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

Event Comment: Benefit Phillips (LeBrun) and Mrs Mullart. At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Mainpiece: Not acted these 9 years. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their servants by Half past Four o'Clock. Public Advertiser, 10 Jan.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #343 12s. 6d. (189.9.0; 6.12.0; 0.11.6; tickets: 147.0.0) [charge: free)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. A new and accurate Edition of the Tragedy to be had at the Theatre. "[Mrs Siddons's] eyes possess a peculiar brilliancy and animation...Her voice is sonorous and variable" (Candid Strictures, 33). Receipts: #311 13s. (296.3; 13.0; 2.10)

Event Comment: "When [Mrs Siddons's] approach was known from the words of the play, and almost before she was within view of the audience, the applause commenced on all sides, and continued for some minutes" (London Chronicle, 23 Jan.). "The same bold, nervous articulation, with the same violent bursts of passion--bursts that confound criticism, though they harrow up the soul...There is a dignified deportment even in her shocks of surprise--her starts of horror--her agonies of death. She never descends to a superfluous motion" (Morning Chronicle, 23 Jan.). Receipts: #432 8s. 6d. (393.12.6; 35.8.0; 3.8.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. A new and accurate Edition of the Tragedy to be had at the Theatre. "[Mrs Siddons's] eyes possess a peculiar brilliancy and animation...Her voice is sonorous and variable" (Candid Strictures, 33). Receipts: #311 13s. (296.3; 13.0; 2.10)

Event Comment: Paid for Beer for the Men removing Music Books #2 19s. 6d. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns First Constantia to Mrs Powell, but she "having sprain'd her Ancle [sic] Miss Collins play'd 1st Constantia" (Powell)]. Powell: Chances rehearsed at 10 (Barrymore absent; Caulfield, Cooke, Welsh each two scenes; Trueman one scene). Receipts: #139 6s. 6d. (78/10/6; 57/16/6; 2/19/6)

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Booth. The Front Boxes and the Pit to be laid together by Tickets at 5s. Gallery Box 3s

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Bicknell. Written by the late Mr Wycherley

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Burton, Gallery Boxkeeper. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Dryden. Afterpiece: By Desire

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bulkley [who is named in the Account-Book, but not on the playbill]. Paid Richards, Laceman, #91 11s. 6d. Receipts: #97 19s. 6d. (54/3/0; 25/14/0; 0/1/6; tickets: 18/1/0) (charge: #105 15s. 8d.)

Event Comment: The Count of Narbonne [announced on playbill of 9 Feb] is obliged to be deferred, on account of the Indisposition of Mrs Siddons. Receipts: #116 19s. 6d. (77.5.0; 36.13.0; 1.16.6; tickets not come in: 1.5.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Burton, Miss Heard, Miss Tidswell, & Mrs Bramwell. [2nd piece: With alterations by John Philip Kemble.] 3rd piece: Not acted these 6 years. "Of [Wroughton's] comedy something favourably must be said. His personations are usually natural, easy, and spirited; he is perhaps too locomotive: he cannot bear to stand still...To this peculiar bustle of his motion may be attributed much of his success in Sir John Restless [in All in the Wrong]...For the same reason, no man can play Ford with half the effect Wroughton does" (Monthly Mirror, Mar. 1796, p. 304). Morning Herald, 30 May: Tickets to be had of Miss Heard, No. 43, Haymarket [others not listed]. Receipts: #337 6s. 6d. (30.13.0; 40.16.6; 3.4.6; tickets: 260.10.0; odd money: 2.2.6) (charge: #202 11s.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 9 years. [Mrs Worthington is identified in MS list in Kemble playbills of new performers for this season.] Ballet: 1st time; composed by Giacomo? Gentili. Afterpiece [1st time: ENT 1, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan; acted in place of The Prize, advertised on playbill of 4 Mar. Text (C. Lowndes, 1797)]: Altered from a Dramatick Entertainment performed 1794 [The Glorious First of June]. In the course of which will be introduced a representation of the late Glorious Engagement between the British and Spanish Fleets on the Fourteenth of February [1797, under Sir John Jervis, off Cape St. Vincent]. Receipts: #253 9s. (151.2.6; 100.17.0; 1.9.6)

Event Comment: Juliet by Mrs Robinson--a genteel Figure--a very tolerable first Appearance, and may do in time. [Note added by J. P. Kemble: Mrs Mary Robinson, whose maiden name was Darby, died Dec. 26, 1800 at Englefield Green. See her Life, of which the first part, namely as far as to her Acquaintance with the Prince of Wales, was written by herself] (Hopkins Diary). Receipts: #170 8s. (133.15; 31.15; 4.18)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: by Shakespeare, in 5 acts. With New Music, Scenes, Dresses and Decorations. Public Advertiser, 6 Jan.: The Shipwreck, which opened the Piece, was designed and executed under the Direction of DeLoutherbourg. The new Airs and Chorusses are composed by Linley Jun. The Musical Instrument (played behind the Scenes) is the Invention of Merlin. Morning Chronicle, 6 Jan.: Caliban is by much the best performed character in the piece... The dresses were rich, but to our amazement those of Ferdinand, Sebastian, &c. were in the Spanish taste. [Ibid., 8 Jan., remarks that the entire omission of I. i is to be regretted. Miss Field and Mrs Cuyler are identified by MS annotations on Kemble playbill.] Receipts: #231 9s. 6d. (211.19.0; 17.5.6; 2.5.0)