Event Comment: The last Time of the Company's performing this Season. [Mainpiece acted for the 22nd time this season. The playbill states, "for the 23rd Time"; on the Kemble playbill this has been corrected in MS to 22nd. Genest, VI, 262, says that this play was also acted on both 3 and 4 June. But on those nights the theatre was dark.] Receipts: #270 11s. (260/7; 10/4; after-money not listed). Account-Book, 5 June: Paid Mrs Siddons a Present from the Proprietors #100; 6 June: Paid 100 Renters #20 4s. apiece; 23 June: Received of Their Majesties #156

Event Comment: By Permission [of the Lord Chamberlain]. 1st piece [1st time; c 5, author unknown. Authors and speakers of Prologue and Epilogue unknown]. 2nd piece [1st time; m.int i, author unknown]. 3rd piece [1st time; f 2, by Walley Chamberlain Oulton, altered from The Letter Writers, by Henry Fielding. MSS of none of these pieces in Larpent; none of them published]. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30

Event Comment: Afterpiece: In Part II will be introduced (2nd time) a Real Air Balloon [the 1st time is indicated in no playbill; it was not, seemingly, introduced a 3rd time]. Receipts: #126 7s. (124/4; 1/8; tickets not come in: 0/15)

Event Comment: A new Serious Opera (1st time [in London; 1st performed at Venice, 1781]); the music by Sarti, under the direction of Mazzinghi. "At length in the spring arrived the celebrated Marchesi, whose fame had long reached this country, and who had been extolled to such a degree that impatience and expectation were raised to the highest pitch; and on the first night of his appearance the theatre was not only crowed to the utmost in every part, but on the rising of the curtain, the stage was so full of spectators that it was some time before order and silence could be obtained, and with some difficulty that Marchesi, who was to open the opera, could make his way before the audience. Marchesi was at this time a very well-looking young man, of good figure, and graceful deportment. His acting was spirited and expressive: his vocal powers were very great, his voice of extensive compass, but a little inclined to be thick (Mount-Edgcumbe, 66-67). Receipts: #437 15s. 6d., i.e. 560 tickets delivered to Prendergrass [see 8 Dec. 1787], who sold 558; 110 to Toosey, who sold 86; 400 to Butler, who sold 285; 236 to Snelson, who sold 204. Total non-subscription tickets sold: 1133

Event Comment: Benefit for Ryder. Public Advertiser, 20 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Ryder at his house, No. 5, Bow-street, Covent-garden. 1st piece: The Overture, Airs, &c. by Dr Arnold. The selected by Handel, Vento, Giordani, Giardini, Bertoni, Dr Arne, Carolan the Irish Bard. 2nd piece: 1st time Here. Translated from the French of La Bonne Mere, by Horatio Edgar? Robson, and at this Time reading with great success and general applause by LeTexier in Lisle-Street [and 1st acted at the hay, 22 Aug. 1788]. 3rd piece [1st time; F 2, by Thomas Ryder, altered from The Man of Parts, by Isaac Jackman; not published]. Receipts: #271 0s. 6d. (191.15.6; 5.7.0; tickets: 73.18.0)

Event Comment: No Money to be returned. Boxes 6s. 2nd Price 3s. Pit 3s. 6d. 2nd Price 2s. Gallery 2s. 2nd Price 1s. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Fosbrook, at the Theatre. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [see 14 Nov.]. The Avenues to the Boxes, Pit and Gallery are all at the Front of the Theatre in the Hay-Market, and the Door in Market-Lane is for Chairs only. "The short time since it had been determined to occupy this theatre had not been sufficient to enable the workmen to perfect what was intended so soon as was expected; nor could they be got out in time for opening the doors in the afternoon: this delay, and the difficulty of finding the way to different parts of the house [see 24 and 27 Sept.], caused some disgust" (Universal Magazine, Sept. 1791, p. 220). 1st piece [1st time; M. PREL 1, James Cobb; music by Storace (Kemble Mem.). Larpent MS 918; not published]. Receipts: #472 8s. 6d. (451.7.6; 20.6.0; 0.15.0)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Barrymore as Careless, but "Barrymore came too late to play Careless, in consequence of which Dignum did the part and sang Sedgwick's song, who came in time to the theatre [Powell's italics, see 7 Feb.], but begged to be excused going on from the violent pain he was in, occasioned by a swelling upon his finger. Dignum not in time to be discovered at Lady Sneerwell's rout, but came on after the Scene opened. Fisher, one of the waiters in the above Scene, was absent. Caulfield absent from the scene with Charles, and Kelly Jr. not being in time to be discovered With the rest, walked on after the Scene opened." [In afterpiece] the playbill retains Aumer as Hephestion, "Hephestion C. Kemble, Aumer at the Opera House" (Powell).] Receipts: #349 7s. (264.16; 81.10; 3.1)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Thomas Holcroft, adapted from Le Complaisant, by Antoine de Feriol comte de Pont-de-Veyle, and from Clavigo, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It has been attributed to John Fenwick (Genest, VII, 360-61; London Chronicle, 14 Feb. 1798). But for Holcroft's acknowledgment of authorship see his Life, ed. Elbridge Colby, 1925, II, 170. Author of Prologue unknown. Epilogue by the author (Knapp, p. 88)]. Times, 12 Apr. 1798: This Day will be published He's Much to Blame (2s.). "Mrs Mattocks has of late habituated herself to a constant titter, which destroys the effect of her best scenes" (Times, 14 Feb.). Receipts: #249 1s. (240.5; 8.16)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer, Russell & Dowton. 1st piece [1st time; B 1, by Edward Henry Iliff. The title-page has "by Edmund Spenser, Ynger." On his copy, now in Huntington Library, J. P. Kemble has written, "Iliffe [sic] is the real Name of the Authour"; he has made a similar notation on the playbill]: Founded on the 17th Number of The Spectator. 3rd piece [1st time; MF 1. Larpent MS 1219; not published. The characters are all taken from previous plays by John O'Keeffe, as follows: Sadboy (The Young Quaker); Signor Arionelli and Bowkitt (The Son-in-Law); Motley (The Dead Alive); Tully (The London Hermit); Lingo and Cowslip (The Agreeable Surprise); Ephraim Smooth (Wild Oats); Nipperkin (Sprigs of Laurel); Jemmy Jumps and Betty Blackberry (The Farmer); Mrs Casey (Fontainbleau)]: Written by Mr O'Keeffe. Times, 4 June: Tickets to be had of R. Palmer, No. 2, Queen's-row, Pimlico; of Russell, No. 19, Martlet-court, Bow-street; of Dowton, No. 5, Strand-lane, Surry-street, Strand. Receipts: #413 11s. 6d. (76.17.6; 37.7.0; 1.0.0 tickets: 298.7.0) (charge: #215 10s. 5d.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; D 5, by Elizabeth Inchbald, adapted from Das Kind der Liebe, by August Friedrich Ferdinand von Kotzebue. Prologue by John Taylor; Epilogue by Thomas Palmer (see text)]. Afterpiece [1st time; MF 2, by Charles Smith]: The Music composed by Attwood. The Overture accompanied on the Harp by Weippert. Morning Herald, 28 Nov. 1798: This Day is published Lovers' Vows [sic] (2s.). Times, 26 Oct. 1798: This Day is published A Day at Rome (1s.). Receipts: #197 15s. 6d. (194.3.6; 3.12.0)

Event Comment: This play was entered in the Stationers' Register, 29 June 1660, but not printed. A Prologue and Epilogue (Epilogue spoken by Cupid) to a play of this title were printed in Jordan's A Rosary of Rarities, p. 17, but these may refer to an earlier performance. (See Bentley, Jacobean and Caroline Stage, IV, 684-85.

Event Comment: Edward Gower to Sir R. Leveson, 26 Feb. 1660@1: No more plays at court after this night, and but three days this week at the playhouse (HMC, 5th Report, 1876, p. 202). Boswell (Restoration Court Stage, p. 279) accepts this as evidence that a play was acted at Court on this night. As this was Shrove Tuesday, Gower's statement may well reflect the restrictions upon plays during Lent

Event Comment: On Sunday Charles, Duke of Cambridge, the son of the Duke of York, died. On 7 May 1661, Francis Newport wrote to Sir Richard Leveson: The Duke of Cambridge dyed on Sunday in the afternoon and was buryed yesternight without any solemnity, noe mourning in the Court for him (HMC, Sutherland MSS, 5th Report, Appendix, 1876, p. 151). If the theatres were closed because of this death, the closure was for not more than ten days