Event Comment: Benefit Macklin. Mainpiece written by the late Lord Lansdown. With the Original Songs, new set by Mr Arne, and to be sung by Mr Lowe and Mrs Clive. Never acted there before. Afterpiece wirtten by the late Mr Pope, Mr Gay, and Dr Arbuthnot. Servants will be allowed to keep places on the stage; and those ladies who have taken places are humbly desired to send for tickets to prevent mistakes. Tickets to be had of Macklin at his house in Bow St., and of Hobson at the stage door

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Music by Arne

Event Comment: The Rose is a New Musical performance of Two Acts by Dr Arne a very dull insipid piece. Mr G. protested against its being perform'd its being perform'd it was hiss'd from the beginning & wd not Suffer it to be given out again, therefore Mr King went on & told them it Should not be perform'd again until it be alter'd (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan's note from Kemble differs slightly. See critical damnation of The Rose in British Theatre Article in The London Magazine, Dec. 1772.] Book of the Entertainment to be had at the Theatre (playbill). Paid Mr Petit for men's cloaths, #8 8s. CTreasurer's Book). [Reviewer for Town and Country Magazine (Theatre, No. XLI) disappointed with the Rose: "We are told that this precious piece of stuff is the production of an Oxford student; it may be so, of this every auditor is certain, that the collegian who penned it was so entirely lost in the pursuit of some abstruse study, that he has totally forgot grammar, common sense, and even his mother tongue...it was unanimously damn'd."] Receipts: #172 6s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Music by Dr Arne. Receipts: #90 (Cross); #92 3s. (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bannister. Mainpiece: Never acted here. The Music by Dr Arne. With a Grand Procession of the different Orders of the Knights of Chivalry. Public Advertiser, 6 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bannister, No. 6, Great Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #252 8s. 6d. (177/14/6; tickets: 74/14/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5]: By the celebrated Henry Fielding; and never yet performed or published. With new Scenes, Dresses, &c. [and incidental music by Michael Arne. Prologue by David Garrick. Epilogue by the same (see text)]. Public Advertiser, 12 Dec. 1778: This Day is published The Fathers (1s. 6d.). "This play was written by Mr Henry Fielding, some years before his death. Mr Garrick saw it at that time. Mr Fielding gave the only fair copy he had of it to his friend Sir Charles Williams, of whose judgment he entertained a high opinion. Sir Charles soon after went abroad, and the comedy was mislaid. Mr. Fielding communicated this circumstance to his family on his death-bed; and enquiry was made for it, but without effect. At length Mr Thomas? Johnes, Member for Cardigan, looking over Sir Charles's books, found a comedy in manuscript, which he read, and, approving, had it transcribed and sent to Mr Garrick for his opinion, who, like Archimedes, cried out, 'This is the lost sheep! This is Mr Henry Fielding's play!' Mr Garrick communicating it to Mr Johnes, Mr Johnes immediately sent the original manuscript, which was in Mr Fielding's hand-writing, to the family, with his best wishes for its success, promising to assist it to the utmost of his power" (Gentleman's Magazine, Dec. 1778, p.586). See also, for corroboration of the above and for other details, Wilbur L. Cross, The History of Henry Fielding, 1918, III, 99-104. Receipts: #210 11s. 6d. (186.6.0; 23.19.6; 0.6.0)

Event Comment: fterpiece]: A Masque by Mr Dodsley. Went off Toll (Cross). New Dresses, Scenes, Decorations, &c. Music compos'd by Mr Arne. Nothing under Full prices will be taken. [Customary note for all subsequent performances this season. Will not be repeated.] Receipts: #170 (Cross); #161 19s. (Powel)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A Dramatic Masque reviv'd. With proper Decorations, particularly a Grand Scene of Comus's Palace. The Music composed by Mr Arne. Receipts: #90 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit Arne. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Farquhar. Afterpiece: Written by Mr Carey. N.B. There is a select Band of Musick engaged for this Night

Event Comment: Music by Dr. Arne

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A Ballad Farce, never performed there, written by Fielding. New Music by Dr Arne. [This is Fielding's Miss Lucy in Town under a new title (Biographica Dramatica).

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A New Tragedy [by Arthur Murphy] never performed The Music by Dr Arne. The Characters New Dress'd. [Long account and generally unfavorable review of Alzuma in the Westminster Magazine for March.] Receipts: #206 18s. 6d

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time in London; DR. POEM 5, by William Mason, 1st acted at Crow Street Theatre, Dublin, 30 Mar. 1764]: Written on the Model of the ancient Greek Tragedy. The Overture and all the Music composed New by Dr Arne. With a New Scene designed and executed by Dahl [recte Dall]. The Dresses, Decorations, &c. all entirely New. Books of the Lyrical Part of the Drama to be had at the Theatre. 'But I had rather talk of Caractacus; I agree that he will not suffer by not being sputtered by Barry, who has lost all his teeth. Covent Garden is rather above Drury Lane in actors, but both sets are exceedingly bad, so bad-that I almost wish Caractacus was not to appear. Very seldom do I go to the play, for there is no bearing such strollers" (Walpole [to the author, 8 Oct. 1776], IX, 419-20). "I attended Caractacus last winter, and was greatly interested, both from my friendship for Mr Mason and from the excellence of the poetry. I was out of all patience; for though a young Lewis played a subordinate part very well, and Mrs Hartley looked her part charmingly, the Druids were so massacred, and Caractacus so much worse, that I never saw a more barbarous exhibition" (Walpole [13 July 1777], X, 81-82). Public Advertiser, 7 Dec. 1776: This Day is published the Lyrical Part of Caractacus (6d.). [The publisher, J. Wilkie, states that he also has the "whole Drama, as altered by the Author, 18d." Ibid., 9 Dec., contains an advertisement from Mason stating that this version is unauthorized.] Ibid., 12 Dec.: This Day is published [by A. Ward of York] a new Edition of Caractacus, now altered for Representation at the Theatre-Royal in Covent Garden (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #163 10s. (163.6; 0.4)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: The music composed by Michael Arne. With a Grand Procession of the different Orders of the Knights of Chivalryv. Receipts: #159 19s. (134.8; 25.11; 0.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: The Music by Michael Arne. With a Grand Procession of different Orders of the Knights of Chivalryv. [This was included in both subsequent performances.] Afterpiece: Not acted these 2 Years. Receipts: #162 19s. (130.8.0; 31.11.6; 0.19.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: The Music by Michael Arne. With a Grand Procession of the different Orders of the Knights of Chivalryv. [This was included in both subsequent performances.] Receipts: #161 18s. 6d. (121.12.0; 39.17.6; 0.9.0)

Event Comment: [Miss Cleland, who was from the Edinburgh theatre, is identified in Lysons, Collectanea. Cleland was a stage name; her real name was Buttery.] Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, by James Messink]: To conclude with an exact Representation of the Procession at an Eastern Marriage [based on sketches made in India by Tilly Kettle, the portrait painter (Theatre Notebook, VIII, 6)]. The Scenery by Richards, Carver, Hodgins, Cipriani, Catton and others. The Music composed by [Michael] Arne. The Pantomime by Messink. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Nothing under Full Price will be taken. Public Advertiser, 12 Jan. 1782: The Openings between every Scene and all internal parts of the Theatre are now so crouded by people absolutely necessary in one character or another that were they not judiciously arranged and marshalled, they would stand in each other's way, and create inextricable confusion. All that appears before an Audience as moving with the ease, regularity and promptitude of clock-work is the result of much Contrivance and many exertions of bodily Labour. Ibid, 16 Feb. 1782: This Day is published The Choice of Harlequin (1s.). Receipts: #270 19s. (265/15; 5/4)

Event Comment: 3rd piece [1st time; past 2, by Matthew Feilde. MS: Larpent 585; not published; synopsis of plot in Public Advertiser, 22 Feb.]: With New Overture and Music, composed by [Michael] Arne. New Dresses, Scenes and Decorations. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #247 12s. (243/19/6; 3/12/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Aickin. Mainpiece: Not acted these 5 years. Afterpiece [1st time; c 2]: By the Author of Retaliation [Leonard Macnally, with incidental music by Michael Arne. Prologue by Chalmers (see text, S. Bladon, 1783)]. The Persons represented to be dressed from the Caricatures of Hogarth. Receipts: #191 15s. 6d. (140/1/6; tickets: 51/14/0) (charge: #64 5s.)

Event Comment: By Desire. Afterpiece: a Dramatic Fable. [By James Miller.] Edition of 1739: The Musick by Mr Arne. Sung by Mrs Clive

Event Comment: Benefit for Lowe. Afterpiece: A New Musical Drama, never performed, taken from Prior. The Music by Mr Arne. Stage will be formed into an amphitheatre where servants may keep places. This day publish'd at 10s. 6d. Susanna, an Oratorio in score by Handel. Printed for J. Walsh

Event Comment: An Operetta of Two Acts. Music entirely New by Dr Arne. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. To begin at 7:00 p.m. Being desired by many persons of quality

Event Comment: Benefit for Baddeley. Public Advertiser, 13 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Baddeley, No. 2, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Mainpiece: The Music composed by Michael Arne. With a Grand Procession of the different Orders of the Knights of Chivalry. Receipts: #217 5s. (113/9; 35/8; 0/1; tickets: 68/7) (charge: #115 9s. 4d.)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A New Farce with songs in character, and a new Overture composed by Dr Arne

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A Comic Opera altered [by Colman] from Gay. The Music entirely new by Dr Arne. Now acted for the first time in 2 Acts. [The 1776 Edition in Bell's British Theatre lists: Achilles-Mrs Mattocks; Artemona-$Miss Brown; Philoe-$Miss Valois; Thetis-$Miss Catley. [$Miss Pearce">Mattocks; Peripas-$Reinhold; Lycomedes-$DuBellamy; Diphilus-$Dyer; Ajax-$Dunstall; Ulysses-$Owenson; Diomedes-$Fox; Argytes-$Baker; Deidamia-$Mrs Mattocks; Artemona-$Miss Brown; Philoe-$Miss Valois; Thetis-$Miss Catley. [$Miss Pearce may have played Lesbia).] Paid Banks for the Head of a Figure used in The Fair #1 1s.; Paid Mr Gard for performing 5 nights in the Fair and 3 in the Sorcerer #1. Paid Joseph Besford for performing 5 nights in the Fair 12s. 6d. (Account Book). [Afterpiece unfavorably reviewed in the Westminster Magazine.] Receipts: #149 18s. 6d. (Account Book)