are printed in the Public Advertiser this day.

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Poitier. Afterpiece: Alter'd from Addison. The Music entirely new set by Mr Arnold. [Original three acts reduced to two.] To be performed for this night only. Charges #75 14s. [Profit to Mrs Thompson #59 7s. 6d. plus #48 9s. from tickets (Box 135; Pit 98) (Account Book). As indicated by the name Mrs Thompson in the Account Book, Miss Poitier was already married by this time, although she does not appear in the Bills under the name Mrs Thompson until 16 Sept. 1767. She was first married to Vernon, the singer at Drury Lane.] Receipts: #135 1s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [See 27 Nov. 1765. Hogan noted the following additions from the 1770 edn.: Mortimer-Lewes; Glendower-Morris; Prince John-Miss Cockayne; Northumberland-Redman; Gadshill-P. Smith; Peto-Wild.] Receipts: #149 17s. 6d