Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Cross, Mrs Bridges, Miss Young. The General Advertiser included the following Puff: Sir, As I am continually searching for latent Curiosities, out of a sincere regard for the Public Satisfaction, I think it my Duty (lest among the Multitude of Diversions now flourishing, some other might engross the attention of the Curious) to inform the world, that the Farce which will be perform'd this Evening at Drury Lane theatre, call'd May Day, or the Merry Milkmaids of Islington, was written by the particular desire of King Charles II who had it first performed at Newmarket; how agreeably that jovial Monarch was entertained, every person, who thinks it worth his while to see it, according to his abilities, will be a competent judge, Yours, &c A. Virtuoso. [Part of the Multitude of Diversions referred to included announcement in the same paper for a Rehearsal of the whole Band of Music at Ruckholt House, the following Monday; a paragraph Puff on the diversions at Sadler's Wells in consequence of the late happy Victory of the Duke of Cumberland over the Rebels, with special notice of a New Interlude of Music call'd Strephon's Return, or the British Hero, perform'd this night with many advantages of Dress and Decoration, and a new Ballet by Matthews; and further notice of the Representation of the Battle near Culloden House which had met with universal applause, and which would continue to be repeated at the New Wells in Goodman's Fields. The Farce at Drury Lane this evening was advertised as not having been played for 20 years. It was taken from Thomas Nabbes' Totenham Court Road, by the Compiler of the Muse of Newmarket, 1680. The MS Occasional Prologue praising Cumberland is in the Larpent Collection.

Event Comment: Benefit for Stede, Redman, Mrs Bambridge, Miss Minors, Miss Ferguson and Miss Morrison. Tickets deliver'd also by Goodall, Rawlings, Miss Allen, Widow Dupre, Mrs Hitchcock. No charges made, but House receiv'd 1!2 value of all income. Receipts: #16 14s. 6d. @Tickets Box Pit Gallery Value 1!2 Value@Stede 7 74 81 #20 19s. #10 9s. 6d.@Redman 8 71 38 #16 9s. #8 4s. 6d.@Goodall .. 46 34 #14 16s. #7 8s.@Mr Rawlings 16 57 65 #19 1s. #9 10s. 6d.@Miss Minors 17 71 26 #17 10s. #8 15s.@Mrs Ferguson 8 73 91 #22 1s. #11 6d.@Mrs Allen .. 25 19 #5 13s. #2 16s.@Morrison 26 41 55 #18 3s. #9 1s. 6d.@Dupre 10 44 57 #14 16s. #7 8s.@Hitchcock 23 67 34 #19 4s. [Seems to have rec'd full value #77 6s. 6d.]@Total 115 614 530 #173 17s.

Event Comment: Benefit for Shuter and Miss Haughton. Tickets at stage door. [For criticism of Shuter and Miss Haughton, see Genest, IV, p. 363, from The Present State of the Stage in Great Britain and Ireland, 1753. Nineteen of the Fifty-five pages of this pamphlet defend the stage on classicial authority and moral grounds from attacks by the religious bigots, and present an ideal picture of a manager, laying under some contribution, it would seem, the character of a manager presented ten years earlier (1743) in Queries to be Answered. The author especially likes the moral of Tate's alteration of Lear. The remaining pages give a paragraph or two of criticism to the leading actors and actresses in some of their most affecting parts (sixteen pages to Drury Lane Performers, all of whom appear in the author's eye to be either "Excellent" or "Very Good.") The remaining space is devoted to the performers at Covent Garden and at the Theatre Royal in Dublin. All those spoken of fare well in the hands of this bound-to-be pleased critic. Shuter is here commended for ability to play an Old Man convincingly though he was but 22 years old, and to play at all considering his lack of education. He possesses a great fund of drollery, and bids fair to be as great in low comedy as it is possible for man to conceive.' Miss Haughton described as an actress of promise. Seems never to have got the better of a lisp, and a Newcastle manner of pronouncing the letter 'r.'] Receipts: #290 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Dulisse. Afterpiece By Particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mills and Miss Minors. Tickets deliver'd by Taswell will be taken. [The Present State of the Stage commends Miss Minors in characters of awkward country girls.] Receipts: #170 (Cross)