Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pope. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years. [2nd piece 1st acted at cg, 3 May 1793, as To Arms; or, The British Recruit.] Morning Chronicle, 26 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Pope at her house, Half-moon-street, Piccadilly. Account-Book, 21 Apr.: Paid Mrs Pope for Dresses as per Bill #32 19s. 6d. Receipts: #293 18s. (138.5; 9.7; tickets: 146.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. Tickets delivered for The Double Gallant will be taken. Morning Chronicle, 16 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mattocks, No. 8, Great Russel-street, Covent-garden. Receipts: #288 5s. 6d. (119.6.0; 17.18.0; tickets: 151.1.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Munden. [Mrs Litchfield is identified in Thespian Dictionary, 1805; as Miss Hay she had acted at cg on 27 May 1796.] 2nd piece [1st time; MF 1, by John O'Keeffe. MS not in Larpent MS; not published]: Altered [by the author] from Sprigs of Laurel. True Briton, 1 May: Tickets to be had of Munden, No. 16, Clement's-Inn. Receipts: #418 8s. 6d. (122.8.6; 9.19.6; tickets: 286.0.6)

Event Comment: Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Shotter, Mrs Pitt, Wall, Berecloth, Young, Hasler, Sturgeon, Noble, Bonsor, Little, Brice, Thompson (gallery office-keeper), Abbot, Curties will be admitted. Receipts: #304 15s. (27.19.6; 1.5.0; tickets: 275.10.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Martyr. 1st piece: Not acted these 20 years [never previously acted at this theatre]. Morning Herald, 4 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Martyr, No. 16, Martlet-court, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #349 16s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mountain. 1st piece: By Permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Morning Herald, 21 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mountain at Mr Greak's, No. 3 3 , Tavistock-street, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #274 3s. (109/7/6; 9/19/6; tickets: 154/16/0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, author unknown]: The Pantomime partly new and partly compiled. The principal parts of the Compilation from The Choice of Harlequin, The Magic Cavern, The Enchanted Castle, The Sylphs, and The Sorcerer. The Music compiled from, and composed by, Michael Arne, Shield, J. C.? Bach, Spofforth, &c. The Scenery, Machinery, and Decorations are partly new, and the rest completely repaired by Hodgins, Phillips, Hollogan, Blackmore, and assistants. The Dances composed by Byrn. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #274 14s. 6d. (254.13.0; 20.1.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Clendining. 3rd piece: To conclude as 15 Apr. Morning Herald, 16 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Clendining, No. 13, King-street, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #238 4s. (100.15; 15.4; tickets: 122.5)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Follett. [Egerton was from the hay (see 23 Jan.).] 2nd piece: In one Act. 3rd piece: Two new Scenes, as 17 Apr.; Procession, as 26 May. Morning Herald. 5 June: Tickets to be had of Follett, No. 46, Drury-lane. Receipts: #360 18s. (116.13.6; 3.11.0; tickets: 240.13.6)

Event Comment: "In point of voice, there are few women so highly favoured as Mrs Litchfield [whose 1st appearance at cg was on 27 May 1796]; through every gradation of tone it is perfect, combining strength and melody, it is equal to any task which the theatre (large and extensive as it is) can impose. It is suited to the firmness of declamation, the tenderness of pathos, and the burst of indignant passion" (Monthly Mirror, Oct. 1797, p. 226). The Epilogue is not listed on the playbill, but "The audience would not be satisfied without the original Epilogue [by Miles Peter Andrews], which Lewis came forward and spoke" (True Briton, 21 Sept.). [Afterpiece in place of The Poor Soldier, advertised on playbill of 18 Sept.] Receipts: #225 0s. 6d. (195.14.0; 29.6.6)

Event Comment: [This was Mrs Abington's 1st appearance on the stage since 12 Feb. 1790, except for 14 June 1797, when she spoke an epilogue at a charity benefit.] "Her former Beatrice was a chaste, animated, unaffected and captivating performance; but her Beatrice of this night was, for the greater part, languid and unattractive. Her deportment, however, is easy and graceful; but her person is too big and heavy to give any effect to the more gay and sprightly scenes. We conceive it to be the height of folly and imprudence in her to come forward in the present advanced period of her existence; and that too, with a person so ill calculated for the department, and attempt characters which demand all the vigour and activity of youth" (Monthly Visitor, Oct. 1797, p. 352). [Address by George Colman, ynger (London Chronicle, 7 Oct.).] Receipts: #348 2s. (336.18; 11.14)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. 1st piece [1st time; INT 1, by John Cartwright Cross. Larpent MS 1213; not published]. Genest, VII 365, states that the Epilogue Address "was in all probability the Epilogue to Alonzo [by David Garrick]." 3rd piece: conclude with a Rural Procession: Four Lads bearing Streamers-Plough decorated with Flowers-Four Countrymen bearing a May-day Garland-Four Lasses Bearing Implements of Husbandry-Country Girls leading a Lamb, decorated with Flowers-Four Lasses bearing a Garland-a Chorus and Finale. Tickets delivered for Every One has His Fault will be admitted. Times, 17 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mattocks, No. 8, Great Russell-street, Covent-garden. Receipts: #259 16s. 6d. (124.7.0; 2.13.0; tickets: 132.16.6)

Event Comment: [Huddart, whose 1st appearance on the stage was at the Crow Street Theatre Dublin, on 14 May 1798, is identified in European Magazine, Oct. 1798, p. 258.] "In the gentle and tender scenes [Huddart] was impressive...but in the impassioned parts he was often too boisterous, and from his too eager exertion, he exhausted himself, in a great measure, before the conclusion of the piece" (Morning Herald, 16 Oct.). [Mrs Pope, as Miss Campion, had 1st appeared as Desdemona at the same theatre, 11 Mar. 1790. Mrs Wybrow was from the Royal Circus. She had appeared at cg on 6 June 1798.] Afterp iece [1st time; BALL. PI, by John Cartwright Cross. Larpent MS 1228. Text (i.e. synopsis of the ballet, and the songs) in his Circusiana (Lackington, Allen & Co., 1890), Vol. 1; it lists the cast for the Royal Circus]: Taken chiefly from the favourtie Piece of the latter Title [1st acted at the Royal Circus, 9 Apr. 1798], with Alterations and Additions by the original Author. The Music by Sanderson, and Scenery by Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Blackmore, &c. Receipts: #294 15s. 6d. (290.8.6; 4.7.0)

Event Comment: The King's Company. The date of this performance is known from the separately printed Prologue and Epilogue: A Prologue by Mr Settle to his New Play, called The Emperor of Morocco, with the Life of Gayland. Acted at the Theatre Royal, the 11th of March 1682. The Epilogue, Spoken by Mrs Coysh's Girl, as a Cupid. [Luttrell's date of acquisition, 16 March 1681@2, is on his copies of the Prologue and Epilogue (Huntington); they have also been reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 84-85.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Esten. Morning Herald, 26 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Esten, No. 5, Nassau-street, Soho. Receipts: #311 3s. (155.14.6; 5.5.6; tickets: 150.3.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Munden. [Mrs Townsend was from the Norwich theatre.] 3rd piece: Never [previously] acted at this Theatre. Morning Chronicle, 22 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Munden, No. 12, Frith-street, Soho. Receipts: #388 7s. (111.9.6; 6.12.0; tickets: 270.5.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Clendining. 2nd piece: Not acted these 10 years [acted 25 Apr. 1788]. 3rd piece [1st time; M 1, altered by John Gretton from his Ode performed at the Pantheon, 4 May. Larpent MS 1087; text printed in Morning Chronicle, 2 May 1795, with parts as above]: The Words by John Gretton, Esq. The Music by Spofforth; the Dances by Byrn. Books containing the Words of the Masque will be delivered gratis at the different Doors. Morning Herald, 5 June: Tickets to be had of Mrs Clendining, No. 13, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #204 5s. (72.17; 7.15; tickets: 123.13)

Event Comment: Lewis having a severe Hoarseness, Fortune's Fool [advertised on playbill of 4 Nov.] is deferred till Monday. Afterpiece [1st time: BURL 2. by John O'Keeffe. MS: Larpent MS 1141; not published, except for Airs (T. N. Longman, 1796)]: Partly new, and partly taken from The Golden Pippin [by Kane O'Hara]. The Overture and new Music by Reeve. The Selections from Pergolesi, Rousseau, Mornington, Fisher, Carolan, Rizzio, &c. With new Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations. The Scenery by Phillips, Blackmore, Hollogan, and assistants. The Dragon, the Car and the Machinery designed and executed by Cresswell. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. "The beauty of the scenery is only to be equalled by the ingenuity of the machinery. The descents and ascents of the Deities were managed with astonishing regularity and adroitness; and the Flying Cupids hovered in the air in very pleasing attitudes...The Pas de Russe, danced by Delpini, a-la-Parisot [see dl. 1 Oct.], in the character of a fine Lady, with Munden, was irresistibly comic" (Morning Herald, 7 Nov.). Receipts: #191 2s. 6d. (185.10.6; 5.12.0)

Event Comment: [This was Mrs Crawford's last appearance on the stage.] Receipts: #150 17s. (148.10; 2.7)

Event Comment: Benefit for Delpini. [Mrs Delpini's 1st appearance at this theatre was on 28 May 1789.] Public Advertiser, 26 May: Tickets to be had of Delpini, No. 17, Tavistock-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #285 2s. (153.2.6; 5.9.6; tickets: 126.10.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: With new Dresses and Decorations. "[Miss Wallis] does not seem to have chosen any particular model to govern her acting, like most of the female candidates of late years, who have generally founded their manner upon the style of Mrs Siddons" (London Chronicle, 9 Oct.). Receipts: #228 1s. 6d. (224.5.0; 3.16.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mountain. 2nd piece: Engagement and Funeral Processionv as 6 May. Morning Herald, 18 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mountain, No. 6, York-street, Covent Garden, Receipts: #245 18s. 6d. (89.18.0; 6.15.0; tickets: 149.5.6)