Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bannister. Mainpiece: Not acted these 5 years [not acted since 18 July 1777]

Event Comment: A Bold Stroke for a Husband [announced on playbill of 16 Oct.] is obliged to be deferred, on account of Mrs Mattocks's sudden Illness. Receipts: #177 14s. 6d. (171/3/6; 6/11/0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 5 years. [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as Isabella was at Bath, 11 Dec. 1779.] Receipts: #281 2s. 6d. (264/6/0; 16/7/6; 0/9/0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 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. [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as Lady Randolph was at Manchester, 5 Feb. 1777.] "The Siddons, younger and more rich in natural Gifts, certainly offers much to the Mind, and yet much more to the Eye. The Crawford, by some means or other, offers more to the Heart" (Public Advertiser, 24 Dec). Receipts: #303 8s. 6d. (156/2/0; 10/13/0; 0/13/6; tickets: 136/0/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as the Countess of Salisbury was at Bath, 25 Nov. 1778.] "So thoroughly wretched, so utterly destitute of all Requisites is this Tragedy ... that it excites with Wonder not a little Indignation that the unexampled Genius of such an actress [as Mrs Siddons] should be wasted on Dullness if possible yet more unexampled" {Public Advertiser, 8 Mar.). Receipts: #275 0s. 6d. (256/7/0; 16/19/6; 1/9/0; ticket not come in: 0/5/0)

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: Benefit for Mrs Wilson. Public Advertiser, 30 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wilson, No. 20, Tavistock-street, Covent Garden. 3rd piece [1st time; F 1, author unknown. MS: Larpent 656; not published. Author of Prologue unknown]. Receipts: #177 4s. 6d. (113/15/6; tickets: 63/9/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Ward. Receipts: #135 2s. (23/6; 13/18; 0/5; tickets: 97/13) (charge: #107 12s. 11d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Chaplin, Wilson, Walker & Mrs Booth. Receipts: #176 6s. (19/2/0; 6/12/6; 0/14/6; tickets: 149/17/0) (charge: #106 16s. 10d.)

Event Comment: [On this night Edwin, Miss Morris and Mrs Bannister appeared both at CG and the HAY.]

Event Comment: [Kemble had 1st acted Othello, and Mrs Siddons Desdemona, at Manchester, 29 Jan. 1777.] Receipts: #259 14s. (243/8; 15/18; 0/8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Public Advertiser, 18 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. 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. "The mournful tone, the pathetic countenance, and the long-drawn expression pervaded the sprightly scenes of Rosalind as effectually as if the play had been Isabella" (Public Advertiser, 2 May). Receipts: #327 8s. 6d. (150/1/9; 9/11/6; 0/6/0; tickets: 167/10/0) (charge: #106/15/10)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Webb

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bannister. Public Advertiser, 16 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bannister, No. 29, Bow-street, Covent Garden. 3rd piece: An Original, Whimsical, Operatical, Pantomimical, Farcical, Electrical, Naval, Military, Temporary, Local Extravaganza

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of The Winter's Tale; afterpiece of The Jubilee, both announced on playbill of 5 Nov. In mainpiece the playbill assigns the Queen to Mrs Hopkins, but on the Kemble playbill her name is deleted. The name of her substitute has not come to light.] Receipts: #91 15s. (69/12; 21/13; 0/10)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Mrs Ward as Lady Sneerwell, but on the Kemble playbill a MS annotation substitutes Mrs Inchbald.] Receipts: #209 11s. 6d. (176/14/0; 32/16/0; 0/1/6)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Mrs Wells, but she "was so ill last night that she could not perform the part of Jane Shore. It was undertaken by Mrs T. Kennedy" (Public Advertiser, 21 Dec.).] Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, by John O'Keeffe]: The Pantomime, and the whole of the Scenery, Machinery, Dresses, &c. designed and invented by Loutherbourg, and executed under his superintendance and direction by Richards, Carver, Hodgins, Catton Jun., Turner, assisted by two other celebrated artists [all subsequent playbills have "a celebrated artist"; he was the Rev. Matthew William Peters (Public Advertiser, 16 Dec.)]. The Music entirely new, composed by Shield. Books containing a short account of the Pantomime, as well as the Recitatives, Airs, Duets, Trios and Chorusses, and a Description of the Procession, to be had at the Theatre. Nothing under Full Price will be taken. [This was the last theatrical piece for which De Loutherbourg designed the scenery. For a detailed account of it see "De Loutherbourg and Captain Cook", by Ralph G. Allen, Theatre Research, IV, 195-211.] Account-Book, 17 Oct.: Paid De Loutherbourg on acct. #120; 20 Dec.: Paid Goodwin for copying Music #10 14s.; 14 Feb. 1786: Paid O'Keeffe in full for Omai #40. Receipts: #309 19s. (302/7; 7/12)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Part of the Pit [6 rows (Public Advertiser, 6 Mar.)] will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by half past Four o'clock. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Orestes to Smith, but he "was indisposed . . . Throughout the whole [of his part] Kemble's skill was apparent. In the last scene he displayed as fine a picture of horror as was ever given from the stage" (Morning Chronicle, 6 Mar.).] Morning Herald, 24 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #293 11s. (122/17/0; 10/1/6; 1/2/6; tickets: 159/10/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jordan. 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. Morning Herald, 10 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jordan, No. 8, Henriettastreet, Covent Garden. Receipts: #312 5s. 6d. (131/4/0; 13/10/6; 0/17/0; tickets: 166/14/0) (charge: #106 3s. 5d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Billington. Morning Herald, 5 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Billington, No. 11, Great Newport-street, Long-acre. Receipts: #344 12s. (221/1/6; 2/12/6; tickets: 120/18/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Ward. Morning Herald, 24 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Ward, No. 12, Catherine-street, Strand. Receipts: #266 12s. 6d. (59/8/0; 30/19/0; 3/5/6; tickets: 173/0/0) (charge: #106 8s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Kemble. Tickets delivered for The Careless Husband will be taken. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as Lady Restless was at Manchester, 17 Feb. 1777.] Public Advertiser, 12 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Kemble, No. 16, Charles-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #293 12s. 6d. (148.16.0; 15.3.0; 0.7.6; tickets: 129.10.0) (charge: #105 11s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Brown. Public Advertiser, 12 May: Tickets to be had of Mr and Mrs Brown, No. 147, Drury-Lane. Receipts: #172 15s. (78.0.6; 4.12.6; tickets: 90.2.0)

Event Comment: [Browne was from the Richmond theatre; Mrs Kemble from the Edinburgh theatre.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Webb. Public Advertiser, 28 July: Tickets to be had of Mrs Webb, No. 22, the corner of Broad-court, Bow Street, Covent Garden