Event Comment: [The Duke's Company. For Harris' role, see Pepys, 11 May 1668. For Angel as Stephano, see An Elegy Upon...Mr Edward Angell, reprinted in A Little Ark, pp. 38-39: @Who shall play Stephano now? your Tempest's gone@To raise new Storms i' th' hearts of every one.@ For Underhill as Trincalo, note his nickname of Prince Trincalo. (For Mary Davis as Ariel and Mrs Long as Hypolito, see J. H. Wilson, All the King's Ladies, pp. 140, 166.) Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 33): The Tempest...Acted in Lincolns-Inn-Fields...alter'd by Sir William Davenant and Mr Dryden before 'twas made into an Opera. Pepys, Diary: At noon resolved with Sir W. Pen to go see The Tempest, an old play of Shakespeare's, acted, I hear, the first day; and so my wife, and girl, and W. Hewer by themselves, and Sir W. Pen and I afterwards by ourselves; and forced to sit in the side balcone over against the musique-room at the Duke's house, close by my Lady Dorset and a great many great ones. The house mighty full; the King and Court there: and the most innocent play that ever I saw; and a curious piece of musique in an echo of half sentences, the echo repeating the former half, while the man goes on the latter, which is mighty pretty. The play [has] no great wit, but yet good, above ordinary plays. Thence home with Sir W. Pen, and there all mightily pleased with the play

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Downes' comments (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 33) probably refer to a later production. This play is also on Herbert's list, Dramatic Records, p. 138. Pepys, Diary: With my wife to tne Duke's house to a play, Macbeth, a pretty good play, but admirably acted

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke's house, and there saw Macbeth most excellently acted, and a most excellent play for variety

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke's house, and saw Macbeth, which, though I saw it lately, aet appears a most excellent play in all respects, but especially in divertisement, though it be a deep tragedy; which is a strange perfection in a tragedy, it being most proper here, and suitable. So home, it being the last play now I am to see till a fortnight hence, I being from the last night entered into my vowes for the year coming on

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary To the Duke's house...not much company come, which I impute to the heat of the weather, it being very hot. Here we saw Macbeth, which, though I have seen it often, yet is it one of the best plays for a stage, and variety of dancing and musique, that ever I saw. So being very much pleased

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke of York's house, thinking as we appointed, to meet my wife there, but she was not; and more, I was vexed to see Young (who is but a bad actor at best) act Macbeth in the room of Betterton, who, poor man! is sick: but, Lord! what a prejudice it wrought in me against the whole play, and everybody else agreed in disliking this fellow. Thence home, and there find my wife gone home; because of this fellow's acting of the part, she went out of the house again

Event Comment: [P$Peter Promptwell writes a letter (Daily Gazetteer) commenting on William Hint's two letters. (See 13, 20, 23 Oct. He discourses on the history of the English stage, emphasizing that theatres were better directed heretofore than they are at present.

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Harricks and Williams. Mainpiece: The Characters to be dressed in the Habits of the Times. [Author and speaker of Address not known.] Tickets delivered for The Wonder will be taken. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:15. Tickets to be had and Places taken of Rice, at the Theatre

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. There is no indication as to whether this is the premiere. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 32): The third new Play Acted there [dg] was the Gentleman Dancing-Master, Wrote by Mr Witcherly, it lasted but 6 Days, being like't but indifferently, it was laid by to make Room for other new ones. A song, with music by John Bannister, for this play is in Choice Songs and Ayres, The First Book, 1673

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first performance is uncertain, but the fact that the play was entered in the Stationers' Register on 14 April 1679 suggests a premiere not later than April 1679. A song, Can life be a blessing, with music by Thomas Farmer, is in Choice Ayres and Songs, The Third Book, 1681

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the premiere is not known, but its Prologue indicates that it follows The Woman Captain. Like that play and The Virtuous Wife, Caius Marius was entered in the Term Catalogues, November 1679, but the large number of plays apparently presented earlier in the autumn suggests that this one could hardly have been brought on the stage before October 1679

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To Blackfryars [presumably a slip for Whitefriars, Salisbury Court] (the first time I ever was there since plays begun), and there after great patience and little expectation, from so poor beginning, I saw three acts of The Mayd in ye Mill, acted to my great content. But it begin late, I left the play

Event Comment: This performance was attended by Jacques Thierry and Will Schellinks, who stated: Judged to be their best play (Seaton, Literary Relationships, pp. 334-36). This performance may have been the premiere. The Duke's Company. BM Add. Mss. 34217, in Hotson (Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 247): @Then came the Knight agen with his Lawe@Against Lovers the worst that ever you sawe@In dressing of which he playnely did shew it@Hee was a far better Cooke then a Poet@And only he the Art of it had@Of two good Playes to make one bad.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. The date of the first performance is not known. As the play was entered in the Term Catalogues, May 1681, it was probably first acted not later than March 1681. The title page states: Revis'd with Alterations

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. [The King, Queen, Prince of Wales, Duke, and five Princesses present.

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Sims. Mainpiece: As altered from Wycherley by David Garrick, Esq. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30. Tickets to be had of Sims, the Theatrical Register, Wrekin Tavern, Broad-court, Long-acre; at the Blue Post Coffee-house, Charlotte-street, Rathbone-place; the Tun, Goodge-street, Middlesex Hospital; the Green Man, Union-street, Middlesex Hospital; the Wheat Sheaf, Rathbone-place; of Price, at the Coach and Horses, Holborn; at the Duke of Clarence Coffee-house, Haymarket; Spencer's, Two Blue Posts, Southampton-buildings; and of Rice at the Theatre

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is listed in the L. C. records, 5@139, p. 125. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346. See Pepys, Diary, for Mrs Pepys attendance at an unnamed play in the afternoon

Event Comment: Pepys' comment implies that he saw the Duke's Company, Pepys, Diary: With my wife to a play, and the girl--Macbeth, which we still like mightily, though mighty short of the content we used to have when Betterton acted, who is still sick

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wilson and Williames [who is named in the Account-Book, but not on the playbill]. [The monologue refers to a criminal, Rynwick Williams, popularly known as "The Monster," who with a knife had recently attacked many women on the streets of London (see An Authentic Account of the Barbarities..(S. Bladon, 1790); World, 5 May, et seq.).] Gazetteer, 1 and 6 May : Tickets to be had of Williames and Mrs Wilson, No. 19, Great Piazza, Covent-garden. Receipts: #225 5s. (40.13; 21.14; 2.16; tickets: 160.2) (charge: #108 2s. 3d.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time: CO 3, by John Burgoyne, based on Silvain, by Jean Francois Marmontel]: With entirely new Music [by William Jackson], Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations. The Scenery designed by DeLoutherbourg, and executed under his direction. Public Advertiser, 3 Apr. 1781: This Day is published The Lord of the Manor (price not listed). Receipts: #226 19s. (216.15; 9.16; 0.8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Marshall, Miss Williams & Mrs Warrell. Oracle, 3 June: Tickets to be had of Marshall, No. 11, York-street, York-buildings; of Miss Williams, No. 14, Martlett-court, Bow-street, Covent-Garden; of Mrs Warrell, No. 48, Carey-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields. Receipts: #147 9s. 6d. (14.16.6; 4.1.0; tickets: 128.12.0)

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but Luttrell's date of acquistion of the separately-printed Prologue and Epilogue is 6 Feb. 1687@8 (see A. S. Borgman, The Life and Death of William Mountford [Cambridge, Mass., 1935], p. 26n). Very probably the play had its premiere early in February. The Prologue and Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 256-58. A song, Lucinda close or veil those eyes, with music by J. B. Draghi, is in The Banquet of Musick, The Second Book, 1688. Charles Gildon, The Lives and Characters of the English Dramatick Poets (London, 1698 (?), p. 102: [It] did not succeed as the Author wish'd

Event Comment: Benefit Williams and Oates. Written by Shakespear

Event Comment: Benefit W. Williams. At the particular Desire of several Gentlemen and Ladies

Event Comment: Benefit Williams