Event Comment: By Desire. Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. London Journal, 20 Oct.: The Beginning of November will be acted Sir Richard Steel's new Play, which has been some Time in Rehearsal;...it is thought by some excellent Judges to be the best Comedy that ever appear'd on the English Stage

Event Comment: Foote Sir Courtly. Foote very indiff-so all ye play (Cross). Receipts: #120 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jordan. [In mainpiece the playbill retains King as Sir Peter Teazle, but "Murray, on account of the indisposition of King, was the Sir Peter to Mrs Jordan's Lady Teazle" (Monthly Mirror, May 1797, p. 311).] Tickets delivered for the 15th [for which day the benefit was first announced] will be admitted. "On the whole, Mrs Jordan's Lady Teazle, if not excellent, was respectable; and at a time when it was thought that it would be impossible to personify her Ladyship [i.e. after the retirement of Miss Farren], Mrs Jordan is commendable in having endeavoured it...[Sir Peter] was a part well suited to Murray, who excels in the still and the pathetic...In the screen scene his mirth in revealing to Charles the story of the French milliner, and his amazement the moment after when Charles, throwing down the screen, presented that milliner in the shape of Lady Teazle, must confirm the reputation of Murray. 'Lady Teazle!' (exclaimed he, turning from her towards the door, and in an accent alarmingly impressive), 'Lady Teazle, by all that is damnable!" (Monthly Visitor, June 1797, pp. 531-32). True Briton, 6 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jordan, No. 14, Somerset-street, Portman-square. Receipts: #550 3s. (232.4.0; 72.2.0; 7.10.6; tickets: 238.6.6) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Alter'd form Shakespear by Sir William Davenant and Mr Dryden

Event Comment: Benefit Johnson. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: Benefit Castleman, the Treasurer. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by Sir George Etheridge

Event Comment: Alter'd from Shakespear by Sir Wm. Davenant and Mr Dryden. With all the Original Songs and Dances, Serious and Comic, Scenes, Machines, Habits, Flyings, Sinkings, and other Decorations proper to the Play

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: Benefit Mines, Gallant, Mrs Atkins. Mainpiece: Written by Sir J. Vanbrugh. Receipts: money #6 15s.; tickets #125 17s

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Walter. By particular Desire. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: Benefit Winstone, Taswell, Miss Budgell, Miss Cole. Tickets deliver'd for Sir Courtly Nice will be taken. Yeaterday Morning died, after a short illness, Mr Norton, Author of the new Tragedy call'd Mahomet, Perform'd at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.-General Advertiser. On Friday died the Rev. Mr Miller of Roehampton, author of the Tragedy of Mahomet (which was acted last Friday, for the third time at Drury Lane Theatre), the Humours of Oxford, and other Dramatic performances.-Daily Advertiser, 30 April

Event Comment: Mainpiece written by Sir Richard Steele. Benefit Yates. Not acted in 40 years [see 8 Dec. 1703]

Event Comment: SSir John Brute, Mr Garrick (Cross Diary)

Event Comment: By desire. [N.B. John Potter's letter of 18 Jan. is repeated in the General Advertiser for this day. Also further statements by Potter and Foote concerning the use of Mr Lewis's name (Potter's attorney).] Receipts: #120 (Cross); #103 4s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilford, Ross, (pit door-keepers); Slater; and Trott, (lobby door-keeper). Mainpiece: Acted but once these 10 years. [See 15 Jan. 1753.] Tickets deliver'd by Besford, Clark, Darby, Toten, Dimmock, &c. will be taken. [Besford a mistake for Joseph Besworth (porter).] Receipts: #15 15s. plus #100 14s. 2d. as 1!2 value of the tickets deliver'd. @Names Bow Pit Gallery Balue 1!2 Value@Wilford 2 62 18 #11 12s. #5 16s.@Ross 5 162 83 #33 17s. #16 18s. 6d.@Trott 144 53 .. #43 19s. #18 12s. 9d.@Slater 2 57 110 #20 1s. #10 6d.@Derby 4 79 105 #23 7s. #11 13s. 6d.@Toten .. 32 43 #9 2s. #4 11s.@Clingo .. 55 47 #12 19s. #6 9s. 6d.@Clarke .. 40 44 #10 8s. #5 4s.@Besworth .. 24 20 #5 12s. #2 16s.@Dymuck .. 12 53 #7 2s. #3 11s.@Jos. Smith 8 29 25 #8 17s. #4 8s. 6d.@Cole 4 61 83 #18 9s. #9 4s. 6d.@S. Griffiths .. 11 12 #2 17s. #1 8s. 6d.@Total 169 677 643 #208 2s. #100 14s. 2d. [1!2 of #208 2s. would seem to be #104 1s.]@ Rec'd of John Crane for the ends of the wax candles sold last season #6 4s., and for those sold this season #23 19s. 4d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: For the 1st Time in 2 acts [CO 2, altered from the same, probably by the author, John Burgoyne. Text 1st published by R. Baldwin, 1788. For composer see 1 Feb.]. Receipts: #234 3s. (199/19/0; 33/12/6; 0/11/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Martyr. 2nd piece [1st time; O 1, by John Wolcot. Larpent MS 770; not published]: Being a Translation from the French Opera of that name [Nina; ou, La Folle par Amour, by Benoit Joseph Marsollier des Vivetieres], now performing at Paris with universal applause. With the original Music [by Nicolas Dalayrac, adapted by William Shield and William Thomas Parke. Two other versions of this opera, both unacted, were published this year: one anonymous, and one by George Monck Berkeley]. Receipts: #300 8s. 6d. (150.0.0; 2.18.0; tickets: 147.10.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Martyr. Tickets sold at the Doors will not be admitted. [Prologue by John Wolcot (European Magazine, May 1790, p. 386).] Gazetteer, 15 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Martyr, No. 16, Martlet-court, Bow-street, Covent-garden. Receipts: #293 7s. 6d. (136.14.0; 13.8.6; tickets: 143.5.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Whitfield. 2nd piece [1st time: M. INT 1, by John Whitfield]. Morning Chronicle, 18 May: Tickets to be had of Whitfield, No. 19, Piazza, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #442 13s. 6d. (80.6.6; 53.9.0; 12.13.6; tickets: 296.4.6) (charge: #211 11s. 4d.)

Event Comment: [Prologue by John Peter Roberdeau (European Magazine, Aug. 1791, p. 141).] "Of Palmer Sen.'s? acting the chief fault is...a manner by far too juvenile. He has very much the turn of countenance and mode of speech suitable to Falstaff, but his gait has no appearance of debility or infirmity, and is such as any man might use, incumbered by the same dress" (Gazetteer, 21 June)