Event Comment: Benefit for Bannister. Mainpiece: By Desire. Rec'd stopages #12 7s. Paid salary list #566 6s.; J. French on acct #5 5s. (Treasurer's Book). Mrs Smith's Benefit for 2 May advertised as Cymbeline and a new Comic Opera (in 2 Acts) call'd the Wish. The Music entirely new, the principal characters by Vernon, Bannister, Davies, Mrs Wrighten and Mrs Smith. With a New Occasional Prologue spoken by King. [But this was changed on 27 April.] Receipts: #212 1s. Charges: #66 3s. Profits to Bannister #145 18s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; c 3, altered from the same, probably by the author, Richard Bentley]: Written in the manner of the Italian Comedy. With new Scenes and Dresses. [Author of Prologue unknown.] "It was originally produced at Drury Lane in the summer of 1761 [27 July] . . . and has now been new dished up, and seasoned to the day" (European Magazine, ibid). J. P. Collier states that "it is not a revival of the former piece" (MacMillan, Larpent Catalogue, p. 98). It was not, strictly speaking, a "revival", but, rather, a revision, as a collation of Larpent MS 586 (the present version, which is unpublished) with MS 199 (Bentley's 1761 version) makes clear. In 1761 Bentley introduced "the speaking Harlequin after the manner of the Italians . . . Mr Harris some years after gave it a second chance on the stage" (Cumberland, Memoirs, I, 212-14). Receipts: #215 19s. (213/5/6; 2/13/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years. Afterpiece [1st time; P 2 (?). Not published; Songs: Larpent MS 1272]: Invented by T. Dibdin, & produced under the Direction of Farley. To conclude with an Allegorical Procession of the Seasons, Months and Hours, to the Temple of Domestic Happiness. With entire new Music, Scenery, Machinery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations. The Overture and Music composed by Moorehead. The Dances by Bologna Jun. The Scenery by Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Wilkins, Bromley, the two Whitmores, Powell. The Machinery by Cresswell, Sloper, Goostree, C. Dibdin Jun., &c. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs [J. Barker, 1799] to be had in the Theatre. "The opening scene of the new pantomime is highly interesting. The representation of the Volcanov, and the fight in the air between Floridel and Cratero, may with justice claim the epithet of grand and magnificent" (Dramatic Censor, I, 13). Account-Book, 6 Feb, 1800: Paid Moorehead for music in Volcano #25. Receipts: #366 7s. (344.17; 21.10)

Event Comment: Benefit for Marten, Anderson, R. Smith. Receipts: #32 7s. 6d. in cash. Charges #64 5s. Deficit to each #10 4s. 2d. covered by income from tickets: Marten #80 1s. (Boxes 55; Pit 306; Gallery 204); Anderson #56 12s. (Boxes 21; Pit 280; Gallery 92); R. Smith #57 15s. (Boxes 30; Pit 208; Gallery 192). Total income #226 15s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Gardner and R. Smith. Charges #66 10s. Deficit to actors #15 7s. covered by income from tickets: Gardner #39 13s. (Box 44; Pit 105; Gallery 129); R. Smith #67 8s. (Box 28; Pit 268; Gallery 202). Rec'd from Mrs Trott and Symmonds their 1!2 value of tickets 6th Inst. (Account Book). Receipts: #51 3s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [In afterpiece the playbill retains Dodd, but he "having lost his Father, an apology was made for R. Palmer's playing his character in the Critic; and though the apology was a very handsome one, it is but justice to say it was unnecessary, R. Palmer acquitting himself in such a manner as did him infinite credit" (Morning Chronicle, 4 Feb.).] Receipts: #186 8s. (151.1; 33.19; 1.8)

Event Comment: [In afterpiece the playbill retains Wood, but "As soon as the play was finished, Palmer stepped forward, and...informed the Audience that Wood was taken suddenly and dangerously ill, but in order to prevent the Company from being disappointed of the farce, R. Palmer had undertaken to perform the character of Bouquet at a few hours notice. After the usual Musick the farce commenced, and it is but justice to R. Palmer to declare that he acquitted himself much to his own credit and entirely to the satisfaction of the audience" (Morning Chronicle, 14 July).

Event Comment: Benefit for Suett and R. Palmer. Public Advertiser, 19 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Suett, No. 14, Broad-street, Bloomsbury; of R. Palmer, No. 23, Cecil-street, Strand. 1st piece: Never performed there. 3rd piece: Never acted there. Receipts: #247 13s. 6d. (40/15/0; 19/1/0; 0/13/6; tickets: 187/4/0) (charge: #106 4s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Suett and R. Palmer. Morning Herald, 25 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Suett at Richardson's, Stationer, Orange-street, Bloomsbury; of R. Palmer, No. 9, Duke-street, Bloomsbury. Receipts: #307 5s. (65/3/0; 21/6/6; 5/17/6; tickets: 214/18/0) (charge: #105 19s. 7d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer. 1st, 2nd and 3rd pieces: Never performed there. By Permission of G. Colman, Esq. [owner of the copyrights]. Public Advertiser, 30 Apr.: Tickets to be had of R. Palmer, No. 14, East Place, Lambeth. Receipts: #144 17s. (43.5; 18.13; 0.14; tickets: 82.5) (charge: #105 9s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer and Russell. [Palmer's 1st recorded appearance as Hamlet was at Canterbury, 16 Feb. 1780.] Morning Herald, 31 May: Tickets to be had of R. Palmer, No. 28, Eaton-street, Pimlico; of Russell, No. 250, High Holborn. Receipts: #157 18s. (110.16; 43.10.6; 1.19.0; tickets: none listed; odd money: 1.12.6) (charge: #212 3s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bannister Jun. 1st piece [1st time; C 5, by Richard Cumberland. Text 1st published in his Posthumous Dramatic Works, Vol. II (G. and W. Nicol, 1813); it assigns no parts, but adds George Ivey and David Duncan, acted by Caulfield and Packer. Genest erroneously assigns Sir Adam to Wewitzer and Beau Tiffany to R. Palmer. Prologue and Epilogue by the author (True Briton, 9 May). Songs by Michael Kelly, in Act I harmonized by Sir William Parsons.] True Briton, 25 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Bannister Jun., No. 65, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #581 15s. (294.18.6; 72.7.0; 3.17.6; tickets: 210.12.0) (charge: #213 6s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit J. and Ch. Rich. Afterpiece: With all the Scenes, Machines, and other Decorations proper. Receipts: #56 8s. 6d

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 3, by Sir George Collier, based on Zemire et Azor, by Jean Francois Marmontel]: The Music [by Thomas Linley Sen., adapted from Gretry], Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations entirely New. The Scenes, &c., designed by DeLoutherbourg. The Words of the Songs, &c. to be had at the Theatre. The Entertainment is splendidly got up--The Music by Thomas Linley Jun. [sic] was very well received (Hopkins Diary). Public Advertiser, 7 Dec. 1776: This Day is published the Songs in Selima and Azor (6d). [Text 1st published by J. Bell, 1784.] Receipts: #218 7s

Event Comment: Benefit for Munden. 2nd Piece [1st time in London; MF 2, by Thomas John Dibdin, 1st acted at Manchester, 15 Mar. 1793. Text (Huddersfield: J. Brook [1795] gives cast for Manchester]: The Music (with a new Waltz Overture, and an accompaniment for the Tamborine & Triangle) composed by Reeve. 3rd piece [1st time; M. INT 1]. Morning Chronicle, 4 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Munden, No. 16, Clement's-inn. Receipts: #630 12s. 6d. (237.13.0; 2.10.0; tickets: 390.9.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Rose Didelot. Tickets to be had of Mrs Rose Didelot, No. 8, Haymarket. 2nd ballet: 1st time; composed by J. D'Egville. [In all subsequent performances this was billed as Tarare.] "D'Egville, Laborie, and St.Pierre are excellent dancers and fine manly figures. Laborie possesses more elegance than St. Pierre; but the latter greater animation. D'Egville displays much taste and poetical spirit in the invention of ballets...[which] are far richer in naive situations, and possess a more free poetical spirit than those of Paris" (Goede, 265-66)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; D 5, by Elizabeth Inchbald, based on Das Schreibepult; oder, Die Gefahren der Jugend, by August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue. Prologue by Charles Moore (MS annotation by J. P. Kemble in Kemble-Devonshire copy in Huntington Library); Epilogue by John Taylor (see text)]: With New Dresses and Scenes. Morning Chronicle, 17 Dec. 1799: This day is published The Wise Man of the East (price not listed). Receipts: #323 14s. 6d. (321.12.6; 2.2.0)

Event Comment: Benefit R. Williams. Mainpiece: Not Acted these Twenty Years. On this day the Lord Mayor and the Court of Aldermen of the City presented a petition to the King seeking the suppression of the theatre in Goodman's Fields. Thomas Odell, Master of the Theatre, also appeared before His Majesty and sought royal leave to continue acting.--See Grub St. Journal, 7 May, for a summary of the events, but see also Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer and London Journal, 2 May