Event Comment: Benefit for Wrighten, prompter. 3rd piece [1st time; M I, author unknown. Music selected from Dr Arne. MS: Larpent 833 (which notes, "The words partly new and partly compiled. In Commemoration of the Restoration of His Majesty's Health"); not published]. Public Advertiser, 18 May: Tickets to be had of Wrighten, No. 6, Little Russel Street. Tickets delivered for the 20th will be admitted. Receipts: #278 17s. 6d. (48.2.0; 13.17.0; 0.17.6; tickets: 216.1.0) (charge: #106 13s. 7d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Egerton. Rec'd from Mr Dodd on Acct #15; from Mr Clutterbuck's [acc't] #200; Stopages #18 2s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #105 6s. Charges: #65 8s. Profits to Mrs Egerton: #39 18s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [See 30 April 1773. See, for afterpiece, the Regatta attached to Queen Mab, 11 Nov.] Mr Moody very bad in Maj. Oldfox , &c. Mrs Greville not much better in Olivia (Hopkins Diary). Rec'd from the late Mrs Johnston for Old Women's Cloaths #10 10s.; By ditto from Mr Garrick for wax candles #1 12s. Receipts: #150 13s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wood, Percey, Shade & Cameron. Tickets delivered by Lewis, Hodges, Gardner, and for Monday, the 31st of May, will be taken. MS annotation on Kemble playbill: "I believe this was the last time of Mr Henderson's acting at Drury Lane, except when he played Jaques in As You Like It for Mrs Robinson's Benefit, April 7, 1780. See October 18, 1779, Covent Garden Bills." Receipts: #301 6s. 6d. (19.14.0; 2.14.6; 0.14.0; tickets: 278.4.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [This was Mrs Bulkley's 1st appearance as a member of the DL company. As from CG, she had acted at this theatre on 9 Apr. 1778, and on other occasions.] Receipts: #144 11s. (109/3/0; 35/5/6; 0/2/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years. [In mainpiece the playbill does not list the Child; for the assignment see Morning Post, 10 Oct., and edition of 1787 (Rachael Randall).] "[Mrs Siddons's] merit in the character was infinite, and the applause she received unbounded. In various of her scenes the plaudits were repeated . . . During the fourth and fifth acts there was almost an incessant clapping, and when Isabella expired her death was rendered glorious by the theatre's resounding with thundering applause for more than a minute" (Morning Chronicle, 11 Oct.). "L'actrice la plus noble dans ses manieres, madame Siddons, ne perd rien de sa dignite quand elle se prosterne contre terre . . . Enfin, il arriva ce moment terrible ou Isabelle, s'etant echappee des mains des femmes qui veulent l'empechcr de se tuer, rit, en se donnant un coup de poignard, de l'inutilite de leurs efforts. Ce rire du desespoir est l'effet le plus difficile et le plus remarquable que le jeu dramatique puisse produire; il emeut bien plus que les larmes: cette amere ironie du malheur est son expression la plus dechirante. Qu'elle est terrible la souffrance du coeur, quand elle inspire une si barbare joie, quand elle donne, a l'aspect de son propre sang, le contentement feroce d'un sauvage ennemi qui se serait venge!" (Mme de Stael: Corinne, livre XVII, chapitre iv). Receipts: #181 11s. (147/0; 34/6; 0/5)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [Mrs Mills was from the Edinburgh theatre.] Receipts: #173 6s. 6d. (140/13/0; 32/11/0; 0/0/0; ticket not come in: 0/2/6)

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 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: [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 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 Wrighten, prompter. Public Advertiser, 7 May: Tickets to be had of Wrighten, Kennington-lane, near Vauxhall. Receipts: #254 8s. 6d. [64.9.0; 11.13.6; 0.19.0; tickets: 177.7.0) (charge: #106 3s. 9d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bradshaw and Mrs Dorman. Mainpiece: Acted but once these forty years. Written by Shakespeare and Revis'd by Theobald

Event Comment: This play is alter'd by Mr Cumberland was very well receiv'd Mr & Mrs Barry play'd very well Alcibiades was perform'd by Mr Crofts being his first appearance upon any Stage bad figure bad voice & Play'd bad (Hopkins Diary). New Scenes, Decorations &c. Mr Crofts-a stationer in the Temple (Winston MS 10). Theatrical Review, 4 Dec.: We think ourselves oblig'd to declare that this gentleman (Crofts), by no means answered the expectations we had formed, from the accounts we had heard of him.--His voice is not bad, though it is not much above the level of common conservation; --his deportment is aukward and void of grace to an extreme; and he labors under the disadvantage of having a face destitute of expression. His gestures are extremely ungraceful, and the whole of his execution is glaringly untutored, and misconceived. His persons is very ill formed, and therefore it makes greatly against him, especially as he is the representative of Alcibiades, who was the handsomest man in all Athens, and we never remember any one's attempting to set out as a capital performer with so few requisites for the support of such an undertaking as this gentleman appears to have. Paid Dr Nares & Mr Cooke's 8 boys in the Garter, 12 nights (30th ult. incl.) #36; Master Brown 7 nights (2nd inst. incl.) #2 12s 6d.; Licence for Timon, #2 2s. (Treasurer's Book). [Larpent MS 328 of Cumberland's Timon, is one of the earliest to include scenic descriptions: "A Hall in Timon's House. The Flat Scene represents stately Folding Doors. Scene two, the Back scene is hastily drawn back and discovers a magnificent Levee Room or Salon. &c."] Receipts: #243 1s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mr Grist made his first appearance upon any Stage in the Character of Othello his figure is well enough, a good Voice and powerful, when he knows how to manage it-he is Awkward-but it was a very good first appearance, and if there is proper care taken of him, he may make an Actor (Hopkins Diary). Paid 2 extra flutes #2 10s.; 1 suit Brocade cloaths #12 12s.; Mrs Brereton, 4 nights not on list, #3 6s. 8d. Receipts: #220 4s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Crawford. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. Receipts: #277 0s. 6d. (128.7.0; 27.4.6; 1.4.0; tickets: 120.5.0) (charge: #68 8s. 1d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons [who had 1st acted Zara at Liverpool, 21 Oct. 1776]. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Part of the Pit will be laid into Boxes. To prevent Confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by Half past Four o'clock. Receipts: #329 16s. 6d. (154/17/0; 3/4/6; 0/0/0; tickets: 171/15/0) (charge: #108 17s. 4d.)

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: Benefit for Raftor, Walker and Mrs Simpson Tickets deliver'd by Carleton, Sen will be taken

Event Comment: [As afterpiece the playbill announces Selima and Azor, but "it could not be performed last Night on Account of Mrs Baddeley's sudden Illness" (Public Advertiser, 1 Feb.). Its substitute is listed in the Account-Book.] Receipts: #244 12s. (220.14.0; 21.4.6; 2.13.6)

Event Comment: The School for Fathers [announced on playbill of 5 Jan.] is deferred till Thursday, on account of Mrs Wrighten's Hoarseness. Receipts: #108 18s. (86.0.0; 21.14.6; 1.3.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hopkins, prompter, and Mrs Hopkins. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Afterpiece: A Dramatic Entertainment (in two parts) of Singing, Dancing and Dialogue in Honour of Shakespeare. In which a Pageant. The Music by Dibdin. Public Advertiser, 10 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Hopkins, No. 7, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #280 7s. (169.5; 21.0; 1.2; tickets: 89.0) (charge: #64 4s.)

Event Comment: The 9th Night [Benefit for the Author (on playbill of 7 Feb.)] of Zoraida is obliged to be deferr'd on account of Mrs Yates's Illness. [The same Benefit was announced on playbill of 11 Mar., but the play was again deferred. See 1 May 1781.] Receipts: #132 16s. 6d. (103.17.0; 28.15.6; 0.4.0)

Event Comment: "Of the low comedy of Mrs Jordan ... we cannot say too much in its praise. Let her avoid an indulgence, however, in too much buffoonery" (Public Advertiser, 5 Dec). Receipts: #259 11s. (221/17/0; 36/11/6; 0/12/6; tickets not come in: 0/10/0)