Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of NOTORIETY, advertised on playbill of 23 Oct.] Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2 , by Mrs Burke. MS: Larpent 992; not published]: With new Music [by Tommaso Giordani (Morning Herald, 25 Oct.)). Scenery, Dresses and Decorations. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #228 0s. 6d. (206/10/6; 21/10/0)

Event Comment: 3rd piece [Ist time; MF 2, attributed to Mrs Rainsford, for whom see Morning Herald, 9 May; London Chronicle, 23 May, states that it was written by "A Lady," but gives no name. MS: Larpent 1025; not published]: The Music composed by Webbe. Receipts: #118 4s. (109/3; 9/1)

Event Comment: [By Mrs Aubert.] Never Acted before. In Daily Courant, 26 May: Never acted before, being unfortunately prevented on Friday last, by the unexpected Arrest of the Person who was to have played the Doctor

Event Comment: [Mrs Thompson was Miss Poitier.] Receipts: #108 7s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mrs Mills, a Drury Lane actress, died on this day

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A New Musical Entertainment in Two Interludes. The words to be sold at the theatre (General Advertiser). Some Gentlemen crowding behind ye Scenes, ye Audience resented it & ye farce was stop'd for half an hour--I drew lines with chalk, but Miss Norris applying publickly to Capt. Johnson, desiring he wou'd retire, He did & ye farce went on with great Applause. The words of this piece were by Mr Mendez, & set by Dr Boyce (Cross). Added to salary list, Mr Campioni. Paid him for cloaths #21, and for 51 days work, #42 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #140 (Cross); #142 13s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Benefit Mrs Giffard. Tragedy not acted for 7 years. The Ballad Opera, by Mendez, never performed before. Servants admitted to keep places. Tickets at Mr Giffard's (No 11) in Craven Buildings, Drury Lane; and places for the boxes of Hobson, at the stage door

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Desire. Afterpiece: A new Musical Entertainment went off pretty well--some Noise &c. (Cross). Published at 3 o'clock that afternoon and sold at the theatre for 6d. (General Advertiser). No admission behind scenes or in Orchestra on account of the entertainment. [Music by C. Burney. Text by Moses Mendez]. Receipts: #120 (Cross)

Event Comment: A new Musical Masque. This Masque was written by ye Author of the Chaplet (Mr Mendez) & set by Dr Boyce. Great Applause. I had the copy (Cross). [On this and all subsequent bills this season for The Shepherd's Lottery announcement is made of the composition of the music by Dr Boyce.] Receipts: #100 (Cross)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: 14th Night [i.e. in continuation of the reckoning for the previous season]. With new Music [consisting of 6 new songs (Gazetteer, 2 Oct.)], Scenes and Dresses. The new Music and Accompaniments to the adapted Airs by Shield. The Overture by Baumgarten. The Words of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. [It was "represented in an altered state . . . The second act is almost newly written, and the language of the whole opera amended and pointed with great neatness" {London Magazine, Oct. 1784, p. 315).] "At the end of the first act [of mainpiece], Davies came forward and informed the audience that Mrs Kennedy was of a sudden taken dangerously ill, and hoped that Cubitt might be permitted to read the remainder of her part; a request that was immediately complied with" (London Chronicle, 13 Oct.). [Afterpiece in place of The Positive Man, announced on playbill of 11 Oct.]

Event Comment: Benefit for Mattocks, Mrs Pitt, Mrs Chambers. No Building on Stage. Tickets sold at door not taken. Receipts: #50 9s. 6d. Charges #63. Deficit of #4 3s. 6d. apiece convered by income from tickets: Mattocks, #34 3s. (boxes 48; pit 91; gallery 85); Mrs Pitt, #55 15s. (boxes 14; pit 177; gallery 257); Mrs Chambers, #42 18s. (boxes 70; pit 116; gallery 80 ) (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Scott. No building on Stage. Mrs Hopkins Mandane Mrs Yates being Ill (Hopkins). Benefit for Miss Young (playbill). Afterpiece: Not acted these two years. [See 10 Feb. 1762.] Charges: #64 4s. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. First Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. No Persons to be admitted behind the scenes, nor any money returned after the Curtain is Drawn up. Places for the boxes to be had (only) of Mr Sarjant at the Stage Door. The Doors to be opened at Five o'clock. To begin exactly at Six o'clock. Vivant Rex & Regina! [Customary note for each bill. Only significant changes will be further noted. The company was weakened by the loss of Woodward (see 23 Oct.) who accompanied Foote to Edinburgh, and of Mrs Bellamy who was not engaged. Miss Catley, however, returned from Ireland after an absence of 9 years. And Ross returned after four years.

Event Comment: Mr Garrick Bays 1st time these four years Very fine House (Hopkins Diary). Mrs King many years actress and dancer will leave the stage at her Benefit. Garrick [will] play for her (Winston MS 10). Paid Marshall & Co. (plumbers) #11 9s. 6d.; Mr Racket (taylor) #20 6d.; Mr Hatsell (mercer) #29 6d.; Mr Ireland (upholsterer) #34 7s.; Barrow & Co (oil merchants) #88 10s.; Printer's Bill #8 12s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #280 6s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr Vernon. Rec'd Mrs Heath's one yrs. rent to Xmas last #10. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #196 16s. Charges: #64 19s. Profits to Vernon: #131 17s. (Treasurer's Book)

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

Event Comment: WWinston MS: Mrs Green married during June 1747. She play'd as Miss Hippisley at Covent Garden 29 May 1747. Receipts: #140 (Cross); #121 8s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Blakes. Tickets and places of Blakes at his house in Cranbourne Alley, Leicester Fields, and of Hobson at the stage door. Les Messieurs & Dames peuvent laisser Diner leurs Domestiques car a quatre Heur sera assez a bonne heur de les Envoyer pour Gardez les places dans les loges. M. Fanfaron (General Advertiser). [The General Advertiser this day also included the first announcement of Mrs Macklin's benefit to be held on 22 April, at which would be perform'd the Lover's Melancholy, "Not acted these Hundred years," together with a new farce (never acted) called The Club of Fortune Hunters. The notice ran again several times, followed by the letters to the author of the General Advertiser noted on 19 and 23 April.] Receipts: #111 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel); cash, #58 6s.; tickets, #52 15s. (Clay MS)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mountain. Afterpiece [1st time in London; M. INT 2, by Walley Chamberlain Oulton, 1st acted at Crow Street Theatre, Dublin, 12 Mar. 1789, Larpent MS 835; not published]: The Music by Tommaso? Giordani. Receipts: #213 17s. (80.0.6; 6.3.6; tickets: 127.13.0)

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 Mrs Turner Robinson

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Walter and Mrs Pelling. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Congreve. [Tickets of Mrs Walter at Mr Hook's, Carpenter, in Stanhope Street; of Mrs Pelling at Mr Dagley's, Silversmith, near Castle Tavern, DL.]

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wells. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. General Advertiser, 16 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wells, No. 15, Beaufort-buildings. Receipts: #337 17s. 6d. (178.3.0; 3.17.6; tickets: 155.17.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wells. Mainpiece [1st time; C 4, author unknown, not in Larpent MS; not published. Epilogue by Robert Merry (World, 30 Apr.). On 11 May acted as The Female Pursuit]: Taken from Moor's Gil Blas. Public Advertiser, 27 Apr.: Mrs Wells trusts the Public will have the Candour to excuse her not appearing in the Play, as the principal Woman's Character has many changes in it, and the Fatigue of going through various and numerous Imitations would render her incapable of undertaking it. Gazetteer, 9 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wells, No. 12, Weymouth-street, Portland-place. Receipts: #301 14s. (166.2; 10.1; tickets: 125.11)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wells [who imitated Mrs Siddons, Mrs Crawford, Mrs Jordan, Mrs Martyr, Mrs Kennedy (World, 19 Aug.). 1st piece in place of Seeing is Believing; 2nd of Ways and Means, both advertised on playbill of 17 Aug.]