Event Comment: [By Susanna Centlivre.] Never Acted before. [In the Preface the author discusses her difficulties with the Epilogue. The managers did not think it safe to speak the Epilogue without a License. As she could not get it approved in time, Norris spoke "six Lines Extempore" asking the audience to excuse the defect and promising one for the second night. The Spectators, convinced no Epilogue was intended, hissed. On the following day the Epilogue was licensed, but Mrs Oldfield, who had been intended to speak it, received letters against it; Norris then spoken an Epilogue which implied that the intended one had never been licensed.

Event Comment: [Text by N. F. Haym. Music by G. F. Handel.] Colman's Opera Register: Mr O. Swiny ye Manager of ye Theatre was now setting out a New Opera, Heroick. all ye Habits new & richer than ye former with 4 New Scenes, & other Decorations & Machines. Ye Tragick Opera was called Theseus. Ye Musick composed by Mr Handel....ye Opera being thus prepared Mr Swiny would have got a Subscription for Six times, but could not.--he then did give out Tickets at half a Guinea each, for two Nights ye Boxes lay'd open to ye Pit, ye House was very full these two Nights

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Robinson. Boxes and Pit by tickets only at half a guinea. Tickets for The Man of Mode taken. [An order of the Lord Chamberlain's Office, 5@157, p. 284, directs the managers not to allow any benefit before those for Mrs Oldfield and Mrs Porter.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A new Burlesque Entertainment of Dancing. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 30 March: The Managers of Drury-lane Theatre observing how successful Lincoln's-Inn-Fields has been in several Entertainments, in which the Character of a Harlequin has the principal Part, were resolv'd to cut them out, and therefore prepared...Blind Man's Bluff, to be perform'd by no less than eight Harlequins; for, in their Way of Reasoning, eight Harlequins must divert much better than one; the Thing was so ridiculous there was no Musick to be heard but Hissing. [For an essay on the improvement of the stage, see Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 16 March.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A New Night Scene. The Scenes being all painted from tne real Place of Action. [By John Thurmond.] Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 5 Dec.: [It] was dismiss'd with a universal hiss.-And, indeed, if Shepherd had been as wretched, and as silly a Rogue in the World, as the ingenious and witty Managers have made him upon the Stage, the lower Gentry, who attended him to Tyburn, wou'd never have pittied him when eh was hang'd

Event Comment: DDaily Advertiser, 14 June: The Managers of...Drury-Lane, have Orders to get Things in Readiness for the Royal Theatre at Hampton-Court, where Plays are to be acted for the Diversion of the Royal Family

Event Comment: DDaily Post, 28 Sept.: Yesterday Morning [27 Sept.] between Nine and Ten o'Clock, Robert Wilks, Esq., one of the Patentees and Managers of his Majesty's Company of Comedians, died, at his House in Bow-street, Covent-Garden

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear. With all the Scenes, Machines, and other Decorations proper to the Play and the Original Musick, Songs, and Dances. Afterpiece: With the Additional Scene representing the Drawing of the Lottery in Guild-Hall. [For a discussion of Wilks as actor-manager and a brief comment on the defects of T. Cibber as Macduff, see Grub St. Journal, 5 Oct.

Event Comment: By Desire. [In a letter to the Daily Journal, 13 Feb., Michael Poitier thanks the public for the applause given him on 8 Feb., and refers to the earlier disturbance there occasioned by his failure to appear with Mlle Roland. He states that she was indisposed and that he sent a message to that effect to the manager.]

Event Comment: DDaily Post, 1 Nov.: Last Thursday Night four or five Persons (amongst whom two were known to belong to the Attorney of a neighbouring Manager) attended...Cato at [lif]: Their first Endeavour was to induce the Company in the Middle Gallery, where they were, to leave the House, insinuating there was nothing worth seeing could be play'd there, (tho' they had never seen the Gentleman who acted Cato,) and retiring towards the Door, as if to go out, in order to set others the Example: This Design failing, they thought fit to stay; and to make their Words good, resolv'd to interrupt the Performance, Their second Stratagem was to cry out Fire, making again to the Door to confirm the Reality of it: That miscarrying, the next was to hiss whenever the rest of the House applauded, no doubt, with the brutal Intention to confuse the Gentleman who play'd Cato in his first Attempt of that Kind, and might have effected their Purpose, if the whole House had not generously and vigorously oppos'd it, from a high Opinion of his Merit

Event Comment: DDaily Post, 1 Nov.: On Saturday Night they [the individuals who disturbed the performance on 28 Oct.] attended again in the Upper G allery, where having declar'd they came to disturb the Performance, they pursued their former Methods, with the same Success, to the End of the Play; when upon Mr Giffard's informing the Audience who they were, they were unanimously of Opinion to have them turn'd out...,The Manager mention'd before cannot be suspected to authorize such Behaviour....But what makes it most unlikely, is, that he sat in the Pit on Thursday, and was seen by every Body to applaud the Play

Event Comment: DDaily Advertiser, 19 Feb.: To the Author, &c. Sir, In a late Paragraph in one of your Papers [4 Feb.] it was insinuated, that there was a Design on foot for erecting a New Theatre, which by some Wise Heads was suppos'd to come from a certain Manager, in order to revive the Playhouse Bill this Session of Parliament; I think it proper therefore, in Justice to the Gentleman levell'd at, to inform the Publick, that it is actually intended for a Company of Comedians every Day expected here, late Servants to their Majesties Kouli Kan and Theodore, who in the mean time will entertain the Town in the true Eastern manner, at the New Theatre in the Hay-Market, with a celebrated Piece call'd A Rehearsal of Kings. I am, Sir, Yours, &c. Agent for the Company

Event Comment: Benefit the Author. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quailty. Mainpiece: Written by the Author of the Man of Taste. Founded on Shakespear's Much Ado About Nothing. Afterpiece: Written by the Author of the Toy Shop. Daily Advertiser, 14 March: We hear that there was not the least Disturbance from the Footmen at the Playhouse all last Week; and there is such a sufficient Guard order'd, as well as a Civil Power appointed, that there's no Apprehension of any in the future: Besides, we are glad to hear that the Quality and Gentry are resolv'd in general to discard any Servants that should be known to attempt it, and to give them up to the Rigour of the Law. [For Occasional Prompter XXV (on the lethargy of managers), see Daily Journal, 14 March.

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Distinction. [A letter to the London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 29 Jan., states that the occasion of the riot at dl, 23 Jan., was the failure of Denoyer and Mlle Chateauneuf to dance. The latter had been ill but on 22 Jan., thought that she could dance on the following night, and her name was placed in the bill; on Wednesday a misunderstanding about the absence of her and Denoyer caused the disturbance. A gentleman concerned in the affair sent the manager #100 for his share of the damage.

Event Comment: During this month was publish'd The Dramatic Congress, a short state of the stage under present management, by W. R. Chetwynd. The older actors and dramatists sit in Elysium and discuss the fate of the theatre under Fleetwood and Rich. Much on cartels and the decay of the stage, and the chicanery indulged in to starve the Macklin-Garrick revolters. Probably about this time was also publish'd Tyranny Triumphant...Or Historical and critical remarks on the famous Cartel lately agreed on by the masters of the two theatres, by Patrick Fitz-Crambo. Discusses the rumor that Rich shut up Lincoln's Inn Fields for six months and for #600 gave the key to the Manager of Drury Lane, leaving the actors to starve, and the town to be satisfied with whatever nonsense Drury Lane chose to put on

Event Comment: Mainpiece, not acted in 10 years. [The British Champion, or Impartial Advertiser, No. 109, gives a four column comment upon the players versus the managers at Drury Lane. It appears to be written by a citizen appalled at the large salaries of the players as well as at the reputed high living of Fleetwood. Concludes by suggesting that theatre prices be much reduced.

Event Comment: Sir, As there have been many reports to my prejudice, I desire you will publish the true and only Reason why I have not yet appear'd upon the stage this winter. Many of the Persons concerned in the late struggle with the Manager, might have been left destitute had I deserted them, therefore I thought it incumbent on me to endeavor at this reconciliation with my own, upon reasonable terms; this I have accomplish'd, and hope I am excusable for not playing 'til it is determin'd. Tho I am sensible my affairs are too inconsiderable to be laid before the Publick, yet as I am their servants, and have been so much favour'd with their Indulgence, I thought it my Duty to convince 'em that it is neither Obstinacy, or Exorbitancy, but a quite different motive, that detains me so long from doing my utmost to contribtte to their Entertainment. I am, Sir your Humble Servant, D. Garrick.--London Daily Post and General Advertiser

Event Comment: Whereas Great Disorders were committed on Tuesday Night at the Theatre, by Numbers of persons violently forcing their way into the House, particularly into the Boxes, knocking down the door-keepers, and obliging the servants who kept places to go out, to the great prejudice of the Manager, who lost all the Money for the said Places, as they not only refus'd to pay for the Boxes, but likewise forc'd into the Pit without paying, he thinks it incumbent on him to gide Public notice That an Office will for the Future be kept at the Boxes, to prevent persons from going in the same tumultuous manner, and hopes no Gentlemen will be displeas'd in being first desir'd to take a ticket at the said Office. Last night the Play of the Rehearsal was perform'd at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane; when, upon Mr Garrick's making a proper apology to the Town he was receiv'd with the greatest marks of Approbation; and the Play was acted with the utmost Decency and Order