Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Abington. Pit and Boxes will be laid together. Ladies and Gentlemen are most earnestly requested to come early, to prevent Inconvenience in getting to their Places, and to send their Servants to keep them by Four o'clock. "At the close of the entertainment Mrs Abington came forward, and delivered a short poetical address to her fashionable auditory [written by Maurice Morgann (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1797, p. 263)], apposite to her feelings on the present occasion" (Morning Herald, 11 Feb.). "The character [of Scrub] throughout was well conceived, and executed with a sprightliness and degree of humour that kept the house in a continual roar of laughter" (Public Advertiser, 11 Feb.) "Mrs Abington's voice was in its usual tone; her manners and deportment were inattentive and torpid, rather than active and interesting" (Morning Post, 11 Feb.). "With all her endeavours to give new points to the character, she entirely failed. Her appearance en culottes, so preposterously padded, exceeded nature. Her gestures to look comical could not get the least hold of the audience, though they had seen her before in men's clothes, when playing Portia in The Merchant of Venice, where her figure, dressed as a lawyer in his gown, gave effect to her excellent delivery on mercy, and the audience had been always delighted. But this leu de benefice, comparatively speaking, was disgusting and absurd as she dressed the character ... However, I have heard it originated in a bet she had previously made" (Henry Angelo, Reminiscenes, 11, 281-82). Receipts: #406 13s. 6d. (249/9/6; 1/9/0; tickets: 155/15/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: A Comic Opera (1st time [in London; 1st performed at Venice, 1778]); the music entirely new by Salieri [with additions by Anfossi, Sacchini, Paisiello, Mazzoni, J. Mazzinghi]

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of Venice Preserv'd, announced on playbill of 30 Dec. 1786.] Receipts: #222 4s. (220.0; 2.4)

Event Comment: The Merchant of Venice and Love a-la-Mode [both advertised on playbill of 19 Dec.] are obliged to be deferred on Account of the Indisposition of Macklin. Receipts: #145 5s. 6d. (139.17.0; 5.8.6)

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. [Mainpiece in place of The Merchant of Venice; afterpiece of Love a-la-Mode, both advertised on playbill of 12 Feb.] Receipts: #315 15s. (304.2; 1.13)

Event Comment: A New Comic Opera composed by Paisiello [but not recorded in any list of his operatic works]; under the direction of Mazzinghi. [Originally ententitled Le Vane Gelosie, this was 1st performed at Naples in 1790. Its libretto, by G. B. Lorenzi, was re-set in 1793 by G. Astarita, and performed at Venice as Le Fallaci Apparenze. The characters in all these versions are identical. See E. Faustini-Fasini, Opere Teatrali di Paisiello, 1940, 137-38, and Morning Herald, 2 Apr. 1792.

Event Comment: A new Serious Opera (1st time [in London; 1st performed at Venice, 1790]); the music by Anfossi, with 2 additional songs in the 2nd act by Mme Banti, the 1st composed by Piccinni, the last by Naumann. With entire new Scenes, Dresses and Decorations

Event Comment: A New Opera (1st time [in London; 1st performed at Venice, 1792]), accompanied with Chorusses; the music entirely new, composed [i.e. revised] here by Bianchi. With entirely new Scenes, designed by Hamilton and executed by Walmsley, Dresses and Decorations

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 20 years [not acted since 29 Apr. 1774]. "In the scene where Varanes kills himself, Kemble...was peculiarly striking. His manner of sheathing the sword in his body, after he has exclaimed, 'I feel the art'ry where the life-blood lies! It heaves against the point!-Now-Oh ye gods!' astonished us; and we turned, with horror, from the sight" (Monthly Visitor, Feb. 1797, p. 161). "I asked [Mrs Siddons] in which part she would most wish me to see her? She named Portia in the Merchant of Venice; but I begged to be excused...Mrs Siddons's warmest devotes do not hold her above a demigoddess in comedy. I have chosen Athenais;...her scorn is admirable" (Walpole [15 Jan. 1788], XIV, 42). Receipts: #231 9s. (175.2; 54.14; 1.13)

Event Comment: Benefit for Viganoni. [Opera produced in 1794 as I Contadini Bizzarri.] Song: The Music by Cimadoro [taken from his Pimmaglione, Venice, 1790]. Tickets to be had of Viganoni, No. 8, Panton-street, Haymarket

Event Comment: Benefit for the Voluntary Contributions for the Defense of the Country. 1st piece: An entire new Comic Opera [1st performed at Venice, 1791]. 1st ballet: Compressed into a first Dance

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of The Merchant of Venice, advertised on playbill of 29 Oct.] Receipts: #159 9s. 6d. (106.5.6; 51.10.0; 1.14.0)

Event Comment: The Merchant of Venice [advertised on playbill of 20 Nov.] is obliged to be deferred on account of the Indisposition of a Principal Performer. Receipts: #122 8s. 6d. (66.11.0; 54.6.6; 1.11.0)

Event Comment: A new Comic Opera (1st time [in London; 1st performed at Venice, 1793]); the Music by Winter

Event Comment: 2nd piece: A New Comic Opera (1st time [in London; 1st performed at Venice, 1794]); the Music by Portogallo

Event Comment: The death of the Duke of Gloucester on this day apparently closed the theatres for a short time. Andrew Newport, writing on 15 Sept. 1660 to Sir Richard Leveson, stated: The court is in deep mourning and will continue so for 6 weeks (Sutherland MSS., HMC, 5th Report, Appendix, 1876, p. 156), but it is not until 27 Sept. 1660 that Rugg reported: playes are for present forbiden because of the death of the Duke of Gloucester (BM Add. Mss. 10116, folio 90v). The theatres may have opened on Monday 8 Oct. 1660; certainly they were acting by 11 Oct. 1660

Event Comment: The date of the first performance is not certainly known, but Pepys, on 2 July, saw Part II, stating that 2 July was the premiere of Part I and the opening of the Duke's Company's new theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, pp. 20-21): His [Davenant's] Company Rehears'd the First and Second Part of the Siege of Rhodes...at Pothecaries-Hall: And in Spring 1662 [1661], Open'd his House with the said Plays, having new Scenes and Decorations, being the first that e're were Introduc'd in England....All Parts being Justly and Excellently Perform'd; it continu'd Acting 12 Days without Interruption with great Applause. Downes, p. 34: I must not forget my self, being Listed for an Acotr in Sir William Davenant's Company in Lincolns-Inn-Fields: The very first Day of opening the House there, with the Siege of Rhodes, being to Act Haly; (The King, Duke of York, and all the Nobility in the House, and the first time the King was in a Publick Theatre). The sight of that August presence, spoil'd me for an Actor too. HMC, 10th Report, Appendix, Part IV, p. 21: @For the Siege of Rhodes all say@It is an everlasting play@Though they wonder now Roxalana is gon@What shift it makes to hold out so long@For when the second part took, butt for Bully@The first did not satisfie so fully.@ [Presumably this verse was written after Mrs Davenport left the stage, in 1662(?).

Event Comment: See Boswell, Restoration Court Theatre, pp. 56-57, for a stage which may have been used for the puppets, and also Speaight, English Puppet Theatre, p. 73. Pepys, Diary: To my Lord's again, thinking to speak with him, but he is at White Hall with the King, before whom the puppet plays I saw this summer at Covent-garden are acted this night

Event Comment: The King's Company. See 5 Feb. Pepys, Diary: [The Slighted Maid] being done, we took coach and to court, and there got good places, and saw The Wilde Gallant, performed by the King's house, but it was ill acted, and the play so poor a thing as I never saw in my life almost, and so little answering the name, that from beginning to end, I could not, nor can at this time, tell certainly which was the Wild Gallant. The King did not seem pleased at all, all the whole play, nor any body else, though Mr Clerke whome we met here did commend it to us....Now as my mind was but very ill satisfied with these two plays themselves, so was I in the midst of them sad to think of the spending so much money and venturing upon the breach of my vow, which I found myself sorry for, I bless God, though my nature would well be contented to follow the pleasure still. But I did make payment of my forfeiture presently, though I hope to save it back again by forbearing two plays at court for this one at the Theatre, or else to forbear that to the Theatre which I am to have at Easter. But it being my birthday and my day of liberty regained to me, and lastly, the last play that is likely to be acted at Court before Easter, because of the Lent coming in, I was the easier content to fling away so much money

Event Comment: The dangerous increase in the plague resulted in a proclamation closing the theatres. L. C. 5@138, p. 417 (in Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 299n): Whereas it is thought dangerous that soe greate resort of People should be permitted at yor Theatre in this tyme of Infection of the Plague These are therefore to require you that you forbeare Acting any more Playes vntill you shall receive further Order from mee

Event Comment: Henry Muddiman, 29 Nov. 1666: The Players have upon great proffers of disposing a large share to charitable uses prevailed to have liberty to act at Both Houses, which they begin this day (CSPD, Charles II, clxxcii, 6, in Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 250). A manuscript prologue for the opening of the theatre in Bridges Street is in J. Payne Collier's MS Restoration Stage History, Part I, p. 106, in the Houghton Library, Harvard. The Diary of John Milward, Esq., ed. Caroline Robbins (Cambridge, 1938), p. 49: This day at my coming to the House [of Commons] it moved that plays might be tolerated and acted in the common theatres, and whether any members of the House of Commons should be admitted to go to acts of the playhouses, but it was not resolved

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This is on an L. C. list in the Harvard Theatre Collection. See William vanLennep, Plays on the English Stage 1669-1672, Theatre Notebook, XVI (1961), 13

Event Comment: The Travels of Cosmo the Third (Thursday 25 April 1669 NS; Thursday 15 April OS): After dinner, he recommenced his visits to the ladies; going towards evening to the King's Theatre, to hear the comedy, in his majesty's box. This theatre is nearly of a circular form, surrounded, in the inside, by boxes separated from each other, and divided into several rows of seats, for the greater accommodation of the ladies and gentlemen, who, in conformity with the freedom of the country, sit together indiscriminately; a large space being left on the ground-flobr for the rest of the audience. The scenery is very light, capable of a great many changes, and embellished with beautiful landscapes. Before the comedy begins, that the audience may not be tired with waiting, the most delightful symphonies are played; on which account many persons come early to enjoy this agreeable amusement. The comedies which are acted, are in prose; but their plots are confused, neither unity nor regularity being observed; the authors having in view, rather than any thing else, to describe accurately the passions of the mind, the virtues and the vices; and they succeed the better, the more the players themselves, who are excellent, assist them with action, and with the enunciation of their language, which is very adapted for the purpose, as being a variation, but very much confined and curtailed, of the Teutonic idiom; and enriched with many phrases and words of the most beautiful and expressive description, taken both from ancient and modern languages (London, 1821, pp. 190-91)