Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Abington. Pit and Boxes will be laid together. Ladies and Gentlemen are most earnestly requested to come early, to prevent Inconvenience in getting to their Places, and to send their Servants to keep them by Four o'clock. "At the close of the entertainment Mrs Abington came forward, and delivered a short poetical address to her fashionable auditory [written by Maurice Morgann (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1797, p. 263)], apposite to her feelings on the present occasion" (Morning Herald, 11 Feb.). "The character [of Scrub] throughout was well conceived, and executed with a sprightliness and degree of humour that kept the house in a continual roar of laughter" (Public Advertiser, 11 Feb.) "Mrs Abington's voice was in its usual tone; her manners and deportment were inattentive and torpid, rather than active and interesting" (Morning Post, 11 Feb.). "With all her endeavours to give new points to the character, she entirely failed. Her appearance en culottes, so preposterously padded, exceeded nature. Her gestures to look comical could not get the least hold of the audience, though they had seen her before in men's clothes, when playing Portia in The Merchant of Venice, where her figure, dressed as a lawyer in his gown, gave effect to her excellent delivery on mercy, and the audience had been always delighted. But this leu de benefice, comparatively speaking, was disgusting and absurd as she dressed the character ... However, I have heard it originated in a bet she had previously made" (Henry Angelo, Reminiscenes, 11, 281-82). Receipts: #406 13s. 6d. (249/9/6; 1/9/0; tickets: 155/15/0) (charge: free)

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 Mrs Crouch. Morning Herald, 12 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Crouch, No. 6, Leicester-street, Leicester Fields. Receipts: #280 9s. 6d. (92.2.0; 15.14.0; tickets: 170.18.0) (charge: #106 12s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jackson. Mainpiece [1st time in London; T 5, by John Jackson, 1st acted at Crow Street Theatre, Dublin, 13 Jan. 1777, as Gerilda. Larpent MS 448, which also lists the following unassigned parts: Halard, Bragances, Setoc, Bruno, Grindal, Clara. Authors of Prologue and Epilogue unknown]. [Robinson, who is identified in Morning Chronicle, 6 May, was from the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin.] Account-Book, 4 May: Paid Hull in lieu of a Benefit #100. Public Advertiser, 18 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jackson, Great Piazza, Covent Garden. Receipts: #188 15s. 6d. (99.19.6; tickets: 88.16.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jackson. 3rd piece [1st time in London; F 2, by James Solas Dodd, based on Le Naufrage, by Joseph de laFont, and 1st acted at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, 1772, as The Funeral Pile. "The performers were exceedingly correct, which is unusual in benefit piece" Oulton, 1796,1,81). Prologue by the author (Town and Country Magazine, May 1779, p.270)]: With an Indian Processionv. Public Advertiser, 24 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jackson in the Great Piazza, Covent Garden

Event Comment: Benefit for Mattocks. [Mrs Sage is identified in Morning Chronicle, 27 Apr.] On account of Miss Catley's Indisposition Comus [announced on playbill of 26 Apr.] is obliged to be deferred. Paid Atkins, coal merchant, #33 12s. 6d. Public Advertiser, 7 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mattocks, Great Russel Street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #193 5s. 6d. (153.13.6; tickets: 39.12.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Whitfield and Mrs Morton. Morning Chronicle, 2 May: Tickets to be had of Whitfield at his house, Crown-Court, Bow-street; of Mrs Morton, No. 15, Crown-Court, Covent Garden. Tickets sold at the Doors will not be admitted. Receipts: #186 7s. 6d. (87.3.6; tickets: 99.4.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: The last Time of performing this Season. [This was Mrs Hartley's last appearance on the tstage.] Account-Book, 29 May: Paid Foulis for writing Music #101 17s.; 31 May: Received of Their Majesties for this Season #60, of Prince of Wales #30; 16 June: Paid Pattinson, tallow chandler, #332 8s. Paid Cooper, printer, #335 11s. Paid Harris, manager, #500. Paid Enderby, oil merchant, #1,061 17s. Paid Hull, salary as Acting Manager #150. Paid Mrs Hartley in lieu of a Benefit #105; 6 July: Received Stage Forfeits this season #42 3s. 6d. Receipts: #63 8s. (61.14.6; 1.13.6)

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

Event Comment: [In 2nd piece the playbill retains Mrs Cargill as Macheath, but "Mrs Cargill and her husband [but see 8 Sept.] took it into their heads to set off suddenly for Bath last week; the consequence was the audience were on Tuesday evening disappointed of their Macheath, and, after an apology, agreed to receive Wood in the character, who played it extremely well, and was much applauded" (Morning Chronicle, 13 Sept.). Who acted Wood's part of Jenny Diver is not stated.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Martyr. Morning Herald, 15 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Martyr at her house, No. 35, Devonshire-street, Queen-square. Tickets delivered for Lionel and Clarissa will be admitted. Receipts: #209 10s. 6d. (105/13/6; tickets: 103/17/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Barnes. Morning Herald, 15 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Barnes, No. 21, Crown-street, Westminster. Receipts: #134 11s. 6d. (69/3/6; tickets: 65/8/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Tickets delivered for a Comedy, by Messink, Jones, Ledger, Newton, Painter, Darley, Lloyd, Mrs Davenett, Mrs Sharpe and the Widow of the late Dr Arne will be admitted this Evening. Receipts: #281 1s. (91/16; 5/1; tickets: 184/4)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bannister. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years. The Music composed by Dr Arne. Public Advertiser, 22 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bannister, No. 6, Great Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #233 11s. (123/6; tickets: 110/5) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. Public Advertiser, 6 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mattocks at her house in Charlotte-street, Rathbone Place. Receipts: #241 8s. 6d. (175/13/6; tickets: 65/15/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Tickets delivered by Jackson, Doyle, Prosser, Rowson, Rd. Ledger, Real, Mrs Lampe, Mrs Hamilton, Eves will be admitted. Receipts: #262 9s. 6d. (135/13/0; 3/8/6; tickets: 123/8/0)

Event Comment: "What a 'monstrous marring' ... is made amongst the wierd sisters! Mrs Wrighten laughing and talking the whole time, [and Miss] George who cannot help joining in a laugh . . . Mrs Siddons's sleeping scene [is] we think the greatest act that has in our memory adorned the stage" (Public Advertiser, 24 Feb.). Receipts: #279 6s. 6d. (250/0/0; 28/9/0; 0/10/0; tickets not come in: 0/7/6)

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. The last time of Mrs Siddons's performing this Season. Receipts: #295 14s. (287/14; 6/10; 1/10)