Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs T. Kennedy. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Many Tickets of Mr Kennedy's having been stolen, he gives public Notice that no Tickets sold at the Doors or Avenues of the Theatre will have Admission this Evening. Morning Chronicle, 19 May: Tickets to be had of Kennedy, No. 44, Great Queen-street. Receipts: #108 4s. 6d. (41/1/6; 5/3/0; tickets: 62/0/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Lewis. 2nd piece [1st time; C 3, by John O'Keeffe. Not in Larpent MS; not published. This is an unusual instance of the playbill containing, on the 1st night of a new play, the full cast]: Taken from Mrs Centlivre's Gamester. Receipts: #345 13s. (256.2.6; 4.3.6; tickets: 85.7.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Johnstone. 2nd piece: Taken from Mrs Centlivre's Gamesters [recte: Gamester]. 3rd piece [1st time; M.INT 1]: The Accompaniments by Shield. Gazetteer 14 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Johnstone, No. 10, Great Russell-street, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #296 11s. (153.2.6; 3.4.6; tickets:140.4.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. [1st piece: Epilogue by Miles Peter Andrews.] 3rd piece [1st time; F 2, by Eliza Parsons, based on Monsieur de Pourceaugnac, by Moliere]. Morning Herald, 27 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mattocks, No. 8, Great Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #269 11s. 6d. (174.14.0; 4.16.6; tickets: 90.1.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several eminent Merchants and Persons of Distinction. Afterpiece: a new Pastoral Epithalamium. [Edition of 1733 lists no cast, states that it was written by a Gentleman, and prints the Prologue, which was written by Havard. A song, The Wedding Day, written by Henry Carcy, was sung in it by Master Osborne.]

Event Comment: Mas. Love was hiss'd for playing out of tune upon the Organ (Hopkins). This night Master Love was hissed for playing out of tune upon the organ (Hopkins Diary-MacMillan). Receipts: #179 9s. 6d. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: Benefit for Fishar (ballet master) and Sga Manesiere. [The previous day's bill made special announcement of the variety of Dancing to be offered. N.B. A previous Academy of Dancing 23 April 1762. Miles listed for the part of Landlady by Public Advertiser.

Event Comment: Paid for 2 clarinets 6 nights (29th inst. inclusive) #9 9s.; Super. Soldiers #1 4s.; Chorus 2 nights (this incl.) #4 11s.; Master Thomson Chorus, 13 nights (30th incl.) #3 5s.; Printer's Bill #9 6s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receitps: #219 5s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid Master Brown 6 nights (this incl.) #2 5s.; Chorus 2 nights (this incl.) #5 1s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #85 19s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 5 years [acted 2 Nov. 1781]. Paid Wardrobe #6 2s. 6d.; Guard [master carpenter] for Scenemen #17 15s. 11d. Receipts: #178 9s. (171/19; 6/10)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by James Cobb]: Some of the Airs compiled from the best Masters; the rest of the Music, the Overture, Accompaniments, &c. by Linley? Sen. With variety of new Scenery ["A view of Calcuttav, from a painting done on the spot by Hodges, opens the piece" (Public Advertiser, 26 Feb.)], Dresses and Decorations. Public Advertiser, 6 Mar. 1788: This Day is published Love in the East (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #207 8s. 6d. (172.8.0; 33.9.6; 1.11.0)

Event Comment: The United Company. As 9 Nov. 1692 is known to be the second day, it is assumed that 8 Nov. 1692 represents the first performance. (See entry for 9 Nov. 1692.) The authorship is uncertain; William Mountfort signed tne Dedication, but its authorship is linked with that of Edward III (November 1690), which may have been by Bancroft. Gentleman's Journal, October 1692 (not issued until November): Henry the Second, King of England, A new Play, by the Author of that call'd Edward the Third, which gave such universal satisfaction, hath been acted several times with applause. It is a Tragedy with a mixture of Comedy....Had you seen it acted, you would own that an Evening is pass'd very agreeably, when at a Representation of that pleasing Piece. [Alfred Harbage, Elizabethan-Restoration Palimpsest, Modern Language Review, XXXV (1940), 312-18, argues that this play is the Elizabethan Henry II once in the possession of Moseley. A song, In vain 'gainst Love I strove, composed by Henry Purcell and sung by Mrs Dyer, not in the printed play, is in Comes Amoris, 1693, and Joyful Cuckoldom 1695. See Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, XX (1916), vii

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the first performance is not known. A contract between Cibber and Rich was signed on 29 Oct. 1696 (L. C. 3@73, in Nicoll, Restoration Drama, pp. 381-82), with an agreement that it was not to be printed until a month after it was acted. Since the play was advertised in the Post Man, 20-23 March 1696@7, it may have been acted as early as January 1697, certainly not later than February 1697. Possibly Leveridge set the music for a song, Tell me, Belinda, prithee do, which is in A New Book of Songs by Mr Leveridge, advertised in the London Gazette, No. 3293, 3 June 1697. A Comparison Between the Two Stages (1702), p. 18: Lady in Fashion, by a Player, Damn'd. Preface, Edition of 1697: Not to miss the Advantage of Mr Doggett's Excellent Action; I prepar'd a low Character

Event Comment: Rich's Company. Lady Morley attended this performance: Lady Morley and one in the Box at the Grove an Opera. 10s. See Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Drama, p. 378. It is not known whether this performance was the premiere, but the publication of this work on 16 March 1699@1700 (Post Man, 14-16 March 1699@1700) suggests that if the usual month between premiere and publication intervened for this work, the premiere may have been in mid-February. On the other hand, a letter-see 20 Jan. 1699@1700-may refer to this work. The music was composed by Daniel Purcell. In Songs in the New Opera Called The Grove or Love's Paradice (1700) the following singers are listed: Mrs Irwin, Freeman, The Boy, Hughes, Mrs Lindsey, Pate, and Mrs Shaw. The Preface implies that the opera was a failure: As for the Persons who were not so generous...who thought the Catastrophe was not enough prepar'd, and that the discovery in the last Act was huddled and in confusion, they will now see if what he had writ had been spoken, every thing would have appear's clear and natural, which, to shorten the Entertainment had been before broken and disorder'd

Event Comment: Mainpiece: [By Francis Hawling. The Preface gives a long account of the unhappy preliminaries to the performance and the extremely poor acting by the company.] Afterpiece. The Words by Mr Motteux, and Set to Musick by Mr Eccles

Event Comment: Three Brothers of ye Delavals play'd ye Eldest Othello, ye next Iago, ye next Cassio--+Brabantio & Lodovico Mr Pine Roderigo-Mrs Quan">Cap. Stevens and Wife Emelia $Mrs Quan did Desdemona, the performance was very decent & met with great applause the Audience from ye Boxes to the upper Gallery were fill'd with people of ye first rank & make a most brilliant appearance. & ye greatest Crowd at ye Doors I ever saw. their Agreement for ye House was a receipt of one of the Alfred Houses upon an Averidge. they had all new cloaths, & very nicely ornamented with Diamonds (Cross). [See eulogy and criticism in some detail concerning the acting, by John Hill, Inspector No 3.] All Gentlemen and Ladies who intend going in coaches this evening to Drury Lane Theatre, are desired to order their coachmen to drive thro' Covent Garden, and stop at Bridges St. Door, and as soon as they have set down the company to drive off directly towards the Strand.--Those who go in chairs, are requested to order the men to the New Door in Russel St., and to prevent the avenues being stopt up no person will be admitted to either passage without first showing their tickets at the outward door (General Advertiser). Tickets Lost. If any person has found three tickets (numbers forgot) for the private play this night at Drury Lane, and will be so kind as to bring them to the Bar of the Rainbow Coffee House, Ironmonger Lane, shall receive 15s. for the whole, or in proportion for one or two of them (General Advertiser). Tomorrow Morning at 8 o'clock will be published' (price 6d.) by Thomas Carnan, at Mr Newberry's, at the Bible and Sun in St Paul's Churchyard; An Occasional Prologue and Epilogue to Othello, as it will this night be acted at the theatre-Royal in Drury Lane, by Persons of distinction, for their diversion. Written by Christopher Smart, A.M., Fellow of Pembroke Hall in the University of Cambridge. To be had at the place above mentioned, and at the pamphlet shops at the Royal Exchange and Charing Cross. This Prologue and Epilogue will be entered in the Hall Book of the Company of Stationers, and whoever presumes to pyrate them, or any part of them, will be persecuted as the Law directs (General Advertiser). [Both pieces by Christopher Smart, according to the Daily Advertiser. See two exceedingly favorable critical comments and one derogatory reprinted in the Gentleman's Magazine, March 1751 (pp. 119-22): "The greatest part of the play was much better performed than it ever was on any stage before. In the whole, there was a face of nature that no theatrical piece, acted by common players ever came up to." Macklin was Delaval's dramatic coach, according to one of these articles.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Yates. Garrick's first appearance in Chamont in 4 years. Mrs Yates in Monimia for first time. Mrs Cibber's illness has oblig'd Mrs Yates to change her Play from Jane Shore to The Orphan. The Afterpiece (for one night only): A Burlesque Opera of two acts

Event Comment: Benefit for Ross. Mainpiece: Never acted there. Afterpiece: Not acted this season. No Building on Stage. Tickets and Places to be had of Mr Ross in the Little Piazza, Covent Garden; and of Mr Sarjant, at the Stage Door

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Mr Holland but coolly receiv'd in Oakly, at first. The last Scene in the Genii the Wings did not change on Account of the Barrel being broke (Hopkins). Oakly by Mr Holland, First time (Cross Diary). Receipts: #124 18s. 6d. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard. This play was got up with a very Grand Procession-Alexander by Mr Powell (ranted too much) (Hopkins). Part of Pit laid into Boxes. No Building on Stage. [No Building for any Bt. this season.] Mr Powell very wild in Alexander, and took his voice too high (Hopkins Diary-MacMillan). Not acted in 20 Years. [See 26 Dec. 1743.] Charges: #76 4s

Event Comment: Paid five days salary at #82 5d. per diem--#411 12s. 1d.; Paid Mr French on Acct #30; Miss Ambrose salary short paid 15s.; Mr J. Richard's for Trumpeter's coats and banners #100 16s.; Miss Hayward 15 nights not on [salary] list #7 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #109 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: N.B. The sixth night of the New Tragedy of The Grecian Daughter is oblig'd to be deferred till Monday. Paid 2 Clarinets 3 nights (22 Feb. incl.) #4 14s. 6d.; Paid 4 Days' salary at #83 9s. 9d.; #333 19s.; Mrs Abington's cloaths acct, #1; Mr S. French 6 days, #1 10s.; Extra soldiers, #1 4s.; Rec'd Mr Condill's 2nd payment for fruit office #20 (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #156 16s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Archer by Mr King. Cherry first time Miss Jarratt pretty well. Sga Pacini danc'd for the first time. She is a small figure, not much Elegance but was very well received (Hopkins Diary). Agreement with Sga Paccini, 20 June 1775: "I do agree for my partner, Mr Willoughby Lacy, and myself, to engage Signora Paccini as first dancer at our Theatre, the ensuing season, which commences the first week in September 1775, and finishes the end of May 1776; for which the said Signora shall receive from us, by weekly or monthly payments as she pleases, the sum of three hundred and twenty-five pounds sterling, and she is likewise to have a benefit in course of salary, and at the best time of the year, for which she is to dance whenever she is called upon, to the best of her power and abilities. This engagement the managers of the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane engage to fulfill on their part, under the penalty of five-hundred pounds sterling. Witness my hand this nineteenth day of June 1775." (Signed.) David Garrick for Willoughby Lacy and himself (Boaden, Private Correspondence of Garrick, II, 63). The Comedy of The School for Lovers oblig'd to be deferr'd. Receipts: #153 19s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)