Event Comment: This day is publish'd a Guide to the Stage; or Select Instructions and Precedents from the best Authorities towards forming a polite Audience; with some account of the Players, &c. Printed and sold by D. Job, at the Spread Eagle in King St. [An ironical post-Addisonian quip at theatrical behavior]: I boldly enter the lists as the first champion for theatric decorum. The next thing to be consider'd is disapprobation, which I think may be sufficiently shewn, by an attention to something else, by loud discourse, profuse laughter, and the like. I cannot help thinking it a little out of character, for a polite audience to distort their features by a hiss: however for the sake of some ambitious youths, who thus love to signalize themselves, I shall leave a new play to their mercy. They then are at liberty to exercise their several talents whether they hiss or groan most successfully, or have a greater genius for the cat-call. If you desire to know when you are to shew your dislike, my answer is, when anything displeases you, or in fine when you will provided you have a strong party to second you; for the best hiss or groan in the universe may be drown'd in a general applause. [Never laugh at what passes on stage save it be an error, blunder, or accident. In tragic scenes avoid being visibly moved by humming a tune, regarding the audience, engaging in conservation, or turning your back to the stage. When a female social rival calls attention to herself and away from the stage, let fall your handkerchief into the pit, or call out to an acquaintance in the opposite box, or burst into loud and unexpected laughter. You'll know when to applaud, for the actors will tell you.] On these occasions Cato looks more than unusually big, Hamlet stares with great emphasis, Othello has a most languishing aspect, Monimia is all sighs and softness, Beatrice will bridle, and pretty Peggy Wildair leers you into a clap. Receipts: #170 (Cross)

Event Comment: The play of King Henry IV is deferr'd on account of the Indisposition of Mr Barry

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Ward. Tickets to be had of Mrs Ward, next door to the Chapel, in Little Wild St., and of Hobson at the stage door. Tickets deliver'd out for Jane Shore will be taken. A Pamphlet having lately appeared in Ridicule of the late performance of Othello at Drury Lane, to which was subjoined an Advertisement in my name,from whence Occasion has been taken to assert, that I was the publisher, the Publick may be assured that advertisement was inserted without my knowledge or consent, that I am entirely ignorant of the Author, nor am the least concerned in that mean invidious affair. F. Stamper (General Advertiser). [Stamper possibly refers to A satirical Dialogue Humbly address'd to the Gentlemen who deformed the play of Othello; with a Prologue and Epilogue, much more suitable to the occasion than their own. London: River, 1751, listed in the Register of Books, Gentleman's Magazine, March 1751, p. 142. Stamper may also be alluding in some way to a Modern Character introduced in the Scenes of Vanbrugh's Aesop as it was acted at a late private representation of King Henry IV, performed gratis at the Little Opera House in the Haymarket, 3rd edn. 1751, written by F. Stamper. It was published because the farce was hissed off the stage. The Character is a Spouter who tries to instruct Aesop in heroics.] Receipts: #210 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Ray, W. Vaughan, G. Burton & ye Sub-Treasurer (Cross). Tickets of Ray, at the Crown and Anchor Tavern, St Clement's Church; at the Black Swan Tavern, in Bartholomew Lane; the Old King's Head Tavern, Facing Somerset House; For Vaughan, at the One Ton Coffee House, St. James' Market; for Burton, at Pope's next the Stage Door, Russel St.; and of Hobson at the Stage Door. Tickets deliver'd for the Lady's Last Stake, or the Wife's Resentment will be taken. Receipts: #214 (Cross)

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. King, Duke, Princess, P. of Wales & P. Edward (Cross). Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMr Mossop did Bajazet -Oh (Cross). [Inspector No 211, in Daily Advertiser and Literary Gazette commented on the magnificent performance of Garrick and Miss Bellamy in King Lear the preceding Saturday.] Receipts: #120 (Cross)

Event Comment: By Command of ye King (Cross). Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for ye Author (Cross). Tickets to be had of the Author at his lodgings the Angel in King's Street, Covent Garden; A Millar, over-against Catharine Street, in the Strand; and at the Stage Door of the theatre, where places may be taken (playbill). We hear Mr Ross is to perform the part of Romeo in the Play Romeo and Juliet for his benefit, which is to be on Thursday, the 31st of March (General Advertiser). Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire; Afterpiece: By Desire. The Tragedy of Don Sebastian, King of Portugal, written by Dryden; and the Rehearsal, written by the Duke of Buckingham, are reviving at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, and will be play'd there soon alternately. Receipts: #160 (Cross)

Event Comment: On Saturday 6 January will be performed for the benefit of Joseph Lowe, citizen of London under Misfortunes, the tragedy of King Richard III. The part of Richmond by Mr Joseph Lowe

Event Comment: For ye King (Cross). Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit At the particular desire of several persons of quality for Mr Cibber. Mainpiece: Not acted these 8 years [see 15 Feb. 1746]. N.B. The Boxes not being equal to the demand for places, Servants will be allow'd to keep places on the stage, which for the better accommodation of the Ladies, and to preserve the Decorum of the Play, will be enclosed in the manner of an amphitheatre. Ladies are desired to send servants by 3 o'clock. Tickets to be had at White's Chocolate House, St James's, and at the stage door (playbill). For Th: Cibber a prisoner in ye King's Bench--he did Wolf and ye Epilogue of Nobody. Receipts: #220 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Author. Tickets to be had at Dodsley's, Bookseller and at the King's Arms Tavern, in Pall Mall and at the Stage Door where Places for the Boxes may be taken

Event Comment: For the Small Pox Hospital; Pit and Boxes 1!2 Guinea; a Treble Ticket at 26s., which admits a Gentleman and two Ladies to the Pit and Boxes, and the Gentleman to Dinner at Merchant Taylors Hall. First Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. No more Tickets will be disposed of than will conveniently fill the House, nor will any Money be taken at the Doors, or Collection at the Theatre. This being a Morning's Entertainment it is not expected that the Ladies come full-dressed. The most convenient way to the upper gallery at the Theatre, is through the King's Yard. To begin at 12 noon

Event Comment: The Lord Chamberlain to the Manager of the Theatre in Covent Garden...These are strictly to charge and command you not to act any Plays, Oratorios, or any other Theatrical Performance in Passion Week for the Future on any Pretence whatsoever (Deutsch, Handel, p. 740, from Public Record Office: L.C. 5@162, pp. 2 ff.). [Deutsch cites similar ones for dl, king's and hay.

Event Comment: Benefit for Cushing, Redman, Madam DeHenney. Tickets deliver'd for King Lear will be taken

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. King only (Cross). Receipts: #220 (Cross)

Event Comment: fterpiece considered absolutely beautiful' by Christlob Mylius, German visitor, who was impressed by the skill and rapidity of scene shifting, and by evidence of English freedom which tolerated a scene representing the Equestrian statue of George I with Harlequin mounted instead of the King. See J. A. Kelly, German Visitors, p. 26.

Event Comment: By Command of the King (Cross)

Event Comment: By Command of the King (Cross). This day a new tragedy, entitiled Constantine the Great was read here to the actors for the first time. This piece is written by the reverend Mr Francis, from whose valuable translation of Horace it may be inferred that he is such a judge of all the graces of Language and every beautiful turn in writing, that it is not to be doubted but he will give the public a production abounding in elegancies. [See 23 Feb.

Event Comment: By Mr Handel. Benefit for Sga Frasi.To begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to be had of Sga Frasi, at her House in Gerrard St., Soho. All the Tickets delivered out for Samson will be taken. [See 2 April, King's.

Event Comment: By Command of The King (Cross). Receipts: #210 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Sga Passerini. Pit and Boxes half a Guinea. Gallery 5s. The Overture and some songs composed by his Majesty the King of Prussia. The Remaining songs by the best masters as Quantz, Nichelman, Benda. The Duet and chorus-Graun, chief composer of the court, poetry-Villati. The afterpiece "an Italian Pastoral.

Event Comment: This night (Sat. 27th) Mr Vernon, was hiss'd off: in the part of Palemon in ye Chaplet-the anger of the Audience proceeded from this-towards the end of last Season he married Miss Potier at the Savoy, without friends consent, & afterwards was drawn in to inform against Mr Grieston, the Parson, who was immediately seiz'd & thrown into Newgate; where he was remov'd to ye King's bench on account of his Sickness. where he now lies for his Tryal. He publish'd his Case, & beg'd the Charity of the Town to keep his Family from starving (Cross). Receipts: #140 (Cross)

Event Comment: [For the King (Cross). With New Music, Scenes, Machines, Habits, and other Decorations. Compos'd by Mr Noverre. All our Dancers appear. A good deal of hissing & Clapping & some Cries of No french Dancers; a great clapping too-the Dance is fine-(Mr Delaistre is a good Dancer) (Cross). [See for details of preparation, importation of dancers, especially of M Delaistre, The Chevalier Noverre, Father of Modern Ballet, Deryck Lynham (London, 1950), pp. 26-40. See also advertisement in Public Advertiser: 'Mr Noverre, whose entertainments of Dancing have been celebrated in almost all the courts of Europe, exhibits this evening his Chinese Festival at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, in pursuance of a contract made above a year ago with the managers of the said theatre: The Insinuation that at this time, an extraordinary number of French dancers are engaged, is groundless, there being at Drury Lane at present as few of that nation, as any other theatre now has, or perhaps ever had. Mr Noverre and his brothers are Swiss, of a protestant family in the Canton of Berne, his wife and her sisters Germans; there are above sixty performers concerned in the entertainment; more than forty of which are English, assisted only be a few French (five men and four women) to complete the Ballet as usual. As the intention of the Managers on this occasion is to give Variety to Entertainments of the town, it is not doubted it will meet with public approbation.'] Receipts: #210 (Cross)