Event Comment: Benefit for Munden [who had 1st sung A Dish of all Sorts at the Manchester theatre in 1785]. 1st piece : Never acted here. Morning Herald, 9 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Munden, No. 16, Clement's Inn

Event Comment: [For Johnston as Hamlet see cg, 28 Apr. Mr Johnston was from the Dublin theatre.

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 2, by Andrew Franklin. Larpent MS 1224; not published; synopsis of plot in Universal Magazine, Oct. 1798, pp. 275-76]: The Overture and Musick composed by Florio. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Account-Book, 8 July 1799: Paid Florio for the Outlaws #20. Receipts: #258 5s. 6d. (163.10.0; 92.16.6; 1.19.0)

Event Comment: Lover's Vows. In Consequence of the Approbation which the above Play has received from the Town, various Translations, or pretended Translations of the work from which it was taken, have been offered for publication to some eminent Booksellers, who honourably declining such purchase, have given Information to the Manager of the attempted Imposition. The Public are therefore respectfully acquainted that the Play, as now performing at this Theatre, was rewritten from a literal Translation, sold to the Proprietor by an Agent of the German Author, and has been adapted to the English Stage by considerable Alterations in Plot & Incidents. The Piece will not be published till the 20th Night of its representation, when it will be submitted to the Reader, with the Name of Mrs Inchbald prefixed to the Publication. Receipts: #432 18s. 6d. (426.4.6; 6.14.0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; M. INT 1, by Thomas John Dibdin. Prologue by Richard Cumberland (see text)]: The Overture and Music composed by Attwood, with some favorite Selections from the Works of Dibdin and Mazzinghi. Books of the Songs, including a descriptive Sketch of the Ballet, to be had at the Theatre. Morning Herald, 5 Nov. 1798: This Day is published The Mouth of the Nile (1s.). Receipts: #309 3s. 6d. (303.0.6; 6.3.0)

Event Comment: [Miss Brown is identified by MS annotation on Kemble playbill. "Notwithstanding the bills...[she acted] the summer before last, on the boards of the Richmond theatre" (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1798, p. 308). In afterpiece the playbill retains Mrs Roffey as Nelly, but she "who usually performed the part of the Servant Maid, [was] suddenly taken ill; her substitute [was] Miss Tidswell" (Morning Herald, 12 Nov.).] Account-Book: Received of Hammersley & Co., lent to pay the Company #500; paid Lowndes, printer, #10; Chorus #6; Rablus, tallow candles, #10. Receipts: #203 12s. (126.3.6; 76.7.6; 1.1.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by James Cobb. Text: T. N. Longman and O. Rees, 1800. Miss Waters is identified in the Songs]: The Scenes, Music, Machinery, Dresses, and Decorations are all entirely new. The Music composed by Mazzinghi and Reeve. The Scenery painted by Richards, Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Backmore, &c. [based on drawings of Indian scenery by Thomas Daniell]. The Machinery and Decorations by Cresswell, Sloper, Goostree, &c. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs, also describing the Scenes and Spectacle of the Return from the Tiger Hunt, to be had at the Theatre, price six pence. "The whole [forms] an exhibition of the utmost grandeur...The expense attending the decoration must have been immense...The dailogue is certainly not of the first description of writing, but it forms, on the whole, a very safe vehicle for some of the best music the English stage has for some time been able to boast"(Morning Herald, 13 Nov.). Account-Book, 27 Dec.: Paid Cuthbert for Wheels, &c. for the Elephants #13 18s. Receipts: #364 7s. 6d. (363.19.6; 0.8.0)

Event Comment: [Archer's 1st appearance at this theatre was on 13 Dec. 1797.] Receipts: #156 14s. (107.10.6; 48.14.0; 0.9.6)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 2, by Prince Hoare, adapted from Camille; ou, Le Souterrain, by Benoit Joseph Marsollier des Vivetieres]: The Musick entirely new by Dussek [and Kelly]. With new Scenery [by Marinari (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1798, p. 309)], Dresses, and Decorations. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Morning Chronicle, 7 May 1799: On May 9 will be published The Captive of Spilburg (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #209 6s. 6d. (108.10.6; 99.19.6; 0.16.6)

Event Comment: [Cory was from the Manchester theatre.] Receipts: #281 5s. (169.19.6; 107.18.6; 3.7.0)

Event Comment: 2nd piece: Never [previously] acted at this Theatre. Receipts: #176 3s. (166.10; 9.13)

Event Comment: [Miss Molini is identified by MS annotation on Kemble playbill. She had 1st appeared at this theatre on 17 Feb. 1798.] Receipts: #194 7s. 6d. (133.4.6; 58.6.0; 2.17.0)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Miss Biggs, but "Biggs, of Drury-lane Theatre, died yesterday [actually not until 9 Dec.]. The grief of his sister on the occasion prevented her performing in Cumberland's new comedy last night; in consequence of which the part of Matilda was read by Miss Heard" (Morning Herald, 8 Dec.).] Receipts: #158 0s. 6d.(98.0.0; 56.11.6; 3.9.0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 3, by Samuel Birch, adapted from Camille; ou, Le Souterrain, by Benoit Joseph Marsollier des Vivetieres, and from Les Victimes Cloitrees, by Jacques Marie Boutet de Monvel; the songs written by Thomas John Dibdin. Larpent MS 1236; not published. The playbill states that this was "Taken from the German," but London Chronicle, 12 Dec., says that its source is the same as that of The Captive of Spilburg (see dl, 14 Nov.). An examination of the MSS of these two pieces (Larpent 1230 and 1236) proves that such is unmistakably the case]: With entire new Scenes, Machinery, Dresses & Decorations. The Music composed and selected by Steibelt and Attwood. The Action of the Chorusaes, Finales, &c. under the Direction of Farley, and the Action of the Overture by Bologna Jun. A new Descriptive Overture, composed by Steibelt, on a Plan never before introduced on the English Stage, accompanied by Action. "The overture is...nothing more than music adapted to pantomime; and, in the present instance, the dumb shew is an unnecessary anticipation of the procession with which the piece opens" (Monthly Mirror, Dec. 1798, p. 369). The Scenery painted by Richards, Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Blackmore, &c. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #338 17s. 6d. (325.14.6; 13.3.0)

Event Comment: "Mr T. has performed in the Norwich Company. [He] did not appear to us to possess a single requisite for the profession of an actor...We observed that the characters of Lenox and Rosse were doubled [i.e. combined]-a resource, at all times, disreputable to the theatre and to the manager" (Monthly Mirror, Dec. 1798, pp. 369-70). Receipts: #299 15s. 6d. (293.8.6; 6.7.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time: MD 5, by James Boaden]: With new Musick [by Michael Kelly], Dresses, and Decorations. [Scenery by Capon (Theatre Notebook, XIX, 14).] Morning Chronicle, 16 Jan. 1799: This Day is published Aurelio and Miranda (2s.). Receipts: #271 16s. (218.15.0; 51.19.6; 1.1.6)

Event Comment: The Subscribers are most respectfully intreated to observe that in consequence of the frequent abuses practised in their names, it has become absolutely requisite to recur to the original custom of requiring the Subscribers themselves to produce their Tickets at the Doors, and the Public are intreated to observe that in future particular Ladies resorting to the Pit of the Opera will be required to give their names and places of residence at the Doors, as they go in, in order to ascertain and finally exclude improper Company from that part of the Theatre

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 2, by George Colman, ynger]: With new Musick, Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations. The Musick entirely new, composed by Kelly with an overture by Dussek]. The Scenes designed and executed by Greenwood? Jun, with the assistance of Chalmers and Banks. The Machinery, Decorations and Dresses designed and under the direction of Johnston, and executed by him, Underwood and Gay. The Female Dresses designed and executed by Miss Rein. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. "We have to congratulate the town on the acquisition of three admirable dramatic writers, in the persons of Johnston, Greenwood, and Miss Rein, who have here exhibited a specimen of the Sublime and Beautiful which it will be difficult, indedd, to surpass" (Monthly Mirror, Jan. 1799, p. 47). [This piece is "an exhibition of music and dialogue, pantomime and dancing, painting and machinery, antique dresses and armour, thunder and lightning, fire and water, illumination, processions, banquets, battles, sieges, explosions, and everything that can surprize, enchant or terrify the spectators" (Morning Chronicle, 21 Jan.). Morning Chronicle, 16 Feb. 1799: This Day is published Feudal Times (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #483 15s. 6d. (381.10.6; 100.6.6; 1.18.6)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, by Thomas John Dibdin; pantomime by Charles Farley]: With new Scenery, Machinery, Tricks, Dresses, and Decorations. The Overture, Airs and Chorusses by Attwood. The Pantomime Music by Attwood, Mountain, and Ealy [recte Eley]. The Scenery by Phillips, Lupino, Hollogan, Blackmore, Thorne, Wilkins, &c. The Machinery and Tricks by Cresswell, Sloper and Goostree. The Dresses by Dick and Mrs Egan. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #364 (353.12; 10.8)

Event Comment: Among the principal instrumental performers are G. Ashley, leader of the band; C. Ashley, W. Parke, Boyce, R. Ashley, Parkinson, Woodham, Jenkinson, Bridgtower, the Munros, Purney, the Cantelos, Taylor, Lavenu, M'Intosh, Gwilliam, Nix, Cobham, Leffler, Betts, Piele, Flack, Dressler, Cornish, I. Sharp, W. Sharp, M. Sharp, J. Sharp, Archer, Ware, Wood, G. Jones, Moorehead, Slezak, Francis, Jackson, Beale, Skillern, Abbot, &c. Organ-J. Ashley. The Band and Chorusses will be numerous and complete; and assisted by the trombones and double drums used at Handel's Commemoration at Westminster Abbey [in 1784]. The whole under the direction of Ashley, Sen. Places for the Boxes to be had of Brandon at the Stage Door. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00 [same throughout oratorio season]. Half Price will be taken at the end of the second part. Boxes 6s. Pit 3s. 6d. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Books of the Performance (with the imprimatur of E. Macleish) to be had at the theatre, price 6d

Event Comment: 2nd piece [1st time; CO 3, by Thomas Holcroft. Larpent MS 1242; not published]: With new Music, Scenes, and Dresse". The Music composed by Attwood; the Overture by W. Parke. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #234 2s. (230.19; 3.3)

Event Comment: A Translation [by Conrad Ludger] of Kotzebue's Reconciliation, having been advertised as the Play now performing at this Theatre, the Public are respectfully informed that the Genuine Copy of The Birth Day (which is materially altered from the above) will not published till next Season. 3rd piece: The Overture and Music by Reeve. The Ballet composed by Farley. [For synopsis of scenes see 16 Mar. 1797.] Receipts: #239 3s. 6d. (234.17.6; 4.6.0)