Event Comment: The King's Company. See Herbert, Dramatic Records, p. 118. See also The Variety, in Bentley, Jacobean and Caroline Stage, III, 149-51; and James Shirley's The Ball; or, French Dancing Master, in Bentley, V, 1079. See also 10 Nov. 1661

Event Comment: Richard ye Third. Coriolanus. Andronicus. Julius Ceaser. The Moore of Venice [Othello]. Anthony & Clopatra. Cymbelyne. The Doubtfull Heire [Rosania; or, Love's Victory, by James Shirley]. The Impostor. The Brothers. The Sisters. The Cardinall. The Duke of Lerma. The Duke of Millan. Alphonso. The vnnaturall Cumbat. The Gardian. Aglaura. Arviragus & Philitia 1st pt. Arviragus & Philitia 2d pt. The Spartan Ladyes. The Bashfull Lover. Bussy D'Amboys. Brenoralt [or, The Discountented Colonel]. Country Captaine. The Variety. The Emperour of ye East. The Deserveing ffavorett. The Goblins. The ffatall Dowry. The Lost Lady. The Devell of Edmonton. More Desemblers then Weomen. The Mayor of Quinborough. The Northen Lasse. The Novella. Osmond ye Great Turke [or, The Noble Servant]. The Roman Actor. The Widdow. The Widdows Teares

Event Comment: The King's Company. For the identification of this play and details of its performance, see W. J. Lawrence, "Foreign Singers and Musicians at the Court of Charles II," Musical Quarterly, IX (1923), 217-25, and James G. McManaway, "Entertainment for the Grand Duke of Tuscany," Theatre Notebook, XVI (1961), 20-21. The Travels of Cosmo the Third [Monday 3 June 1669 NS; Monday 24 May 1669 OS]: In the afternoon his highness left home earlier than usual to make his visits, that he might be at the King's Theatre in time for the comedy, and a ballet set on foot and got up in honor of his highness by my Lord Stafford, uncle of the Duke of Norfolk. On arriving at the theatre, which was sufficiently lighted on the stage and on the walls to enable the spectators to see the scenes and the performances, his highness seated himself in a front box, where, besides enjoying the pleasure of the spectacle, he passed the evening in conversation with the Venetian ambassador, the Duke of Norfolk, Lord Stafford, and other noblemen. To the story of Psyche, the daughter of Apollo, which abounded with beautiful incidents, all of them adapted to the performers and calculated to express the force of love, was joined a well-arranged ballet, regulated by the sound of various instruments, with new and fanciful dances after the English manner, in which different actions were counterfeited, the performers passing gracefully from one to another, so as to render intelligible, by their movements, the acts they were representing. This spectacle was highly agreeable to his highness from its novelty and ingenuity; and all parts of it were likewise equally praised by the ladies and gentlemen, who crouded in great numbers to the theatre, to fill the boxes, with which it is entirely surrounded, and the pit, and to enjoy the performance, which was protracted to a late hour of the night (pp. 347-48). In BM Add. Mss. 10117, folio 230, Rugge's Diurnall states that towards the end of May 1669 Cosmo, Prince of Tuscany had several plays acted for him

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 32) states: The first new Play Acted there, was King Charles the VIII. of France; it was all new Cloath'd, yet lasted but 6 Days together, but 'twas Acted now and then afterwards. Two songs for this play, Too justly alas, set by James Hart, and O love if e'er thou'lt ease a heart, set by Pelham Humphrey, are in Choice Songs and Ayres, First Book, 1673

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance is known through a document summarized in The Theatrical Inquisitor and Monthly Mirror, July 1816, p. 25, and summarized in Fitzgerald, A New History, I, 145. Although this performance is the first certainly known, it is probably not the premiere, for the attendance (see below) was too small for the premiere of a new work by John Dryden. Since the play was entered in the Stationers' Register, January 1678, the first production was probably not long before this performance. The document in The Theatrical Inquisitor gives this information: The King's Box, no receipts; Mr Hayles' boxes, #3 (probably 15 spectators); Mr Mohun's boxes, #1 12s. (probably 8 spectators); Mr Yeats' boxes, 12s. (probably 3 spectators); James' boxes, #2 (probably 10 spectators). Mr Kent's pitt, 82 spectators, and Mr Britan's pitt, 35 spectators, a total of 117, paying #14 12s. 6d. Mr Bracy's gallery, 42 spectators; and Mr Johnson's gallery, 21 spectators; a total of 63 spectators, who paid #4 14s. 6d. Mr Thomson's gallery, 33 spectators, paying #1 13s. The total attendance appears to have been 249; the receipts were #28 4s. The house rent came to #5 14s. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 11) gives a cast which is identical except for omissions

Event Comment: The King's Company. This performance is known from a document in The Theatrical Inquisitor and Monthly Mirror, July 1816, p. 26, and in Fitzgerald, A New History, I, 145. This document lists the receipts and attendance: The King's box, #1 10s., possibly six persons; Mr Hayles' boxes, #2 16s., possibly 14 persons; Mr Mohun's boxes, #3 16s., possibly 19 persons; Mr Yate's boxes, #1 15s. 6d., possibly 9 persons; James' boxes, #2 4s., possibly 11 persons. Mr Kent's pit, 112 persons; and Mr Britan's pit, 79 persons; a total of 191 persons paying #23 17s. 6d. Mr Bracy's gallery, 100 persons; Mr Johnson's gallery, 44 persons; a total of 144 persons, paying #10 16s. Upper Gallery, 119 persons, paying #5 19s. Mrs Kempton (upper gallery?), 5s. The house rent is listed as #5 14s. The attendance appears to total at least 513 persons. Compare these data with those for 12 Dec. 1677

Event Comment: According to Anthony Aston, A Brief Supplement to Colley Cibber (in Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, II, 314-15) Joseph Haynes had a booth at Bartholomew Fair and presented this droll in the first year of James II's reign

Event Comment: The United Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@147, p. 68. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 350. This play was also reprinted in 1686. Memoirs of the Life of William Wycherley, Esq; With a Character of his Writings [by George, Lord Lansdowne, but part possibly by Charles Gildon (1718)], pp. 7-8: [After the death of Wycherley's wife, he was committed to Newgate for debt.] From hence he remov'd himself by a Habeas Corpus to the Fleet, where he continued seven Years in a close Imprisonment, almost forgot by his old Friends, till in the Reign of King James the Second, some of them bespeaking the Plain-Dealer, got the King to the Play, who declaring his Approbation of the Poet's Performance, they improv'd his liking so far as to get him to deliver him from his long Confinement. But here the Modesty of the Man did him a considerable Prejudice, for instead of giving in a full List of his Debts, he only mention'd those, the discharge of which wou'd set him at Liberty, which was done with this additional Bounty, that the same King allow'd him Two hundred Pounds a Years as long as he Reign'd; and this was the reason that made Mr Wycherley always a Jacobite

Event Comment: The United Company. This performance is known from a playbill. See Eleanore Boswell, A Playbill of 1687, Library, 4th Series, XI (1931), 499-502, and Cecil Price, A Playbill, c. 1686, Notes and Queries, Vol. 194 [1949), p. 519. The bill Price saw is in the State Papers James II, 31@3, ff. 215-16, among documents referring to 1686, but the date and day of the week point to 1687. The bill reads: At the Theatre Royall this present Tuesday being the Twenty second day of February will be presented, A Play called, A King, and No King. Beginning Exact...t Four of the Clock....their Majesties Servants. VIVAT REX

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. James Brydges, Diary: About 2. I came home to dinner, where I found Lady Hussy, & Cozzen Betty, & Mrs Howard, about 5. After dinner I went to Lord Pembroke's who being abroad, I went to Lord Arundell of Treryce, who not being at home, I went to Ld. Allinton's, but he not being within, I went to Mr Pitts, who being abroad, I went to ye Dean of Peterborough's but he being at church I went to ye playhouse in Lincolns inn fields, where I met Dr Davenant & Ld. Rumny (Huntington MS St 26)

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. James Brydges, Diary: To ye playhouse in Lincolns inn fields, where I met Lds Henry Cavendish, Grey of Ruthia, & Abergavenny (Huntington MS St 26)

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. James Brydges, Diary: About 4: we went to ye playhouse in Lincolns inn fields, and meeting Sr John Cope here, after having Put ye Ladies in box kept for them, I went with him to Hyde Park, & from thence came again to ye play (Huntington MS St 26)

Event Comment: Rich's Company. James Brydges, Diary: I went & lookt in at ye Playhouse [dl?], Greenwich park being acted. I staid not an act, but went hence to Tom's Coffeehouse (Huntington MS St 26)

Event Comment: London Gazette, No 3346, 2-6 Dec. 1697: The Song Composed by Mr Jeremiah Clark, and Sung on St Cecilia's day will be performed on Thursday next, at Mr Hickford's Dancing-School in Panton-street, or in James-street over against the Tennis Court, just by the blue Posts, there being a door out of each street to the Room; and for the benefit of the said Mr Clark and Mr Le Riche, late Stewards of the said Feast, the Musick begins at 8. [See 22 Nov. 1697.

Event Comment: According to the Flying Post, 18-20 Oct. 1698: On Tuesday October 18, 1698, the Penny Lottery began at the Theatre Royal in Dorset Garden with the first draw. [On 28 Sept. 1698 James Brydges, Diary reported that he had gone into dg to see the "engine" for the lottery.] The Post Boy, 18-20 Oct. 1698: There is now Acting at the Theatre Royal in Dorset Garden a Tragy-Comedy called The Wheel of Fortune, or The Fools Expectation. And 'tis thought the Author will have a good Sixth Day. According to the Post Boy, 20-22 Oct. 1698: On Monday next will be publish'd, a Comical and Satirical Prologue and Epilogue, intended to be spoken at the Acting of the new Invented Farce, call'd, the Wheel of Fortune, or the Fools Expectation. [The Prologue and Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 305-10.] It seems probable that the lottery was dignified, for satiric purposes, by being given the title of a play, with a satirical Prologue and Epilogue. Post Man, 20-22 Oct. 1698: The Entertainment performed at the Theatre Royal in Dorset Garden, at drawing the Lottery, called the Wheel of Fortune; being the Speeches addrest to the Spectators, as Prologues and Epilogues. During a Symphony of Musick the Curtain rises slowly, and discovers two wheels upon the Stage; then two Figures, representing Fortunev and Astraea the Goddess of Justicev, descend over each Wheel, in two rich Chariots gilt with Gold

Event Comment: Alice Baxter, September 1699: I believe shall be on Munday at a ball at St. James, where, as they tell me, ther is a famose new danser to apere, which is to charme us all, but not make amends for ye loss of Mrs Ibbings (Evans?) who danced at Lincolns Inn Field and is lately dead (Hatton Correspondence, Camden Society, XXIII [1878], 240)

Event Comment: Luttrell, A Brief Relation, IV, 518-79: This day being the anniversary of the kings birth...there was also a fine ball at St. James to conclude the solemnity, where the king was present: their royal highnesses the prince and princesse dined with his majestie at Kensington, who all the while were diverted with a fine consort of musick; and Mr Tate, the poet laureat, presented the king with a curious ode

Event Comment: On this day James Brydges attended an unnamed play at this theatre (Huntington MS St 26)

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. James Brydges, Diary: About 8: Sr G; [Coply] & I...going by ye playhouse in Lincolns inn fields, met Mr Edwin (Huntington MS St 26)

Event Comment: Flying Post, 13-15 June 1700: We are credibly informed, That Yesterday a Trial brought on in the Court of Common-Pleas, against one of the players, for Prophanely using the name of God upon the Stage, contrary to an Act of Parliament made in King James the First's time; and that the Verdict was given against the Player; according to the Tenor of the said Act, &c

Event Comment: Benefit Miss Evans and Miss Mountfort. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. [In Cowper MS, III, 79, James Cragg enclosed in a letter to Thomas Coke "Three small playing cards having on the back of each 'June 26th The Amorous Widow or the Wanton Wife. The Box. For the Benefitt of Miss Mountfort and Miss Evans."

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Originally Acted before King James the First with great Applause at the University of Cambridge. [Layfield performs] at the Desire of several Persons of Quality

Event Comment: Benefit James Graves and John Garee. Tickets 2s. 6d