Event Comment: By Desire of the Most Noble Grand of the Honorable Order of Select Albions. For the Benefit of their Brother Hurst, and Mr Rooker. N.B. The Grand of the Albion Lodge desires his officers to meet him at the Rose Tavern in Bridges St., at 5 o'clock, to proceed from thence to the front boxes, in procession, with the Ensigns of their Order. The company of any other of the Brethren will be esteemed a favour, to join the Grand and Officers--Care will be taken to preserve Places in the Boxes for the Ladies belonging to the members of this Society (playbill)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: By Desire. Towards Supporting a Charity School for the Education of Children belonging to the Society of Ancient Britons (Hopkins Diary); Rec'd stopages #26 11s. 6d.; Paid salary list #530 2s.; King's extra salary #3; Mr Dibdin's draft #50. Receipts: #250 4s. Charges: #84. Profit to Charity School: #166 4s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: A Sacred Oratorio composed and conducted by Dr Arnold at the Society of Artists Exhibition-Room in the Strand. A Benefit for repairing a Chapel Crispin St, Spittalfields. At 12:00 noon. First seats 7s. 6d. Second seats 5s. Back seats 3s. 6d. The Performers are so obligingly generous as to give their Services to promote the Charity. And Mr Leoni having obtained Leave to sing, the Public may be assured of his performing his Part in this Oratorio. A Stove is already fixed in the Great Room, and will be continued to prevent any Inconveniencies from the Coldness of the Season. Mr Fischer being ill, Mr Barthelemon will perform in his Room

Event Comment: Benefit for the Establishment for the Discharge of Persons imprisoned for small Debts. [The Society in charge of this charity was located at 7, Craven-street, Strand (Public Advertiser, 15 Dec.).] Receipts: #181 12s. (125.9; tickets: 56.3) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Humane Society. [Prologue by Miles Peter Andrews (European Magazine, Dec. 1784, p. 467).]

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 the Humane Society. A new grand Commemorative Oratorio [1st time; in two parts], as originally performed by Busby, in aid of the Fund for the Naval Pillar, including the new Music [by Busby: Song and Chorus, From where the sun; Song, To thy brave sons; Recitative and Song, Peace to the soul, Around the ever-honoured urn], introduced in the Grand National Concert, performed the 28th of May, at the Opera House. Leader of the Band-Cramer. Organ-Russell. The performance to be conducted by Busby, who will preside at the Piano Forte. Tickets, at playhouse prices, to be had at all the principal music shops...and of Busby, No. 9, China Terrace, Vauxhall Road. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00. "The words [of Part I] are taken entirely from Gray's well-known Pindaric Ode, The Progress of Poesy," with six introductory lines written by John Gretton andthe concluding stanzas by Thomas Dutton; the text of Part II by Gretton (Dramatic Censor, II, 285-86)

Event Comment: [The King's Company. Evelyn, Diary: Saw the Virgin Queene a play written by Mr Dryden &c. [Possibly the run of this play continued, for Pepys saw it again on 25 March and there are no certain performances of other plays at the King's Theatre. If Secret Love was acted without interruption, except for the customary non-acting days in Lent, it was probably given on 16, 18, 19, 21, and 23 March.

Event Comment: The King's Company. The date of the first production is not known. Although the play was not entered in the Term Catalogues until February 1675@6, the references to "Miss-Non-so-Fair," prince Nick, and t'other House Gallants" suggest that it capitalized upon the appearance of Psyche Debauched at dg

Event Comment: A Comparison Between the Two Stages (1702), commenting upon Betterton's success with I Henry IV (see 9 Jan. 1699@1700) pictures Betterton entering his Closet and praying to Shakespeare for further assistance (p. 25), with the result that "tho' some of those Plays that Batterton Acted were Historical, and consequently highly irregular, yet they never fail'd to please" (p. 26). Sullen adds: Well, this lucky hit of Batterton's put D. Lane in a non-plus! Shakespear's Ghost was rais'd at the New-house, and he seem'd to inhabit it for ever: What's to be done then? Oh, says Rich I'll pray as well as he-What? Shall a Heathen Player have more Religion than a Lawyer? No, it shall never be said--with that Mr R@@ goes up to the Garret (a pair of Stairs higher than his own Apartment) and taking Ben Johnson's Picture with him, he implores. This work implies that Betterton presented Henry VIII in addition to I Henry IV and that Rich revived Volpone, The Alchymist, and The Silent Woman, which had, according to the author of this work, lain unacted for twenty years (p. 26)

Event Comment: Benefit the Author. Tickets as before. Regulus publish'd. As it is acted by his Majesties Servants at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, by Mr Havard, Author of King Charles the First. Inter omnes suos laudabiles & Virtutum insignibus illustres Viros, non preferunt Romani meliorem; quem neque Felicitas corruperit, nam in tanta Victoria, mansit pauperrimus; Nec Infelicitas fregerit, nam ad tanta Exitia revertit intrepidus. (St. Aust. de Regulo. Lib I. de Civitat. Dei.) Printed for H. Woodfall, Jr. in Little Britain, by Paul Vaillant facing Southampton Street in the Strand. J. Watts and B. Dodd also advertised King Charles the First, an Historical Tragedy, written in imitation of Shakespear, and Scanderbeg, a Tragedy. Both written by Mr Havard, author of Regulus

Event Comment: Went off well (Cross). The Non-Juror oblig'd to be deferr'd on account of Mrs Pritchard's Indisposition. This day publish'd the Second edition of Boadicia, a Tragedy, as it is now acted at Drury Lane. By Mr Glover (Public Advertiser). Receipts: #80 (Cross)

Event Comment: Tomorrow will be reviv'd a Comedy not acted these 6 years, call'd The Non-Juror; the part of Maria to be performed by Mrs Woffington, being the first time of her appearing on that stage these 3 years