Event Comment: DDaily Advertiser, 19 Feb. Yesterday died of an Astmatick Disorder, at his Chambers in Clement's Inn, Mr Benjamin Griffin, a celebrated Comedian, belonging to Drury-Lane Theatre

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: The Duke's Company. The date of the premiere is not known. Pepys saw it on 6 March 1679@80, calling it a "New Play," and that may have been the first day. The Prologue alludes also to the Duke of York's triumphant return from Scotland on 24 Feb. 1679@80, and the play was entered in the Term Catalogues, May 1680. For Mrs Bracegirdle as the "little Girl," see Edmund Curll, History of the English Stage (1741), p. 26, and Lucyle Hook, Anne Bracegirdle's First Appearance, Theatre Notebook, XIII (1959), 134. For Betterton as Castalio and Mrs Barry as Monimia, probably as they performed in the next decade, see Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, I, 116, 160. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 37) gives the same cast except for omissions and except for Serina-Isabella in The Fatal Marriage] These three Parts, gain'd her the Name of Famous $Mrs Barry">Mrs Mountfort, who acted it later. Downes (pp. 37-38) adds: [Monimia, Belvidera in Venice Preserved, and Isabella in The Fatal Marriage] These three Parts, gain'd her the Name of Famous $Mrs Barry, both at court and City; for when ever She Acted any of these three Parts, she forc'd Tears from the Eyes of her Auditory, especially those who have any Sense of Pity for the Distress't. These 3 Plays, by their Excellent Performances, took above all the Modern Plays that succeeded. A song for this play, Come all the youths whose hearts have bled, the music by Forcer, is in Choice Ayres and Songs, The Third Book, 1681

Event Comment: Benefit for Yates. House Charges #65 5s. [Profit to Yates #118 16s. 6d.] Not performed for 20 years. Revived with alterations. Paid B. Johnson's Head Bill #2 5s. 6d. Paid #2 2s. for licensing Dido (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #184 6d. (Treasurer's Book). About 5 went into the Pit at Drury Lane to see the False Friend reviv'd with alterations, for the benefit of Yates. It engages the attention, but was very well performed. Don John by Holland; Don Pedro by Powell; Lopez by Mr Yates, the drinking Servant by Baddeley; Leonora by Mrs Barry (whom I never saw before); Isabella by Miss Plym and Jacintha by Mrs Yates. I think an Abigail an odd character for her, but no doubt she was willing to play anything for her husband's benefit. After the dance of the Vintage, Mr Yates spoke by way of Interlude a new piece on his being in France called the "Modern Traveller," containing some strokes on the affectation of French Fashions, &c. We had the Farce of High Life Below Stairs with minuet by Mrs Yates and a French Valet, which I do not remenber to have seen when I saw this Farce (before) (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Barry. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Afterpiece: By Desire. Last time of performing till the Holidays. Tickets for Isabella will be taken. Part of pit laid into boxes

Event Comment: This play is alter'd, that is all the Comedy is cut out, & is still 5 short Acts went off well-but heavy (Cross). Mainpiece: A Reviv'd Tragedy, alter'd from Southern. Receipts: #200 (Cross). [See Theatrical Review, 1757 and 1758, for comment: "The distress of the first three acts is exquisitely wrought, and withal naturally; but the Fourth seems to me to have little or no grounds, but in Isabella's diseased fancy, and romantic notion....As to the distress of the Fifth it is prodigious."

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: [Mainpiece in place of Isabella, advertised on playbill of 2 Jan., and of The Cherokee, announced on playbill for this present night.] "The Public are respectfully informed that The Cherokee is unavoidably postponed till Monday night. This evening will be presented [as above]" (printed slip attached to Kemble playbill). Powell: The Cherokee postponed "on Account of the Indisposition of Kelly;" in The Pannel "Jones being Ill, Webb play'd 1st Alguazile, Evans 2nd Alguazile. Benson being Ill, Trueman play'd Octavio." Pannel rehearsed at 10:30; New Ballet at 12. Receipts: #158 4s. (108.17.0; 39.11.6; 9.15.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Reinhold. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. [Tenducci advertised to play Arbaces for "positively the last time this season."] Tomorrow Isabella; or, the Fatal Marriage [which seems to indicate Garrick's adaption]. Charges #73 11s. Balance to Reinhold #55 15s. 6d., plus 90 10s. from tickets (Box 259; Pit 127; Gallery 67) (Account Book). Receipts: #55 15s. 6d

Event Comment: [Afterpiece by Newburgh Hamilton.] Benefit Mrs Willis. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for a Performer, thirty years a Servant of the Publick at Covent-garden and Haymarket Theatres [unidentified]. Mainpiece: Written by the ingenious Mrs Behn, with Alterations by a Gentleman well known in the Dramatick World and Republick of Letters. The Characters new dressed in the Habits of the Times. [Writers and speakers of Prologue and Epilogue unknown.] Afterpiece: Altered from Sir John Vanbrugh. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:00

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by James Cobb. Text: T. N. Longman and O. Rees, 1800. Miss Waters is identified in the Songs]: The Scenes, Music, Machinery, Dresses, and Decorations are all entirely new. The Music composed by Mazzinghi and Reeve. The Scenery painted by Richards, Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Backmore, &c. [based on drawings of Indian scenery by Thomas Daniell]. The Machinery and Decorations by Cresswell, Sloper, Goostree, &c. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs, also describing the Scenes and Spectacle of the Return from the Tiger Hunt, to be had at the Theatre, price six pence. "The whole [forms] an exhibition of the utmost grandeur...The expense attending the decoration must have been immense...The dailogue is certainly not of the first description of writing, but it forms, on the whole, a very safe vehicle for some of the best music the English stage has for some time been able to boast"(Morning Herald, 13 Nov.). Account-Book, 27 Dec.: Paid Cuthbert for Wheels, &c. for the Elephants #13 18s. Receipts: #364 7s. 6d. (363.19.6; 0.8.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: 32nd Night [i.e. in continuation, erroneously, of the reckoning for the preceding season, when it was acted 28 times]. With new Music, Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations. The Music (with a few Exceptions) composed entirely new by Shield. And new Scenery designed and chiefly executed by Richards. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. "Covent-garden is the National Theatre. I was there on 10th Dec. and saw an opera called The Woodman. It was the very day on which the life story of Madam Billington, both from the good as well as from the bad sides was announced [i.e. Memoirs of Mrs Billington, and An Answer to the Memoirs of Mrs Billington, both anonymous, both predated 1792]...She sang rather timidly this evening, but very well all the same. The first tenor [Incledon] has a good voice and quite a good style, but he uses the falsetto to excess. He sang a trill on high C and ran up to G. The 2nd tenor [Johnstone] tries to imitate him, but could not make the change from the falsetto to the natural voice, and apart from that is most unmusical...But the cast is entirely used to him. The leader is Herr Baumgartner [sic], a German who, however, has almost forgotten his mother-tongue. The Theatre is very dark and dirty, and is almost as large as the Vienna Court Theatre. The common people in the galleries of all the theatres are very impertinent; they set the fashion with all their unrestrained impetuosity, and whether something is repeated or not is determined by their yells. The parterre and all the boxes sometimes have to applaud a great deal to have something good repeated. That was just what happened this evening, with the Duet in the 3rd Act, which was very beautiful; and the pro's and contra's went on for nearly a quarter of an hour, till finally the parterre and the boxes won, and they repeated the Duet. Both the performers stood on the stage quite terrified, first retiring, then again coming forward. The orchestra is sleepy" (Haydn, 273-74). Receipts: #194 11s. (191.8; 3.3)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, by Thomas John Dibdin; pantomime by Charles Farley]: With new Scenery, Machinery, Tricks, Dresses, and Decorations. The Overture, Airs and Chorusses by Attwood. The Pantomime Music by Attwood, Mountain, and Ealy [recte Eley]. The Scenery by Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Blackmore, Thorne, Wilkins, &c. The Machinery and Tricks by Cresswell, Sloper and Goostree. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #364 (353.12; 10.8)

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of The Merry Wives of Windsor, advertised on playbill of 10 Feb.] Afterpiece [1st time; BALL. P 1 (?), by John Cartwright Cross. Airs (T. Woodfall, 1798)]: The Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations entirely new. The Music by Reeve. The Scenery painted by Richards, Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, and Blackmore. The Machinery by Cresswell, Sloper, Goostree, &c. The Dresses by Dick, Mrs Egan, &c. Receipts: #294 0s. 6d. (270.16.6; 23.4.0)

Event Comment: [Miss Arne, who is identified by MS annotation on Kemble playbill, had previously appeared as a chorus singer; see 27 Oct. 1794. In mainpiece the playbill assigns Mrs Peachum to Mrs Hopkins, Suky Tawdry to Mrs Maddocks, Mrs Coaxer to Miss Stageldoir, but "Mrs Hopkins being ill, Mrs Maddocks play'd Mrs Peachum; Mrs Hedges Suky Tawdry for Mrs Maddocks; Miss Stageldoir Ill, Mrs Jones play'd Mrs Coaxer. [In afterpiece] Jones Ill, Lyons Snuffle; Evans 4th Mob for Lyons [both these characters omitted from playbill]" (Powell).] Powell: Mayor of Garratt rehearsed at 12; New Ballet at 12. Receipts: #174 10s. (121.14; 51.2; 1.14)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 4, by George Colman elder. Prologue by the author (Morning Chronicle, 13 Oct.). Scenery by Rooker (ibid. 1 Sept.). Larpent MS 490; not published; synopsis of plot in London Magazine, Sept. 1779, pp. 405-7]. "The first three acts want business, and the denouement is rather suddenly brought about...The greatness of the task of performing a character of which Mrs Abington had been announced as the intended representative seemed to inspire [Miss Farren] with additional zeal, and helped her to gain additional credit" (Morning Chronicle, 1 Sept.)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2 (?), by John Cartwright Cross]: With new Music, Scenery, Machinery, Dresses, &c. The Overture and new Music by Reeve. The Scenery painted by Richards, Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, and Blackmore. The Machinery by Cresswell, Sloper, Goostree, &c. The Dresses by Dick, Mrs Egan, &c. Receipts: #314 15s. (303.1; 11.14)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Hannah Cowley.] Miss Younge had a song [Wake, thou son of dullness] composed by Michael Arne. Authors of Prologue and Epilogue unknown]: New Scenes and Dresses. Account-Book, 16 June: Paid Mrs Cowley for suspending the publication of the Belle's Stratagem #100. Public Advertiser, 1 Apr. 1782: In a few Days will be published The Belle's Stratagem. A spurious Copy having been published in Ireland [in 1781] make[s] it necessary to observe that the above is the genuine Comedy, as performed at Covent Garden Theatre. Ibid., 9 Apr. 1782: This Day is published The Belle's Stratagem (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #213 19s. (212.15.6; 1.3.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by John Philip Kemble]: Taken from [The Rover, by] Mrs Behn, with considerable Alterations. With new Dresses and Decorations. Receipts: #165 14s. 6d. (133.8.0; 31.14.0; 0.12.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; MD 3, by Miles Peter Andrews and Frederick Reynolds. Prologue by Edward Topham; Epilogue by Miles Peter Andrews (Crouch, II, 229)]: With new Scenes, Dresses and Decorations. The new Music composed, and the rest selected by Shield. Morning Chronicle, 25 Feb. 1795: This Day is published The Mysteries of the Castle (2s.). [Mrs Cornelys was from the Crow Street Theatre Dublin.] Receipts: #243 12s. (241.19; 1.13)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Mrs Bland; in afterpiece the playbill assigns Euphrosyne and 1st Bacchant to Mrs Bland, 2nd Bacchant to Miss DeCamp, Pastoral Nymph to Miss Dall, but "In consequence of the sudden indisposition of Mrs Bland...nearly the whole female cast of Comus was last night altered a short time previous to the performance. Miss Dall was the Euphrosyne, Miss DeCamp the 1st Bacchant, and Mrs Bramwell the Pastoral Nymph. In The Mountaineers Miss DeCamp was Mrs Bland's successor" (Morning Herald, 3 Sept.). Mrs Bramwell's part as a Bacchant was probably omitted.