Event Comment: The Dr New Dress'd & in a New Manner with a Prologue by ye old Dr to introduce the New by the Author of the Hilliad. The Prologue was forbid by the Licencer, & struck out of the bills, but by Mistake was left in ye News; a great noise for it, Woodward said; as he had face to study, he had not time to do it--more Noise--I went on--& told 'em the Prologue was forbid--Noise still--Woodward went on & said it was forbid by L@or@d Chamberlain--it cool'd a little but when he came on dress'd like Dr Hill, it began again, & so ye farce ended (Cross). Benefit for Mr Woodward. Part of Pit laid into Boxes, and Stage commodiously built in form of an Amphitheatre. Boxes and Stage 5s. Ladies send servants by 3. Tickets to be had of Woodward in Great Piazza, Covent Garden; and at Stage Door. This day publish'd The Chaplet at 6d. a Musical entertainment as performed at Drury Lane. Receipts: #330 (Cross)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A new

Event Comment: Benefit Author of the Farce. Mainpiece: Not Acted these Fourteen Years. Written by Dr Young, Author of the Universal Passion. Afterpiece: A New Tragic-Comic-Operatic-Pastoral Farce [By T. Drury]. At Common Prices. [Preface gives a long account of difficulties in getting the Afterpiece on the stage. See Daily Advertiser, 16 and 17 Jan. for puffs of the Afterpiece.]

Event Comment: Benefit for Holland. [Farce is the first act of Taste (Foote) connected with a New additional act (never perform'd before) call'd Modern Tragedy written by Mr Foote, with a new character (Genest, IV, 661.] Holland's Bt. deferred till this date so that Mr Garrick may have time to be prepared in the Character of Mercutio" (Folger Bill). The new last act to Taste--great hissed--and almost d-d (Hopkins MS Notes)

Event Comment: The Jubilee consists of Dialogue Singing & Dancing. This Entertainment was written & compil'd by Mr G.-and it was receiv'd with bursts of Applause the Procession of Shakespear's Characters &c. is the most Superb that ever was Exhibited or I believe ever will. There never was an Entertainment produc'd that gave so much pleasure to all Degrees Boxes pit and Gallery (Hopkins Diary). The Music by Dibdin. With New Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations. [On all subsequent bills, though some are shortened, the PAGEANT is advertised in large capitals. Larpent MS 298, includes descriptive notes and stage directions, p. 24: "Here follows the Pageant, with Bells ringing, Fifes playing, Drums beating, and Cannons firing. In The Procession every scene in the different plays represents some capital part of it in action...The last Scene is a magnificent Transparent one in which the Capital characters of Shakespeare are exhibited at full length with Shakespeare's Statue in the middle crowned by Tragedy and Comedy, fairies and Cupids surrounding him and all the banners waving at the upper end. Then enter the dancers." The Pageant appeared at the top of the stage and came forward, Reviewed in Freeholder's Magazine, Oct.

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Arthur Murphy, based on L'Irresolu, by Philippe Nericault, dit Destouches. Prologue by the author. Epilogue by David Garrick (see text)]: A new Scene and New Dresses. Public Advertiser, 2 May 1778: This Day is published Know Your Own Mind (1s 6d.). Receipts: #246 7s. 6d. (245.7.0; 1.0.6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Hannah Cowley. Author of Prologue unknown. Epilogue by John O'Keeffe (O'KeefFe, II, 301); it included a song, music by Carter, When I was a little baby, written by Hannah Cowley]: New Scenes and Dresses. Public Advertiser, 26 Jan. 1784: This Day is published A Bold Stroke for A Husband (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #199 5s. 6d. (194/13/0; 4/12/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Johnstone. 1st piece: The Overture, Chorusses and new Musick by Dr Arnold. The new Scenery by Rooker, Marinari, &c. 2nd [1st time; MF 1, author unknown. Not in Larpent MS; not published]: Overture and new Music by Reeve, and selected Songs by Dibdin. [3rd piece in place of The Prize, advertised on playbill of 31 Aug. C. Kemble had 1st appeared as Zorinski at the hay on 31 Aug. and 7 Sept. 1795.] Morning Herald, 27 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Johnstone, No. 19, Piazza, Covent-Garden

Event Comment: Benefit J. and Ch. Rich. A Farce of Three acts. All in the Characters of the Italian Theatre. Admission 5s., 3s., 2s. [The Prince present. Receipts: #157 12s. 6d.

Event Comment: Mrs Egerton smart figure not much of the Gentlewoman tho, appear'd in Lady Townly (Hopkins Diary). From the Theatre Royal, Dublin (MacMillan). Lady Townly, Mrs Egerton, first time (Cross Diary)

Event Comment: [This was Mrs Hitchcock's 1st appearance in London. Miss Farren was from the Manchester theatre. Miss Twist is identified in playbill of 14 July.] Because of Foote's acting scarcely anything but his own plays "a relaxation of discipline has been fallen into at the Haymarket... The audience last night, however, were not less surprized than pleased at the very regular manner in which the Comedy and the Burletta were exhibited. All the business of the stage perfect, all the little parts smoothly given, and the whole rather superior than inferior to a performance at either of the Winter Theatres" (Morning Chronicle, 10 June)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Digges. Mainpiece: Never acted here. [Barry had acted King Lear at this theatre on 15 July 1767, and Ross on 18 June 1770.] Afterpiece: Altered into 3 acts

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Harricks and Williams. Mainpiece: The Characters to be dressed in the Habits of the Times. [Author and speaker of Address not known.] Tickets delivered for The Wonder will be taken. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:15. Tickets to be had and Places taken of Rice, at the Theatre

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Griffiths. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 5:15. To begin at 6:30. Tickets to be had of Griffiths, No. 3, Southampton-buildings, Holborn; at the Royalty Coffee-house, Well Close Square; King's Arms, Leadenhall-street; Band Coffee-house; Sun-tavern, Foster-lane; Grotto, Southampton-buildings; Angel, St. Giles's; Cock and Bottle, Upper Brook-street; Nag's Head, Carnaby-market; One Tun, St. James's Market; Fox's Coffee-house, Bow-street; the Go, the Jump, and the Finish; and of Rice, at the Theatre

Event Comment: Benefit for Leoni. [Master Braham's 1st appearance was at this theatre on 21 Apr. 1787 (also on the night of Leoni's benefit), when he sang two songs.] Public Advertiser, 17 May: Tickets to be had of Leoni, No. 1, Well Close-square. Receipts: #123 17s. 6d. (89.14.6; 3.13.0; tickets: 30.10.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: In I a Masquerade Scene incident to the Play. [This was included in all subsequent performances.] No Money to be returned. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Brandon at the Theatre. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [see 2 Nov.]. [No playbill this season lists the various prices of admission; they were probably, as usual: Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s.] Receipts: #255 6s. (253.11.6; 1.14.6)

Event Comment: No Money to be returned. Books of the Performance to be had at the Theatre. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Fosbrook, at the Theatre. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened a 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [same throughout oratorio season]. [Master Clement was from the Imperial Opera House, Vienna.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never acted at this Theatre. [Under his real name, Snow, Hargrave had 1st appeared at this theatre on 7 Oct. 1791. In mainpiece the playbill assigns Sadi to Knight, but "The part of Sadi, which [Knight] was prevented from appearing in by indisposition, was undertaken by Townsend, who acquitted himself very ably" (Morning Herald, 8 Oct.). Townsend's part as a Muleteer was probably omitted.] Receipts: #128 11s. (125.16; 2.15)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Wallis. 2nd piece: By Permission of the Proprietors of Drury Lane Theatre, and for that night only; with additional Songs [Sga Storace had sung in the oratorios at this theatre in the 1789 season.] True Briton, 13 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Wallis, Gower-street. Receipts: #376 9s. 6d. (192.15.6; 2.16.0; tickets: 180.18.0)

Event Comment: [Miss Andrews' 1st appearance on the stage was at dl on 13 May 1796.] The Publick is respectfully informed that, in consequence of the Benefit advertised for To-morrow, at the Theatre-Royal in Covent Garden, no Entertainments will be given here on that night; it being the wish of the Proprietor of this Theatre to promote, by any means in his power, the success of the above charitable purpose

Event Comment: [Extra night] Benefit for General Lying-In Hospital, Bays-water. Under Patronage of Her Majesty. The Proprietor of Theatre has liberally given Use of House on the above Occasion [i.e. he levied no charge]. The Orchestra under direction of Mountain. Principal Oboe by W. Parke. The Curtain to rise exactly at 7:00. Tickets to be had of Mess. Longman and Broderip [music publishers, No. 13, Haymarket]; at Hospital, Bayswater; and of Brandon at Theatre. Receipts: none listed

Event Comment: 2nd piece [1st time; D 3, by Henry Neuman, based on Der Opfertod, by August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue. Text (R. Phillips, 1799) assigns no parts]. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00 [same throughout season]. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Rice, at the Theatre. The Theatre, since the last Season, has been newly Decorated. [Beginning with 19 June the playbill: Printed by T. Woodfall, Drury Lane; on 4 Sept.: No. 104, Drury Lane.] Morning Chronicle, 27 June 1799: This Day is published Family Distress (2s.). Gentleman's Magazine, May 1800, pp. 406-8, prints a letter from "J. B." in which strong exception is taken to Kotzebue in general, and this play in particular. "Theatrical entertainments have an extensive influence upon the manners of Society. When well regulated, and the pieces for representation well selected both as to matter and manner, they may be esteemed friendly to morality, and improvers of public taste. But what shall we say when both these ends are disregarded; when moral virtue is banished from the scene, and purity of taste is destroyed by affected language and pantomimical decorations? Improvements in almost every art and science have been within a few years, rapid and important. But that is not the case with the stage; nor can it be, while Kotzebue and his friends usurp the venerable boards of Shakespeare." The writer then, in sarcastic terms, outlines the plot of Family Distress. [Pope and Miss Chapman were both from cg.

Event Comment: Benefit for C. Kemble. Mainpiece: By permission of the Proprietors of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Morning Chronicle, 8 Aug.: Tickets to be had of C. Kemble, No. 126, Great Russel-street, Bloomsbury