Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bradshaw, Mrs Johnston and Mrs Millidge. Paid half year's paving &c. to Lady Day last, #14 (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #151 6s. Charges: #67 11s. 6d. Profits to Mrs Bradshaw, Johnston and Millidge: #83 14s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bradshaw, Mrs Millidge, Mrs Johnston. Afterpiece by Allan Ramsay, with the Original Music, New Accompanyments, and a New Medley Scotch Overture. By Particular Desire. Paid Properties #1 17s. 7d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #207 15s. Charges: #65 10s. Profits: #142 5s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bradshaw, Mrs Love & Mrs Johnston. Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. Public Advertiser, 1 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bradshaw, at Nichol's, baker, Bridge Street, Covent Garden; of Mrs Love, No. 36, Gerrard Street, Soho; of Mrs Johnston, No. 97, near Craven Buildings, Drury-lane. Receipts: #120 1s. 6d. (31.10.0; 20.13.0; 0.7.6; tickets: 67.11.0) (charge: #66 7s.)

Event Comment: "It was with extreme regret that we perceived the ravages of time in the person of [Mrs Crawford, who had not acted in London since 12 Apr. 1785], tho' we were much consoled in observing that his influence is not equally apparent in her abilities...The blaze is gone, but there is a richness in the setting lustre...Kemble is evidently [Johnston's] model, and he followed him so closely, as even to the crossing of the legs in dying; so that where he was best, his efforts seemed to be the effect of imitation" (True Briton, 24 Oct.). "Mrs Crawford has had her day; but the sun of her genius has long sunk beneath the horizon...Many parts of her performance, we were sorry to observe, evinced the most evident decline of powers, and her tremulous accents, the debility of which was rendered the more striking from the want of several teeth, proclaimed that her days of play and action were nearly brought to a close...She was received with reiterated plaudits throughout...Nature has been very bountiful in supplying [Johnston] with a voice of much compass and melody, but he does not appear to have paid much attention to the cultivation of her favours. His transitions are often abrupt, and sometimes discordant; and the management of his tones is of so strange a nature that it appears more like two distinct voices than a judicious modulation of his natural accents" (Morning Herald, 24 Oct.). Receipts: #260 9s. (253.4.6; 7.4.6)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: The Scenery re-painted, and the Dresses and Decorations entirely new. The Musick composed by Kelly. The Scenes designed and executed by Greenwood, Chalmers, and others. The Machinery, Decorations and Dresses designed and under the direction of Johnston, and executed by him, Underwood and Gay. The Dresses by Johnston, Gay and Miss Rein. Account-Book: Paid Hatton, sword cutler, #5 10s; Chorus #11 16s. 6d. Receipts: #370 2s. (254.6.6; 114.3.0; 1.12.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted this season. Benefit for Johnston (housekeeper). No Building on Stage. Tickets deliver'd for This Night will be taken. [The playbill lists this night as the first appearance of Vernon and Champness in the characters of Squire and Thomas, but see 9 April, where they had appeared in them.

Event Comment: Benefit for Fawcet and Mrs J. Johnston. Being the last time of performing the Mainpiece this season

Event Comment: Benefit for Reddish. Mainpiece: Not acted in 4 years. [See 22 Dec. 1772.] Monimia by Mrs Canning very So, so. The Farce much hiss'd it was badly performed (Hopkins Diary). Rec'd Mrs Groath's one years rent to Xmas last #3. Paid Salary list #416 4s. 4d.; Johnston's Music Bills #24 2s. (Treasurer's Book). [The Westminster Magazine concluded with respect to the afterpiece: "This little drama met with rather an unfavourable reception. It would be breaking a butterfly on the wheel, were we to enter into strict examination of it; and as it was a mere benefit-night performance, it would be going out of our way to dwell much on its defects; suffice it therefore that although we so far join with the audience in condemnation of it, that we allow it wanted terseness of dialogue, brilliancy of wit, and strength of fable, yet we protest we have seen worse singing pieces received with applause. Jerry Jingle had same humor, and the music had great prettiness about it."] Receipts: #140. Charges: #67 14s. Profits to Reddish: #72 6s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hull, Mrs Litchfield & Waddy. 1st piece [1st time; C 5, by Thomas Hull. Larpent MS 1215; not published]: Altered from [The Bashful Lover, by] Massinger. [In it the playbill assigns Hortensio to Pope, but he was ill, and in his "stead Johnston read the part of Hortensio" (European Magazine, June 1798, p. 396). Prologue by John Taylor Poems (I, 60).] Morning Herald, 29 May: Tickets to be had of Hull, Duke's Court, Dean's-yard, Westminster; of Mrs Litchfield, James-street, Covent-Garden; of Waddy, No. 214, opposite Southampton-street, High Holborn. Receipts: #261 2s. 6d. (53.9.6; 4.16.6; tickets: 202.16.6; of which Hull took #72 7s.; Mrs Litchfield #60 17s., Waddy #69 12s. 6d.)

Event Comment: [Mrs H. Johnston's 1st appearance as Ophelia was at the hay, 3 Sept. 1798.] Afterpiece: 5th Time i.e. in continuation of the reckoning for the previous season]. Boxes 6s. Second Price 3s. Pit 3s. 6d. Second Price 2s. Gallery 2s. Second Price 1s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be had of Brandon(only) at the Office in Hart-Street. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [see 19 Nov.]. No Money to be returned. Receipts: #242 5s. 6d. (240.17.6; 1.8.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by Andrew Franklin]: The Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations entirely new. The Overture and Musick composed by Florio. The Scenes, designed by Greenwood, and painted by him, Banks, and assistants. The Machinery, Dresses and Decorations designed by Johnston, and executed by him, Gay, and Underwood. The Female Dresses designed and made under the direction of Miss Rein. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. "With thy exception of Pizarro, this is one of the most magnificent spectacles the stage has for some time produced. The dresses...are attended with particular accuracy to the costume of the country...and the scenery is locally correct" (Monthly Mirror, Mar. 1800, p. 173). "As a singer [Mme Mara's] powers are indisputable; but as a performer she exhibits herself in a light which alternately provokes our ridicule and pity. Her delivery is an absolute libel on the profession. To the defects of a foreign pronunciation she joins a natural impediment of speech, which partakes too strongly of a lisp to warrant her bearing part in the prose dialogue of a play. What could possibly induce her to appear before the public under such disadvantages, unless she did it in compliment to the composer, we are at a loss to conjecture; nor less are we puzzled to account for the supineness of an audience which can patiently tolerate such puny efforts" (Dramatic Censor, I, 347-48). Morning Chronicle, 14 June 1800: This day is published The Egyptian Festival (2s.). Receipts: #320 18s. 6d. (277.6.6; 42.8.0; 1.4.0)

Event Comment: Paid Six days salary at #82 16s. 5d. per diem, #496 18s. 6d.; Paid Mrs Abington in part of #60 for cloaths, #7; Paid Mr J. Johnston's Music Bill #15 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #119 12s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: For the Author (3rd Night) (Treasurer's Book). "NB Pante Extras this Nt #4 18s. 6d. retd to Authr. Vide 10th inst.; Paid Mr J. Johnston's Music Bill #8 2s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #182 14s. Charges: #78 8s. 6d. Profit to Author [Franklin] #104 5s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)