Event Comment: Mainpiece: With New Dresses and Decorations. N.B. After this night the Meeting of the Company will be laid aside for sometime. The Play was New drest in the Habits of the time & they look'd very well & was applauded (Hopkins Diary) Paid 3 days salary list at #91 16s. 4d. per diem, #275 9s.; Sundry salaries not on list last week as per partners in Memorandum Book, #44 8s.; Mr Granier for last week 12s. 6d.; Mr J. French on acct #5 5s. Receipts: #226 3s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Johnston (Housekeeper and Box-book keeper). Rec'd from Sinking Fund (3rd) #73 10s.; From Mr Clutterbuck (1st) #500; from Stopages #11; Paid Salary list #564 16s.; J. French on acct #5 5s.; G. Garrick on acct #100. Receipts: #276 4s. 6d. Charges: #84. Profits to Mr A. Johnston: #192 4s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Miss Younge being ill, Mrs King play'd Arpasia very bad much hiss'd (Hopkins Diary). Paid salary list #626 16s. 6d.; Collett #2 13s. 2d.; Mr Packer on note #30; Mr Sadler for cloth #1 15s. Rec'd Stopages #14 2s. 6d. Receipts: #153 19s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Written by the Author of The Son-in-Law [John O'Keeffe]. The Overture and New Musick composed by Dr Arnold. "The same person who, in the play, performed the school-fellow of the Nabob with a great deal of nature, and original humour, here acted the part of the school-master; his name is Edwin, and he is, without doubt, one of the best actors of all that I have seen ... [He], in all his comic characters, still preserves something so inexpressibly good tempered in his countenance, that notwithstanding all his burlesques, and even grotesque buffoonery, you cannot but be pleased with him . . . Nothing could equal the tone and countenance of self-satisfaction, with which he answered one who asked him whether he was a scholar? 'Why, I was a master of scholars.' A Mrs Webb represented a cheesmonger, and played the part of a woman of the lower class, so naturally, as I have no where else ever seen equalled. Her huge, fat, and lusty carcase, and the whole of her external appearance seemed quite to be cut out for it" (Carl Philipp Moritz, Travels in England in 1782, London, 1924, pp. 73-74)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for The Literary Fund. [In this performance the male parts were acted chiefly by amateurs; the female parts were acted by professionals. Prologue and Epilogue by Thomas Morris (Morning Herald, 17 Apr.).] The Committee for the Management of the Literary Fund respectfully inform the Public that affecting instabces of Merit in distress exceed their power of relief by the ordinary Subscription; and that they wish to have recourse to every honourable expedient to increase that power. The Admission will be by Tickets, at the Opera Prices. Boxes and Pit 10s. 6d. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. No more Company will be admitted than the House will hold with perfect convenience; and when the proper number of Tickets is issued, no means of admission can be obtained. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00 precisely. Registers: Thomas Dale, M. D.; Mr Deputy Nichols. Treasurers: Thomas Morris, Esq.; Mr E. Brooke. "In the course of the play we observed several restorations of Shakespeare's text, with some interpolations. The boldest of the latter was the introduction of Richard's son to him in the tent, the night befiredthedbefore the Battle of Bosworth field. This scene was borrowed, as we believe, from Thomas? Hull's Legendary Tale of Richard Plantagenet. It was well written, and produced a considerable degree of effect. The Ghosts were banished, and the start and stagger of Richard, heretofore the theatrical trick of the scene, necessarily omitted" (Diary, 17 Apr.)

Event Comment: Lewis having a severe Hoarseness, Fortune's Fool [advertised on playbill of 4 Nov.] is deferred till Monday. Afterpiece [1st time: BURL 2. by John O'Keeffe. MS: Larpent MS 1141; not published, except for Airs (T. N. Longman, 1796)]: Partly new, and partly taken from The Golden Pippin [by Kane O'Hara]. The Overture and new Music by Reeve. The Selections from Pergolesi, Rousseau, Mornington, Fisher, Carolan, Rizzio, &c. With new Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations. The Scenery by Phillips, Blackmore, Hollogan, and assistants. The Dragon, the Car and the Machinery designed and executed by Cresswell. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. "The beauty of the scenery is only to be equalled by the ingenuity of the machinery. The descents and ascents of the Deities were managed with astonishing regularity and adroitness; and the Flying Cupids hovered in the air in very pleasing attitudes...The Pas de Russe, danced by Delpini, a-la-Parisot [see dl. 1 Oct.], in the character of a fine Lady, with Munden, was irresistibly comic" (Morning Herald, 7 Nov.). Receipts: #191 2s. 6d. (185.10.6; 5.12.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. 1st piece: In 3 Acts. [In 1st piece the playbill assigns Welford to Holman, and in 3rd piece Don Carlos to the same. But "An uncle of Holman expired suddenly on Saturday morning. An apology was made for Holman in the evening, and Macready took the Parts he was to have performed in the Play and Farce" (True Briton, 8 May). In 1st piece Cheaterly is assigned to Macready; who took his place is not stated.] True Briton, 22 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mattocks, No. 8, Great Russell-street, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #223 12s. 6d. (118.10.0; 4.2.0; tickets: 101.0.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bland. Afterpiece: By permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre-Royal, Drury-Lane. Times, 18 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bland, No. 25, King-street, Covent-garden

Event Comment: Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 31: Note, About the Year 1670, Mrs Aldridge, after Mrs Lee, after Lady Slingsby, also Mrs Leigh Wife of Mr Antony Leigh, Mr Crosby, Mrs Johnson, were entertain'd in the Duke's House

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but the fact that the play was advertised in the London Gazette, 17-21 Feb. 1697@8, suggests that it was first given not later than January 1697@8. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 44: Heroick Love, Wrote by Mr George Greenvil, Superlatively Writ; a very good Tragedy, well Acted, and mightly pleas'd the Court and City. A Comparison Between the Two Stages (1702), p. 20: The Language is very correct: But with submission to him [Granville], his Fable is not well chosen; there's too little Business in't for so long a Representation: But if Mr G. had taken the Story at a greater length, and contriv'd the Incidents to surprize, he had made it an admirable Tragedy

Event Comment: [By George Farquhar. Premiere.] On Monday Night a Rencounter happen'd on the Stage...between Mr Fielding and Mr Goodyar, in which the former was Wounded

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Cross. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality

Event Comment: [By Aaron Hill.] Never Acted before. All the Cloaths, Scenes, and Decorations to the Play being entirely New. Receipts: #78 1s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit Rogers and Frisby. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Receipts: money #18 17s. 6d. and tickets #66 1s

Event Comment: Mainpiece: The Tragedy of King Richard the Second is to be had this Day at the Theatre. Afterpiece: With all the Scenes, Machines, Flyings, and other Decorations. Receipts: #86 9s