Event Comment: Benefit for one Monett master of ye French Comedians (Cross). [174th and positively the last night.] Receipts: #120 (Cross). Account of Disbursements made by Mr Monnet for his Stage, as well in Ready Money as in Notes of Hand. @Names of Actors and Actresses Their Contracts with Mr Monnet Paid in Money Paid in Notes Whole sum of the Expence, as well in Money as in Notes@Desormes #227 7s. 6d. #65 17s. 9d. #131 5s. #197 2s. 9d.@Mauly & Hamond #301 8s. 9d. #175 #63 #238@Bureau #257 8s. 7d. #122 11s. 3d. #52 10s. #175 1s. 3d.@Toscano #289 7s. 10d. #123 16s. 7d. #66 1s. 3d. #189 7s. 10d.@Durancy and Wife #361 17s. 1d. #147 7s. #210 #357 7s.@Parant #218 15s. #108 10s. 10d. .... #108 10s. 10d.@Terodat #52 10s. #39 2s. .... #39 2s.@Kelly #30 18s. #30 18s. .... #30 18s.@Villiers #32 15s. #32 15s. .... #32 15s.@Chateauneuf #43 15s. #15 17s. .... #15 17s.@Dujoncel #36 15s. #24 13s. 6d. #12 1s. 6d. #36 15s.@Champville #87 10s. #52 10s. .... #52 10s.@StAmand #78 15s. #26 5s. #17 10s. #43 15s.@Totals #1,919 2s. 9d. #965 4s. 3d. #552 7s. 9d.@ @Other Expences@For the Play-House's Rent #110@For the Stage's Taylor #35 14s.@For the Expences of Four Representations acted #65 12s. 6d.@For the traveling Expences of Mr Monnet, and his Residence of twenty Months at London or Paris and the Expences for the Custom-House, Law, Prison #328 12s. 8d.@Whole Sum of the Expence #2,157 1s.@ @RECEIPTS@For Fifty-six Subscriptions, at Five Guineas each #294@Received from Four Representations acted at the Little Theatre in the Hay-Market #188 18s. 4d.@From a Subscription, by Mr Arthur, Master of White's Chocolate-House #367 10s.@Whole Sum of the Receipts #850 8s. 4d. @ Therefore the Expence exceeds the Money received by #1,306 12s. 8d. which Mr Monnet is entirely out of Pocket, besides two Years and a half of his Time spent for it. N.B. The Contracts are all made for Livres Turnois, and this Account is made upon a Calculation of 3 Livres Tournois for 31 1!2d. Sterling.--And the Contracts and Receipts are ready to be produced. [This account is by courtesy of Miss Sybil Rosenfeld from a photostat of the original (which is printed in both French and English) in the Bibliotheque National. See also British Magazine, August 1750, p. 322.

Event Comment: Nothing said abour ye prolog: (Cross). The Music of the Funeral Procession compos'd by Dr Boyce. [See "William Boyce's 'Solemn Dirge' in Garrick's Romeo and Juliet Production of 1750," by Charles Haywood, Shakespeare Quarterly, Spring, 1960.] This day is Publish'd at 1s. 6d. Romeo and Juliet a Tragedy, revised and alter'd from Shakespear by Theophilus Cibber, First revised in September 1744, at the Theatre in the Haymarket; now acted at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. To which is added a Serio-Comic Apology for Part of the Life of Mr Theophilus Cibber, Comedian, written by himself. Interspers'd with memoirs and anecdotes relating to the Stage Managements, Theatrical Resolutions, &c. also cursory Observations on principal Players: particularly Mr Quin, Mr Ryan, Mrs Woffington, Mrs Ward, and Miss Bellamy; Mr Garrick, Mr Barry, Mrs Cibber, Mrs Clive, Mrs Pritchard, &c. Likewise Original Letters that passed between the late Sir Thomas DeVeil and Mr Theophilus Cibber relating to the Stage Act, Concluding with a copy of Verses, call'd the Contrite Comedian's Confession. Printed for C. Corbett, the Publisher, at Addison's Head, facing St Dunstan's Church, Fleet St; G. Woodfall, at the King's Arms, the corner of Craig's Court, Charing Cross. [See 11 Oct.] Receipts: #170 (Cross)

Event Comment: We hear that some Gentlemen and Ladies who intended to act a private play for their own amusement, at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket; but having been much importuned by their friends and acquaintances for tickets, they found a larger house would be necessary. They applied therefore to the Author of the Masque now performing at Drury Lane, who, without hesitation, agreed that the run of Alfred should be interrupted for one night to oblige them. The tragedy of Othello, we are told is the play the Gentlemen have pitched on. The theatre being engaged to some Gentlemen and ladies for a private play tomorrow, the Masque of Alfred is oblig'd to be deferr'd till Saturday next. Some Persons, it seems, continue still under a Mistake that this Masque [Alfred] is the same with the first draught of one formerly written under the same title: they need only, to be undeceived, look into the advertisement prefixed to that performance just now printed for A. Miller, in the Strand. The Ladies and Gentlemen who distributed Tickets for the Play Othello which was to have been acted in the Haymarket, intend to perform it tomorrow at Drury Lane: No person will be admitted without a ticket, and no tickets will be taken at the stage door (General Advertiser)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Clive. Part of Pit will be rail'd into the Boxes. Servants allow'd to keep places. Send servants by 3 o'clock. Tickets and places to be had of Mrs Clive at the Naked Boy in Henrietta St., Covent Garden. Mainpiece: Not acted these 7 years [see 18 Nov. 1754]. Afterpiece: With alterations and an additional scene. Mr Havard's benefit play, which should have been acted some day this month, is deferr'd on account of his Indisposition, to the 12th of April, when the new Masque of Alfred will be perform'd, with its proper Scenes, Dances, Music, and Machinery. Receipts: #230 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMr Harris James dy'd at 8 in ye Morn (Cross). Mainpiece: Acted there but once these 20 years. Receipts: #120 (Cross)

Event Comment: Publish'd, A Treatise of the Passions so far as they regard the stage &c., by Mr Foote. 1s. [First pub. 1747, it contains an interesting comment on Garrick's Lear.] Romeo and Juliet which was bespoke, and was to have been acted last Monday at Drury Lane, will be acted there next Monday, Miss Bellamy being recovered from her late indisposition. Receipts: #190 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. Afterpiece: A New Dramtic Satire in two acts. N.B. As several of the Town have prejudged the Pit the Boxes and Galleries acting their own parts themselves for their diversion, to be of the same species of the Lick at the Town last year; and that it can mean only the ordinary Approbation or Disapprobation of the Audience, Signor Pasquin thinks it incumbent on himself to assure to Publick that all those conjectures are groundless; And farther, he assures them that the Pit, &c. acting their parts has no other meaning than the common literal sense; and that the Audience are really interwoven in the piece; and are to be bona fide part of the Dramatis Personae; and he makes no doubt but that he shall make them perform their parts to a numerous and polite audience, and with universal Applause. But he begs that those Ladies and Gentlemen who intend to perform in the Pit and Galleries will be at the Theatre betimes, for particular reasons; and those who are to act in the Boxes are requested to send their servants to keep their places by three o'clock. Signor Pasquin has received the letters sent by the Town and the Village, and they may depend upon having Places kept for them upon the Stage. The Hiss concerning the Robin Hood Society will be complied with (General Advertiser). [The parts were: Pasquin, Marforio, Sir Eternal Grinn, Sir Conjecture Positive, Sir Roger Ringwood, Bob Smart, Soloman Common Sense; Count Hunt Bubble, Sir John Ketch, hic and Hac (Scribblers), Hydra, Lady Lucy Loveit, Miss Diana Singlelife, Miss Brilliant, Miss Bashfull (Larpent MS 96).

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. Afterpiece: A Comedy in 2 acts written by Foote, with Prologue and Epilogue by him. Miss Macklin did Calista and a part in the farce,-all went well (Cross). A Comedy in answer to the French Farce A Frenchman in London, with a Dialogue Prologue, spoken by Macklin & his wife. Epilogue spoken by Miss Macklin. All by Foote. Part of Pit laid into the boxes, with an amphitheatre on stage, all at 5s. Full Prices (Winston MS 8). The Englishman at Paris has been better recev'd that I expected. Garrick, &c., &c....say kinder things of it than modesty will permit me to repeat. Upon the whole it was damnably acted, Macklin miserably imperfect in the words and in the character (a stain to Comedy). You might have seen what I meant,--an English Buck, by the power of dulness instantaneously transformed into an Irish chairman. Miss Roach, accompany'd by some frippery French woman occupy'd, to the no small scandal of the whole house, the Prince's box, whilst the duchess of Bedford &c., &c. were oblig'd to take up with seats upon the stage. The piece will be printed the 25th instant, which I will enclose to you (Samuel Foote to Mr Delaval, MS in Folger Shakespeare Library, written either 24 March, or, perhaps more likely, 24 April, since Foote states later in the letter he is leaving for foreign parts the first of May)

Event Comment: To begin exactly at 6:00 o'clock. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be had of Mr Varney at the Stage door. [Repeated throughout the season.] Ye Naturalizing Bill having made some Noise against the Jews, some people call'd out for ye Merchant of Venice, & a Letter was thrown upon ye Stage desiring that play instead of the Opera, but we took no Notice of it, some little hissing but it dy'd away (Cross). [Sometime in the calendar year 1753, Lacy and Garrick drew up a mortgage on the Drury Lane property for #10,000, to be amortized to James Clutterbuck over a period of twenty-one years at the rate of #4 per acting night, and permission to grant free seats in any part of the theatre (except the stage, scenes and orchestra) to forty persons. These latter to be named and seats assigned ten days prior to the opening of any season. This thirteen-page document, which describes accurately the bounds of the 13,134 square feet of land on which the ten buildings comprising Drury Lane Theatre stood, contains protective clauses for Clutterbuck, to the effect that Garrick and Lacy will exhibit nowhere else in London without the #4 nightly payment and for Garrick and Lacy, to the effect that arrears in payment could be collected solely from Drury Lane property, and not from the individual incomes of the mortgagees. It was not signed, so apprently was not executed. (See Havard, Collection of Documents dealing with affairs of Drury Lane, No 2, fMS, Thr 12.)] Receipts: #150 (Cross)

Event Comment: At Phillips's Great Theatrical Booth, facing the Great Til'd Booth, Bowling Green, To begin at Twelve noon during the time of the Fair. Boxes 2s. 6d. Pit 1s. 6d. Upper seats 6d. [For security Phillips has erected no Gallery. Presumably the Patent Theatres were demanding more rigid enforcement of the Licensing Act as indicated in the notice from the Daily Advertiser 18 Sept.: Whereas the Fair called Lady Fair...in the Borough of Southwark...any person or persons..who person..(who ) shall act and exhibit any Droll or Shew (after 20 Sept.) shall be prosecuted and punished according to Law.'

Event Comment: Printed books of the opera will be sold at the theatre. Published this day at 1s. Lo Studente A La Moda, dramma comicogiocoso, as it is acted at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. With an English Translation. Sold by H. Woodfall...Where may be had Gli Amanti Gelosi, with an English translation. [Opera in there acts in Italian and French. Larpent MS 103. Altered from A. Polomba La Violante. Music by G. B. Pergolesi. Rich applied to the Duke of Grafton (9 Jan.) for license to perform it.