Event Comment: MMiss Nossiter did Belvidera-vast applause (Murphy">Cross). [$Murphy in Gray's Inn Journal, 16 Nov., noticed Miss Nossiter's appearance in Belvidera, commenting "that she is, upon many occasions Mistress of the Surprising Attitude and Action," agreeing that she gave promise of excellence, wishing that her voice would mellow into more harmony and softness, and delivering a paragraph of advice from Quintilian on the error of false emphasis in elocution.

Event Comment: NNossiter play'd Rutland (Cross). [Murphy in Gray's Inn Journal, 15 Dec., notes: It is universally agreed by all who have seen the play [Essex] that Mrs Bland performs the queen with great Spirit and with more resemblance to a personage of rank, than is commonly seen on the stage."

Event Comment: An Italian Comic Opera by some performers just arriv'd from Paris. Went off pretty well, -a Girl greatly admir'd (Cross). [The girl seems to have been Sga Spiletta.] She plays off with inexhaustible spirits all muscular evolutions of the face and brows; while in her eye wantons a studied archness, and pleasing malignity. Her voice has strength and scope sufficient; has neither too much of the feminine, nor an inclining to the male. Her gestures are ever varying; her transitions quick and easy. Some over-nice critics, forgetting, or not knowing the meaning of the word Burletta, cry that her manner is outre. Wou'd she not be faulty were it otherwise? The thing chargeable to her is (perhaps) too great a luxurience of comic tricks; which (an austere censor would say) border on unlaced lasciviousness, and extravagant petulance of action (Paul Hiffernan, The Tuner, No 1). [Spiletta was the name of the character to whom Sga Nicolina Giordani gave such life that the name stuck to her. See Saxe Wyndham, Annals of Covent Garden Theatre.] [A Comic Opera by G. Giordani, Music by G. Cocchi-Nicoll, English Drama, III, p. 349.] Nothing less than the full price will be taken during the Performance. Printed books of the opera sold at the theatre. Tomorrow, Venice Preserved. [Murphy commented in Gray's Inn Journal (22 Dec.): "A great deal of whatever humour this production may contain, is certainly lost to an English audience; and the manner of acting, being a burlesque upon what people here are not very well acquainted with, is not universally felt. But notwithstanding these disadvantages, there is one among them, Sga Nicolina Giordani, who displayed such lively traces of Humour in her countenance, and such pleasing variety of action, and such variety of graceful deportment, that she is generally acknowledged to be, in that Cast of playing, an excellent comic actress."

Event Comment: [This Othello was Murphy. See 15 Nov.

Event Comment: This is ye same farce that was play'd for Woodward's Benefit last Years, & call'd Ye Modern fine Gent: (Cross). Receipts: #200 (Cross). [See Theatrical Review, 1757 and Beginning of 1758 for comment on Male Coquette: 'On the whole the beauties of this little comedy exceed the faults in number and importance." The reviewer gives a nine-page review, cannot guess who wrote the piece, suggests Murphy.

Event Comment: Never acted before. Tragedy by A. Murphy. Afterpiece: By Desire

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 10 years [acted 10 Nov. 1779]. [Miss Brunton was from the Bath theatre. Prologue by Arthur Murphy (Works, 1786, VII, 60).] Receipts: #337 18s. (335/7/6; 2/10/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for the London Hospital. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be taken at the Stage Door of the Theatre; the Doors of which will be opened at 5:30, and the Performance to begin precisely at 6:30. No Money to be returned after the Curtain is drawn up, nor will any Person be admitted behind the Scenes. [Master Braham is identified in Grove. Address by Arthur Murphy (Town and Country Magazine, July 1787, p. 324).] This was the opening night of this theatre, which had been built by and was under the management of John Palmer. Following the afterpiece he explained to the audience the objections of the proprietors of dl, cg and hay to his opening the theatre. He said that he had from the Lieutenant of the Tower of London what he considered to be sufficient permission, but that he would nevertheless close the theatre temporarily. Palmer's difficulty was that he had no really legal permission from anybody for the performance of actual plays. See 3 July, and for further details the head-note to this season. World, 18 July, prints an official accoudting for this night from the theatre's treasurer: Receipts were #273 12s.; paid for music, advertisements, servants, &c. #37 10s.; lost in bad silver #1 19s.; paid the London Hospital #234 4s.; the players acted without salary

Event Comment: 1st piece: For the 1st Time compress'd [anonymously] into 2 Acts. MacNally brought [Arthur Murphy] to Covent-garden Theatre to see [Robin Hood]; when, to the surprise of the author...the opera was that night performed as an afterpiece, having been, without his knowledge, cut down into two acts" (O'Keeffe, I, 45). 3rd piece: Not acted these 16 years [acted 12 Dec. 1780]. Receipts: #212 14s. 6d. (209.14.0; 3.0.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Mainpiece [1st time; T 5, by Arthur Murphy. Prologue by John Philip Kemble (see text). Author of Epilogue unknown; European Magazine, Apr. 1793, p. 306, prints two Epilogues: the one spoken by Mrs Siddons, and the one "as originally written by Thomas? Vaughan"]. Morning Herald, 20 Mar. 1793: This day is published The Rival Sisters (1s. 6d.). Morning Herald, 25 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, No. 49, Great Marlborough-street. Receipts: #451 6s. 6d. (243.1.0; 21.18.0; 1.18.0; tickets: 184.9.6) (charge: #154 9s. 8d.)

Event Comment: 2nd piece [1st time; MD 3, by James Boaden; some of the songs written by George Colman, ynger]: With new Musick, Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations. The new Musick by Dr Arnold. With an appropriate Overture, accompanied by two Pedal Harps and the Union Pipes, by Weippert, C. Jones, and Murphy. The Scenery by Marinari. The Dresses and Decorations designed by A. Johnston, and executed by him and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. "Any exertion of impartial criticism to check the prevalent taste for the marvellous and the horrific which so wantonly conjures up the spirit (it was once thought had been for ever laid) of gross superstition and Gothic barbarism must, we fear, prove at present unavailing" (Times, 23 July). Morning Chronicle, 30 July 1798: This Day is published Cambro-Britons (2s.)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Composed by Byrn. A View of the Sea and Rock, from which Oscar escapes, by leaping from a precipice, into the arms of his Soldiers; A View of the Bridge with the Camp of Carrol; The Death of Carrol by the Hand of Malvina, with his Fall into the Sea, and the Burning of the Camp of Carrol. [This was included in all subsequent performances.] With entire new Dresses and Decorations, and the Scenery new painted. The Ballet under the direction of Farley. The Overture by Reeve, with an accompaniment on the Union Pipes and Harp by Murphy and Weippert. Receipts: #378 11s. (369.6; 9.5)