Event Comment: Benefit Penkethman. At the Desire of several Persons of Distinction. [This bill from London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 16 May.

Event Comment: As 16 May, but No After-Money will be taken

Event Comment: As 17 May. The Usefulness of the Stage (1738) stated (p. 18) that The Dragon of Wantley was acted at hay with little success and that the audience was dismissed on the third night [this night, presumably]

Event Comment: As 17 May

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Haywood the Muse, Author of Love in Excess, and many other entertaining Pieces. 6:30 p.m. Daily Advertiser, 23 May: We hear that her Grace the Dutchess Dowager of Marlborough will be at the Theatre in the Hay-Market this Night

Event Comment: The hay advertised for 30 May and later two plays which never got staged: Macheath turn'd Pyrate; or, Polly in India. An Opera. Very much taken, if not improv'd from the famous Sequel of the late celebrated Mr Gay. With a New Prologue, proper to the Occasion. And after the Run of that, the Town will be entertain'd with a new Farce of two Acts, call'd The King and Titi; or, The Medlars. Taken from the History of Prince Titi, Originally written in French, and lately translated into English

Event Comment: TThe Craftsman, 28 May, has an essay the proposed Licensing Act

Event Comment: Additional Orations on 16, 23, 28, 30 April; 12, 14, 21 May

Event Comment: Benefit Bullock. N.B. Mr Bullock hopes his great Age, upwards of Threescore and Twelve, will plead his Excuse, that he cannot pay his Duty to his Acquaintances and Friends, whose Good Nature may engage them to assist him in this Decline of Life, in order to make the Remainder of his Days easy and comfortable to him

Event Comment: Benefit Haughton. [The London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 3 May, is missing; this bill is from London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 30 April.

Event Comment: Benefit Lalauze. By Command of Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales. N.B. That the Entertainment may not be any way hindered in the Performance, there will be no Building on the Stage

Event Comment: [The Gentlewoman may have been Miss Medina.

Event Comment: Benefit Chetwood. Tickets at Chetwood's Lodgings, the Golden Ball in May's Buildings

Event Comment: Masque: By Particular Desire. The Gentlemen's Magazine for Jan. 1742 (p. 28) in an article On Two Italian Dancers comments rather fully on the Fausans' performance in Le Boufon; or the Idiot: My expectation was rais'd to the height but at their entrance on the stage, they alarm'd me by the inexpressive Agility and descriptive Action, Look and Motion, which were all performed With such mimic Variety, that I defy the most severe Cynic to say that they wou'd not at least raise in him an agreeable surprise, to see all the attitudes, Oddities and mock Gesticulations of the two Idiots, who may be suppos'd to be in Love with one another. It is not any distortion of Body or unnatural transposition of the limbs which they exhibit to the view, but the extravagant Idiotry which the passions of Love, Disdain, Joy, Resentment, would on a real occasion actuate on the personages they represent: Nor do they so manage their Dance that it is ungraceful: they take opportunities to show by actions and movements, that in their comic Humour they have an elegancy. This performance therefore, on Reflection, appear'd to me, instead of an unnatural extravaganza to be founded on the nicest Observations of Human Nature, and prove Signor and Signora to be persons of good judgment, as well as agility. Receipts: #80

Event Comment: Written by Colly Cibber Esq. Benefit Theophilus Cibber. No persons to be admitted into the Boxes, or behind the scenes, but by Box ticket, which will be deliver'd at White's Chocolate House in St. James' St.; Tom's Coffee House in Covent Garden, and of Mr Bradshaw, &c. Places for the stage (which will be form'd into Boxes and carefully enclos'd) may be taken at Mrs Moor's in the Playhouse passage. Tickets for the Boxes and the stage will also be deliver'd at the proper offices of the theatre. Receipts: #150

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Woffington. By Command of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales. Tickets to be had of Bradshaw, &c. Places for the stage (which will be form'd into Boxes carefully enclosed) may be had at Mrs Moor's in the Playhouse Passage. Receipts: #170

Event Comment: Benefit the Widow Milward and her 4 children. N.B. Mrs Milward greatly acknowledges the Favour of the Town to her on her former Benefit; and as a considerable number of persons, who had taken tickets for that night, could not find room, she has made application to Mr Rich who has generously given her at his theatre, a Day which he had reserved to himself; where tickets given out for her former benefit will be taken. The consideration of 4 fatherless children is the only apology she can plead for intreating this further indulgence from the public. Note If any persons are dispos'd to send for tickets on this occasion, they maY be had at Mrs Milward's, No. 15 in Craven Buildings, Drury Lane. Tickets to be had and places to be taken at the stage door in Bow st

Event Comment: Benefit Mills. Tickets and places of Bradshaw, &c, and at Mills' House in Nassau St., near Soho Square. Servants may keep places on stage, which will (for the better accommodation of the Ladies) will be enclosed to form an amphitheatre. Rylands MS.: Cibber elop'd. Receipts: #188

Event Comment: A New Opera [a pasticcio, Metastasio text altered by Rolli, form Pergolesi's Olimpiade, 1735 (Loewenberg, Annals of Opera, I, 183)]. Music by Pergolesi, Scarlatti, Lampugnani. L. Leo, F. Leo [libretto in L. C.]. Two of the principal Performers being greatly indispos'd, the Dancers are oblig'd to be deferr'd. Thomas Gray to John Chute, 24 May: Our fifth Opera was the Olimpiade, in which they retain'd most of Pergolesi's Songs & yet 'tis gone already, as if it had been a poor thing of Galuppi's. Two nights did I enjoy it all alone, snugg in a Nook in the Gallery, but found no one in those regions had ever heard of Pergolesi, nay, I heard several affirm it was a Composition of Pescetti's.-Gray, Correspondence, I, 203

Event Comment: Benefit Widow Harper. See Daily Advertiser, 30 April: The case of the Widow of the late John Harper, Comedian: Mr Harper, having been seiz'd about four years since with a Paralitic Disorder, which not only rendered him incapable of acting, but depriv'd him of the use of his limbs, and in some degree affected his senses so as to make him an object of great compassion; during which long and dreadful Indisposition of near four years all possible means were tried (tho' in vain) to recover him, which impair'd and hurt his Circumstances, so greatly, as not to permit him to leave a sufficent Support for his widow, who is in years and unprovided for. Mr Harper dying in January last, according to a custom in the theatre his widow is entitled to a Benefit, and the Comedy of The Miser is to be acted to-morrow night for her Benefit, at Drury Lane; but as she is incapable of making a proper interest for it, without applying to the Compassion and Generosity of the Publick, she hopes to be excused in giving them the Trouble of this her case. Tickets deliver'd out by Roger will be taken.See Garrick's Additional Benefit for her on 11 May.] Receipts: #50

Event Comment: Benefit Harper's Widow. Six rows of the pit railed into the boxes. Rylands MS.: Duke &c. [present]. Garrick Play'd. Daily Advertiser, 7 May, stated that Mrs Harper's benefit on Saturday last because of the warm weather brought scarcely the charges of the theatre. Therefore Garrick made a voluntary offer to perform for her.] Receipts: #240

Event Comment: WWalpole to H. Mann, 26 May: But 43 people in pit and boxes last night

Event Comment: Benefit Paget, Now unhappily confin'd in the Fleet Prison. The Audience may depend upon the Entertainments being conducted in regular manner; and the Place is commodious, handsome, and Theatrical. Tickets to be had of Mr Paget, in the Fleet Prison, who has no other Method of getting Subsistence in his confinement

Event Comment: 1 AAnderson's doubling in the role of Dowglass and Poins on 25 Oct. may well have been a misprint in the bills

Event Comment: DDyer's MS: Garrick's first benefit, not crowded, opened lobby to dispose of tickets (Winston MS.). Tickets may be had at Garrick's lodgings in the Great Piazza, Covent Garden. Stage will be form'd into side boxes