Event Comment: Benefit for Burton and Philips. Mainpiece: At the Particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Not acted these 10 years. [See 18 Dec. 1749.] Music for Afterpiece compos'd by Mr Arne. Tickets deliver'd by Clough, Mossop, Peacop and Mrs Addison will be taken. Receipts: #220 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Abington. Pit and Boxes Laid together. Paid Mr Burges (bricklayer) #116 1s.; Rec'd Mr Burges's Rent to Xmas last (#4 4s. tax deducted) #16 16s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #276 17s. 6d.; Charges: #64 13s.; Profit to Abington: #212 4s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wells. Afterpiece [1st time; F 2, by Edward Topham. Larpent MS 772; not published; synopsis of plot in Public Advertiser, 3 May. Prologue by George Monck Berkeley (European Magazine, June 1787, p. 411)]. Public Advertiser, 24 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wells, No. 417, Strand. Receipts: #257 3s. 6d. (160.4.6; 5.7.0; tickets: 91.12.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Lewis. 2nd piece [1st time; C 3, by John O'Keeffe. Not in Larpent MS; not published. This is an unusual instance of the playbill containing, on the 1st night of a new play, the full cast]: Taken from Mrs Centlivre's Gamester. Receipts: #345 13s. (256.2.6; 4.3.6; tickets: 85.7.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Johnstone. 2nd piece: Taken from Mrs Centlivre's Gamesters [recte: Gamester]. 3rd piece [1st time; M.INT 1]: The Accompaniments by Shield. Gazetteer 14 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Johnstone, No. 10, Great Russell-street, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #296 11s. (153.2.6; 3.4.6; tickets:140.4.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Henry. [As afterpiece the playbill announces Arthur and Emmeline, but it was not acted. Kemble Mem. lists the substitute play.] Diary, 24 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Henry, Bruton-street, Berkeley-square. Receipts: #153 12s. (38.6; 21.2; 0.19; tickets: 93.5) (charge: #111 13s. 9d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Crouch. Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2, by Prince Hoare, based on La Grotta di Trofonio, by Giovanni Battista Casti. Not in Larpent MS; not published]; Written by the Author of No Song No Supper. The Music composed principally by Storace [partly adapted from Salieri, composer of Casti's opera; one song each by Anna Storace, Thomas Attwood, Giovanni Paisiello, Richard Suett]. Oracle, 28 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Crouch, No. 26, Bridges-street. Receipts: #280 2s. (100.12.0; 33.13.6; 4.13.6; tickets: 141.3.0) (charge: #119 9s. 8d.)

Event Comment: By Desire of his Excellency the Turkish Ambassador [see 9 May]. Benefit for Mrs Mountain. 1st piece: In Act II a Grand Procession representing the ceremonies attending the Sacrifice of an Indian Woman on the Funeral Pile of her deceased Husband. 2nd piece [1st time; CO 2, by Henry Heartwell]: The Overture and Music composed by Attwood. Monologue: The whole of the apparatus painted and designed by Cresswell. Morning Herald, 8 Oct. 1798: This Day is published Reformed in Time (1s.). Ibid, 16 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Mountain, No. 28, Maiden-lane, Covent-garden. Receipts: #370 18s. (90.17; 4.3; tickets: 275.18)

Event Comment: Benefit Rob. Williams, Mrs Whitherilt [Mrs Wetherilt], Mrs Boman, Miss Davison. Afterpiece: Set to Musick by Mr Eccles

Event Comment: Benefit Jones, Mrs Bland, Mrs Gondou, Miss Ferguson, Miss Morrison (General Advertiser). Benefit Charles Jones, son of the late Jere Jones who formerly kept the Selectation Tavern at Billingsgate (Daily Advertiser)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Horton, an old Actress, & ye Sub: Treasurer (Cross). Positively the last time of Mr Garrick's performing the character of Fribble this season. Tickets deliver'd out for the Fatal Marriage will be taken. Tickets to be had of Mrs Horton at Mr Havard's in Broad Court, Bow-Street, Covent Garden; and of the Sub-treasurer at Mrs Quaker's in Broad St., Soho, and at the Stage Door (playbill). On Monday next The Recruiting Officer with several entertainments for the Benefit of Mr George Burton, Mr Harvey and Mrs Addison. Receipts: #175 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Clough and Wheeler, Mrs Cross and Mrs Millidge. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire Being positively the last time of performing it this season. Tickets deliver'd for The Way to Keep Him will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Chaplin, Griffiths, Holcroft & Miss Field. Tickets delivered by Stevens, Collins and the Miss Stageldoirs will be taken. Receipts: #253 8s. (30.5; 13.7; 2.22.12; tickets: 207.4) (charge: #105)

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: Benefit for Miss Farren. Tickets delivered for the 18th instant will be admitted. Mainpiece: With Permission of the Author

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for the Gentleman who performs the Part of Zanga [in THE REVENGE], and Mr and Mrs Simpson. Mainpiece: Written by the celebrated Dr Young, Author of the Night Thoughts, &c. Afterpiece: As an After-piece [i.e. reduced from 5 to 3 (?) acts]. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30. Tickets to be had of Longman and Broderip, Cheapside and Haymarket; Pass, No. 53, High Holborn; Bland's Music Warehouse, No. 45, High Holborn; Strutt, Bookseller, No. 20, Little Queen-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields; Ellwick, Musical Instrument Maker, No. 55, Long Acre, comer of Phoenix O>urt; Padbury, Coal Merchant, No. 24, Henrietta-street, Covent Garden; Evan, Bookseller, No. 351, near the Pantheon, Oxford Road; and of Simpson, at No. 33, St. Martin's-street, Leicester-square

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: '[We wish [Miss Biggs] would not tragedize so much, or display so many fine attitudes, and throw her arms into such fantastic disposition; and if she could communicate more ease and simplicity to her delivery, it would be all the better" (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1798, p. 309). Receipts: #223 14s. 6d. (166.13.6; 56.17.0; 0.4.0)

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 Jacobs, Griffith, Mrs Cross and Mrs Millidge. Paid Master Thomson 11 nights (23rd Inst. incl.) #2 15s.; Black Lyon Bill #3 19s. 2d. (Treasurer's Book). Tickets deliver'd for Benefit of Follett, Mas. Cape, Costin and Miss Berkly will be taken. Receipts: #233 18s. 6d. Charges: #74 14s. Profits to Jacobs, Griffith, Mrs Cross, Mrs Millage: #159 4s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Written by the Author of The Son-in-Law [John O'Keeffe]. The Overture and New Musick composed by Dr Arnold. "The same person who, in the play, performed the school-fellow of the Nabob with a great deal of nature, and original humour, here acted the part of the school-master; his name is Edwin, and he is, without doubt, one of the best actors of all that I have seen ... [He], in all his comic characters, still preserves something so inexpressibly good tempered in his countenance, that notwithstanding all his burlesques, and even grotesque buffoonery, you cannot but be pleased with him . . . Nothing could equal the tone and countenance of self-satisfaction, with which he answered one who asked him whether he was a scholar? 'Why, I was a master of scholars.' A Mrs Webb represented a cheesmonger, and played the part of a woman of the lower class, so naturally, as I have no where else ever seen equalled. Her huge, fat, and lusty carcase, and the whole of her external appearance seemed quite to be cut out for it" (Carl Philipp Moritz, Travels in England in 1782, London, 1924, pp. 73-74)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, author unknown. MS: Larpent 651; not published]. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Rice at the Theatre; and Tickets to be had of Mrs Williams, the Artificial Flower Warehouse, Store-street, Bedford-square. [Mrs Williams is identified in Morning Post, 11 Feb.]

Event Comment: Benefit for Richardson and Mrs Davenport. 1st piece: Not acted these 20 years [acted 9 Oct. 1778], and compressed into one Act. [Miss Hay, whose 1st appearance on the stage was at Richmond, 15 Sept. 1792, is identified in Thespian Dictionary, 1805, under Mrs Litchfield.] Receipts: #234 5s. (69.1.6; 2.6.6; tickets: 162.17, of which Richardson sold 84.0, and Mrs Davenport 78.17)

Event Comment: Benefit for Farley, Mrs Chapman & Mrs Mills. 1st piece: Not acted these 3 years. 2nd piece [1st time; M. INT 1]. 3rd piece: With Alterations and Additions. Not acted these 20 years [acted 29 Oct. 1781.] Receipts: #313 12s. 6d. (95.13.0; 3.1.6; tickets: 214.18.0)

Event Comment: Benefit Miss Raftor. At the desire of several Persons of Quality. Afterpiece: A Farce of one Act. [By Henry Fielding. Apparently not published.