Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never acted. Comedy [by Foote] in 3 acts. Characters new Dress'd

Event Comment: Never acted. Comedy by Wm. Whitehead. New Scenes and Dresses. Full Prices

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A Comedy [anon.] in 2 Acts. [A moral Prologue is included with Larpent MS 209.

Event Comment: Benefit for Shuter. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Afterpiece: Taken from a Comedy of Mrs Behn's. [The False Count.

Event Comment: The New Comedy call'd The Dupe, oblig'd to be deferr'd till Friday. Receipts: #175 3s. 6d. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: MMr Foote's Night as Author (Hopkins). Foote (Cross Diary). The New Comedy, The Dupe, deferred until Saturday. Receipts: #108 7s. 6d.; charges: #84. [Profits to auth. #24 7s. 6d. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: By Desire. On Monday (Never Acted Before) a Comedy, three acts, call'd No One's Enemy But His Own, and another of 2 Acts, call'd What we Must All Come To

Event Comment: The New Comedy call'd the Platonic Wife, oblig'd to be deferr'd till Thursday

Event Comment: Ash Wednesday. A comedy, by the author of Love in a Village [I. Bickerstaffe] and the Maid of the Mill, will be performed this season at one of the theatres (Winston MS 9). [See 23 April, Thomas and Sally.

Event Comment: A new Comedy in three acts. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. To begin at 7 p.m. [Notice repeated.

Event Comment: New Comedy Never Perform'd. [Attributed to Mrs Griffith. For Contemporary account see Gentleman's Magazine, January 1766, p 19.

Event Comment: [Playbill notes this performance as the Fifth. See 16 Dec. 1765.] Books of the Comedy to be had at the Theatre

Event Comment: Tomorrow, a New Comedy (never perform'd) call'd the Clandestine Marriage

Event Comment: Letter in the Public Advertiser from one ag who signed herself a 'Constant Reader': "Sir: As your correspondents sometimes favour us with Theatrical Observations, permit me, though a woman, to throw in my mite, not that I aspire to the character of a Critic...the reason I take up my pen is merely for the sake of information. A few evenings ago I was at the New Comedy of the Clandestine Marriage, where, I assure you I was greatly entertained; but at the conclusion of the last act, must own was not a little surprised to find Miss Sterling so much neglected, as I was at that instant wondering what kind of Apology Sir John would make her, when behold he stands close by her without saying a word; which in my opinion concludes the play too abruptly. The author indeed has not placed her in the most excellent light; yet as a Lady, and of Character, shall I say of Fortune too, some Apology on the Gentleman's side seems naturally to arise from the incidents of the piece. But perhaps I am mistaken, which I am the more willing to imagine from the known abilities of the ingenious authors. If any of your critical correspondents should think it worth their while to set me right in that Particular, it will be esteemed a favour." (Frances Street, March 5.

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Elliot. This Comedy is intended to be perform'd only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Charges #64 5s. Balance to Miss Elliot #24 9s. 6d. [No tickets seem to have been delivered.] Paid a bill for the Funeral of Mrs Cable #3 8s., and for the funeral of Grace Gould, #4 8s. (Account Book). [The latter had long been a servant in the theatre, and this year was Wardrobe Mistress.] Receipts: #88 14s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Paid Wilford for 10 nights Renters Money #100 (Account Book). [Duly noted in Account Book as third night for the comedy, but no indication of any fee to the author on this occasion. The following verse tribute to Miss Wilford appeared this day in the Public Advertiser: @"Strike the loud Harp and raise the tuneful Song;@On all your wings, Wind, bear her Fame along!@Her eyes are rolling suns, which dart a ray,@Bright as the splendor of a Summer Day;@Her arms are as the foam of Ocean white,@Like waves her Breasts heave slowly to the sight.@Her breath is sweeter than the vernal gale,@Which Zephyr wafts o'er Tempe's flowry vale;@Her cheaks are painted only by that hand@Which scatters roses through the blooming land;@And every ringlet of her glossy hair@Is trusted to some Love's peculiar care.@Her speech the songs of other Nymphs excels,@And on her lips persuasion blushing dwells;@Her smiles are as the streaming pow'rs of Light,@Which cheer and gild the rugged Front of Night.@To the quick Pipe and Tabor's lively sounds,@High as the Hind or Mountain Roe, she bounds;@And if to solemn Notes the cadence flow,@Stately she moves, majestically slow.@Deaf the prais'd ear-yet Modesty must own@The Female Archer by these Marks is known."@ Miss Wilford was the Female Archer.] Receipts: #151 13s. 6d.(Account Book)

Event Comment: [Prologue to the Perplexities and Epilogue publish'd in the Public Advertiser.] Saw the Comedy of the Perplexities. Beard spoke the Prologue....Mrs Mattocks spoke the Epilogue. We had a Dance and the new Masque of the Fairy Favour, which is perform'd by children only. The boy who does Puck played on the violin and danced a hornpipe, with great spirit. The scene which represents Kensington Gardens, the canal, &c. by moonlight is very pretty, the moon and stars are very natural (Neville MS Diary). Receipts: #192 5s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: BB. Johnson's Head Bill 11s. (Treasurer's Book). Drank tea with my Landlady and went with her husband and two gentlemen to see the new Play...as I did not care to refuse. Could not get into the Pit, at which I was not displeased. I fancy this comedy will take, tho it had nothing else to support it but the character of Freeport, which is played by Yates...We had a Prologue written by the author of the play and spoken by King; and an Interlude by way of Epilogue written by Garrick and spoken by King and Mrs Abington. A concerto on the Harpsichord by Burney Jr and dance. The play is taken from L'Ecosseisse of Voltaire (Neville MS Diary). Receipts: #193 17s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. The Comedy in 2 acts taken by Miss Pope from Mrs Sheridan's Discovery. House charges #64 17s. [Profit to Miss Pope #115 5s.] Paid B. Johnson's Head bill 18s. 7d.; Manager's subscription for St George's #10 10s.; Soldier's practice for Alexander 8s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). [Neville attended this night and in his Diary compliments all the performers and dancers. I am afraid Vernon's attempt to imitate old Shuter will prove vain. He added something to the introduction to the Cries tonight."] Receipts: #180 2s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Benefit for Mrs Abington. Part of Pit laid into boxes. House Charges #64 4s. [Profit to Mrs Abington #166 2s. 6d.] [The Farce-2 acts all from the comedy 'What we must all Come to' by Arthur Murphy, The airs by Hook.] Paid Blake (hosier) bill #3 15s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #230 6s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Rogers and Evans (sub treasurer). House Charges #64 4s. [Deficit to Miss Rogers and Evans #28 18s. 6d.] Paid land tax and scavanger rate half year for Covent Garden #4 3s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Tickets deliver'd for A Comedy will be admitted. Receipts: #35 5s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A Comedy [by Wm Kenrick] never perform'd before. The characters New Dress'd. [Theatrical Monitor, No VIII (16 Dec. 1767) approved the mainpiece--"engages the mind, affects the passions, totally divested of indecency"--but thought Garrick's art of "puffing" was evident in his note at foot of playbills, "Those Ladies and Gentlemen, who have taken places for this day, are desired to send their servants by one o'clock, in order to ascertain the same, otherwise they cannot be secured," since the house, except the first night, had not been half full. N.B. This note appeared in an Advance Bill, but did not appear in the Bill of the Day.