Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear. Afterpiece: Set to Musick by Mr Arne. [See Daily Post, 13 Nov., and London Evening Post, 13 Nov., for the trial of Harper. Daily Post, 13 Nov.: It was design'd also to prevent the Company acting last Night, by taking away so principal a Performer in the Play, which was advertis'd, he being conrin'd, &c. and his Hearing by Counsel deferr'd till between Five and Six o'Clock; but the Audience being duly acquainted with this Prosecution very kindly accepted Mr Cibber's reading the Part.]

Event Comment: Will be reviv'd a Play Not acted these 100 Years. Written by Shakespear. To begin at 6 p.m. 4s., 2s. 6d., 1s. 6d. Daily Advertiser, 12 Sept.: Last night the much-admir'd Play of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was reviv'd....Many Persons of Distinction were in the Pit and Gallery, who could not find room in the Boxes, which were all bespoke. [Note that Cibber has omitted the concert formula.

Event Comment: [T$Theophilus Cibber opened the theatre this one night. Mainpiece, a Mock Tragedy by Joseph Reed. Afterpiece, anonymous.] Tickets to be had at the Swan, Westminster Bridge; Forest's Coffee House and Cannon Tavern, Charing Cross; the Tuns in the Borough, Southwark; the Rainbow Coffee House, near the Royal Exchange; and the Bedford Coffee House, Covent Garden. N.B. Tickets for the Author to be had at Mr Briscall's at Parliament-Street Coffee House; the Bedford Head, Southampton St.; Mr Wells at the Crown and W in Russel Court, Covent Garden; Mr Long's in Little Britain; the Union Coffee House in Cornhill; the White Lion in Talbot Court; and the Sun Tavern, Shadwell

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Afterpiece: edition of 1733: Compos'd by Mr Theophilus Cibber, Comedian. The Songs made (to Old Ballad Tunes) by a Friend

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh, and Colley Cibber, Esq; Poet-Laureat

Event Comment: Comedy from Moliere and Cibber. Hopkins Diary: This comedy [Hypocrite] is the Non Juror altered, and two new characters introduced,--went off very well,--some few hisses,--but the play will do.--The alterations are by Mr Bickerstaffe. [Full account of the mainpiece, but without critical observation, appeared in the Lloyd's Evening Post, Nov. 18-21.

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not certain, but it lies between Saturday 9 and Saturday 16 April. Luttrell, A Brief Relation (II, 413) stated on 9 April that the Queen had prohibited its being acted; on 16 April (II, 422) he reports that it has been acted. Luttrell, A Brief Relation, II, 422, 16 April: Mr Dryden s play has been acted with applause, the reflecting passages upon this government being left out. The Gentleman's Journal, May 1692 (licensed 14 May): I told you in my last, that none could then tell when Mr Dryden's Cleomenes would appear; since that time, the Innocence and Merit of the Play have rais'd it several eminent Advocates, who have prevailed to have it Acted, and you need not doubt but it has been with great applause. Preface, Edition of 1692: Mrs Barry, always Excellent, has, in this tragedy, excell'd Herself, and gain'd a Reputation beyond any Woman whom I have ever seen on the Theatre. [See also Cibber, Apology, I, 160, for a discussion of Mrs Barry in Cleomenes.] A song, No, no, poor suffering heart no change endeavour, the music by Henry Purcell, is in Comes Amoris, The Fourth Book, 1693, and also, with the notice that it was sung by Mrs Butler, in Joyful Cuckoldom, ca. 1695. See also Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, XVI (1906), xviii-xix; Epistolary Essay to Mr Dryden upon his Cleomenes, in Gentleman's Journal, May 1692, pp. 17-21. When the play was revived at Drury Lane, 8 Aug. 1721, the bill bore the heading: Not Acted these Twenty-Five Years

Event Comment: There is now in Rehearsal and will be speedily performed at Covent Garden a Comedy call'd The Refusal or the Lady's Philosophy written by Colley Cibber, Esq: Poet Laureate

Event Comment: Publish'd at 3s. The Actor, in One Pocket Volume. A treatise on the art of playing, interspersed with Observations on the performances of Garrick, Quin, Barry, Berry, Macklin, Ryan, Havard, Woodward, Foote, &c; Mrs Cibber, Mrs Pritchard, Mrs Woffington, Mrs Ward, Mrs Elmy, Mrs Green, Mrs Clive, Miss Bellamy, &c. Also some anecdotes of Betterton, Booth and Wilkes and other celebrated performers; together with occasional remarks upon managers and audiences, and upon the principal Tragedies, Comedies, Masques and Farces. Printed for R. Griffiths in Paul's Church-yard. Receipts: #130 (Cross)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 2. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 347. There is no certainty that this is the premiere, but the fact that the play was given again on 4 Dec. 1672 suggests that this was the first performance and that it was also acted on Tuesday 3 Dec. 1672. A song, How pleasant is mutual love, set by John Bannister for this play, is in Choice Songs and Ayres, First Book, 1673. See Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, I, 155, for Underhill's acting of Justice Clodpate. Downes (p. 33): This Play in general being Admirably Acted, produc'd great Profit to the Company. Note, Mrs Johnson in this Comedy, Dancing a Jigg so Charming well, Loves power in a little time after Coerc'd her to Dance more Charming, else where

Event Comment: Written Originally by Shakespear. [By Lewis Theobald.] Theophilus Cibber: [Booth's] Illness...returned soon after his playing King Henry VIII. He was then studying the Part of Julio in the Double Falsehood; he rehearsed it several times,-when the Play begin ready for acting, he was prevented appearing in it, by a Relapse into his former Indisposition.-The Part was supplied a few Nights by Mr Charles Williams (a promising Player, who died young) to whom Mr Booth had given the Part to study, as doubting the Certainty of his being able to appear in it himself: But, at Mr Theobald's Entreaty (backed by many Gentlemen and Ladies) he good-naturedly (but fatally) disregarded his Indisposition, which was then an intermitting Fever, and acted that Part from the fifth to the twelfth Night; which was alas! the last time of his Appearance on tle Stage.-Lives and Characters, pp. 82-83

Event Comment: The King's Company. The exact date of this performance is not known, but the Prologue refers to "After a four Months Fast," suggesting that the theatre did not reopen until the end of the Long Vacation (24 Oct. 1681 is the beginning of Michaelmas Term). The Epilogue also seems to refer to events at Bartholomew Fair, and the Prologue to the King's visit to Newmarket, from which the King did not return until 12 Oct. 1681. Furthermore, The Impartial Protestant Mercury, No. 54, 28 Oct. 1681, reports: A Revised Play was some days since Acted on an Eminent Publick Theatre, and the Prologue is extreamly talked of. [The periodical reprints some of the lines (which are essentially those in the printed version).] The Loyal Protestant, No. 70, 29 Oct. 1681, refers to the same performance and reprints part of the Epilogue (which also is essentially that of the separately printed Epilogue). All of these elements point to a performance in mid-October. Both the Prologue and the Epilogue were printed separately, and have been reprinted by Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 43-45. Broadside copies of the Prologue and Epilogue in the Huntington Library bear Luttrell's manuscript notations that both were written by Dryden. Luttrell's date of acquisition is 13 Feb. 1681@2, an instance in which Luttrell's date of purchase does not apparently correspond closely to a date of performance

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. John Dryden to Mrs Steward, 4 March 1698@9: This Day is playd a reviv'd Comedy of Mr Congreve's called the Double Dealer, which was never very takeing; in the play bill was printed, Written by Mr Congreve; with Severall Expressions omitted: What kind of Expressions those were you may easily ghess; if you have seen the Monday's Gazette, wherein is the King s Order, for the reformation of the Stage: but the printing an Authours name, in a Play bill, is a new manner of proceeding, at least in England (Letters of John Dryden, 112-13)

Event Comment: [By Niccola Haym. Apparently never printed.] Colman's Opera Register: A new Pastorall Opera called Dorinda. The musick of this is taken out of Severall Italian operas by Nico Haym. In this Sigra Margarita had no part. The other Singers the same as in the former [The Faithful Shepherd], the Same Scene & Habits also & the same prices. It was performed 4 times on the opera days successively

Event Comment: Benefit for Shuter. Mainpiece: Not acted in 10 years. Receipts: #194 10s. in cash, plus #147 18s. from tickets (Boxes 378; Pit 356). Charges #64 5s. Advanced to Mrs Ward #30. [Shuter called for imaginative participation of his audience in his Medley Skit (see Larpent MS 171): @"Suppose my dress alter'd with each exhibition....@If I speak like a Dutchman, or Brogue it like Paddy,@Or mimic Monsieur, or lisp like a Lady"@ Parts for The English Sailors in America (by G. A. Steevens) are listed in Larpent MS 172: Indian King , English Captain , Irishman , Sailor Ned and Sailor Ben , a Black Messenger , Guards , White Savage Lady , Black Woman , Image .

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Vincent. Afterpiece: By Desire and for that night only. No building on Stage. Miss Dawson's second time of speaking on the Stage. Tickets delivered out for Hamlet will be taken. Receipts: #76 4s. 6d. in cash, plus #83 5s. from tickets (Boxes 147; Pit 208; Gallery 153). Total income #159 9s. 6d. Charge #64 5s

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Martyr. Receipts: #196 6s. (73.13; tickets: 119.13) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@143, p. 162: At the Fond Husband. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 349. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 36): [This comedy and Otway's The Soldier's Fortune] took extraordinary well, and being perfectly Acted; got the Company great Reputation and Profit. One song, Under the branches of a spreading tree, set by William? Turner, is in Choice Ayres and Songs, The Second Book, 1679. For Nokes and Leigh in this play, see Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, I, 149. According to The Guardian, 15 June 1713, Charles II attended three of the first five nights of this play

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but Luttrell dated his copy of the separately-printed Prologue and Epilogue 5 April 1684 (J. W. Dodds, Thomas Southerne, p. 48). Very probably the play first appeared during the week of 31 March-5 April, immediately following Easter. The Prologue and Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 191-94. This may have been the last new role William Smith undertook for some years; see Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, 1, 78-79, for the incident which prompted Smith's leaving the stage for awhile. One song, I never saw a face till now, with music by Captain Pack, is in The Theater of Music, the First Book, 1685; and another, O why did e'er my thoughts aspire, the music by R. King, is in the same collection. A third song, See how fair Corinna lies, the music by Captain Pack, is in A Collection of Twenty-Four Songs, 1685

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Yates. Mainpiece: Altered from Corneille [by Colley Cibber?]. Never Performed There. Pit and Boxes laid together (playbill). Charges #66 7s. 6d. Profit to Mrs Yates #39 7s. 6d., plus #179 from tickets (Box and Pit 716). Paid Younger a Bill for writing parts #5 19s. 9d. Paid John Smith for a Blue cloth suit lac'd with gold #9 9s. (Account Book). Receipts: #105 15s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by Colley Cibber; With Alterations. Not Acted these 12 years [acted 10 May 1784]. With new Scenes, Dresses and Decorations. Receipts: #275 19s. 6d. (194.3.6; 78.19.0; 2.17.0)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first production is not certain, particularly since an entry in L. C. 5@145, p. 120 (see also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 349) lists this play for 8 March, the year uncertain. Since the entry follows one for The Souldier's Fortune which followed the premiere of The Female Prelate, 31 May 1680, the L. C. entry probably is one for 8 March 1680@1. That the premiere occurred near 1 Nov. 1680 is suggested by a letter of Anne Montague to Lady Hatton, 1 Nov. 1680: For I never see the towne fuller, for I was to see the new play, The Spanish Frier, and there was all the world, but the Court is a letell dull yet; the Queen being sick, there is noe drawing room (Hatton Correspondence, Camden Society, XXII [1878], 240). A song, Farewell ungratefull Traytor, with music by Captain Pack and sung by Mrs Crofts, is in Act V. For Leigh's and Nokes' acting, see Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, I, 143, 145-46. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 37): 'Twas Admirably Acted, and produc'd vast Profit to the Company

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but the fact that the play was advertised in the Post Boy, 11-13 May 1697, suggests that it was first acted about mid-April, a month before publication. For an account of the history of the play before its production, see Cibber, Apology, I, 217-18

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality and Distinction. Mainpiece: Written by Sir John Vanbrugh and Mr Cibber. Afterpiece: Written by Mr Carey

Event Comment: Last Tuesday Signior Pasquali, Master of the Band of Music at the Theatre Royal, Mr Cibber and some other prominent players arriv'd from England to act the ensuing season [in Dublin]. Mrs Bland arriv'd [in Dublin] last Sunday from England and will appear tomorrow night in the character of Miranda in the Busy Body. Receipts: #180