Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not certain, but it lies between Saturday 9 and Saturday 16 April. Luttrell, A Brief Relation (II, 413) stated on 9 April that the Queen had prohibited its being acted; on 16 April (II, 422) he reports that it has been acted. Luttrell, A Brief Relation, II, 422, 16 April: Mr Dryden s play has been acted with applause, the reflecting passages upon this government being left out. The Gentleman's Journal, May 1692 (licensed 14 May): I told you in my last, that none could then tell when Mr Dryden's Cleomenes would appear; since that time, the Innocence and Merit of the Play have rais'd it several eminent Advocates, who have prevailed to have it Acted, and you need not doubt but it has been with great applause. Preface, Edition of 1692: Mrs Barry, always Excellent, has, in this tragedy, excell'd Herself, and gain'd a Reputation beyond any Woman whom I have ever seen on the Theatre. [See also Cibber, Apology, I, 160, for a discussion of Mrs Barry in Cleomenes.] A song, No, no, poor suffering heart no change endeavour, the music by Henry Purcell, is in Comes Amoris, The Fourth Book, 1693, and also, with the notice that it was sung by Mrs Butler, in Joyful Cuckoldom, ca. 1695. See also Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, XVI (1906), xviii-xix; Epistolary Essay to Mr Dryden upon his Cleomenes, in Gentleman's Journal, May 1692, pp. 17-21. When the play was revived at Drury Lane, 8 Aug. 1721, the bill bore the heading: Not Acted these Twenty-Five Years

Event Comment: The United Company. On this evening William Mountfort, the actor, was killed by Lord Mohun and Captain Hill, but the name of the play given that night seems not to have been mentioned in the testimony at the trial. In a novel based on the event, The Player's Tragedy; or, Fatal Love (1693), Mrs Bracegirdle acted the Wife of Essex in The Unhappy Favourite, and the fiction may have been based on fact. Luttrell, A Brief Relation, II, 637, 10 Dec. 1692: Last night lord Mohun, captain Hill of collonel Earles regiment, and others, pursued Mountfort the actor from the playhouse to his lodgings in Norfolk Street, where one kist him while Hill run him thro' the belly: they ran away, but his lordship was this morning seized and committed to prison. Mountfort died of nis wounds this afternoon. The quarrell was about Bracegirdle the actresse, whom they would have trapan'd away, but Mountfort prevented it, wherefore they murthered him thus. [See also HMC, 14th Report, Appendix, Portland MSS., III, 509; The Ladies Lamentation for their Adonis, 16@2, a poem on Mountfort's death; The Player's Tragedy; or, Fatal Love, 1693, a fictional treatment of the affair; and, particularly, Borgman, The Life and Death of William Mountfort, pp. 123-69. See also Cibber, Apology, I, 108, for an account of Betterton's taking the role of Alexander after Mountfort's death.

Event Comment: The United Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@151, p. 369: ye Q a Box & a Box for ye Maids of Honr double dealer. [See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 352.] Cibber relates an incident which may pertain to this performance, Apology, I, 185-86: Queen Mary having commanded the Double Dealer to be acted, Kynaston happen'd to be so ill that he could not hope to be able next Day to perform his Part of the Lord Touchwood. In this Exigence, the Author, Mr Congreve, advis'd that it might be given to me, if at so short a Warning I would undertake it. The Flattery of being thus distinguish'd by so celebrated an Author, and the Honour to act before a Queen, you may be sure made me blind to whatever Difficulties might attend it. I accepted the Part, and was ready in it before I slept; next Day the Queen was presented at the Play, and was received with a new Prologue from the Author, spoken by Mrs Barry, humbly acknowledging the great Honour done to the Stage....After the Play, Mr Congreve made me the Compliment of saying, That I had not only answer'd, but had exceeded his Expectations, and that he would shew me he was sincere in his saying more of me to the Masters.--He was as good as his Word, and the next Pay-day I found my Sallary of fifteen was then advanced to twenty Shillings a Week

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the premiere is not certain, but the fact that a song in the play, composed by Henry Purcell and sung by Mrs Hudson, is in the Gentleman's Journal, January@February 1693@4 (advertised in the London Gazette, No 2955, 5-8 Marcn 1693@4) suggests that the play had its premiere in February. The play was advertised in the London Gazette, No 2959, 19-22 March 1693@4. The music for additional songs was composed by Henry Purcell: The danger is over, sung by Mrs Hudson, is in Joyful Cuckoldom, ca. 1695; I sighed and owned my love, sung by Mrs Ayliff, is in Thesaurus Musicus, Book III, 1695. See also Purcell's Works, Purcell Society, XX (1916), i-iii. Two songs were composed by John Eccles: Still, I'm grieving, sung by Mrs Bracegirdle; and Give then royal maid your sorrows o're, sung by Mrs Cibber, are in Thesaurus Musicus, 1695. Gentleman's Journal, March 1694 (advertised in London Gazette, No 2964,5-9 April 1694): Mr Southern's new Play call'd The Fatal Marriage; or, The Innocent Adultery, has been so kindly receiv'd, that you are by this time no stranger to its merit. As the world has done it justice, and it is above my praise, I need not expatiate on that subject. [See also 22 March 1693@4.

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first performance is not certain, but the evidence points to this day as a strong Possibility. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus (p. 44) states that it was given thirteen days consecutively, and John Coke (see 16 March 1696@7) states that it was acted "till Saturday" (16 March 1696@7). If the tragedy was acted on Wednesdays but not Fridays, as was often the practice in Lent, and if the farce alluded to for Saturday, 16 March 1696@7, comprised the entire program, this day was probably the premiere. The following sequence of performances is based on these premises. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 44: The Mourning Bride...had such Success, that it continu'd Acting Uninterrupted 13 Days together. Gildon, English Dramatick Poets, p. 23: This Play had the greatest Success, not only of all Mr Congreve's, but indeed of all the Plays that ever I can remember on the English Stage, excepting some of the incomparable Otway's. Aston, A Brief Supplement (in Cibber, Apology, II, 302): His [Betterton's] Favourite, Mrs Barry, claims the next in Estimation. They were both never better pleas'd, than in Playing together.--Mrs Barry outshin'd Mrs Bracegirdle in the Character of Zara in the Mourning Bride, altho' Mr Congreve design'd Almeria for that Favour

Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but the fact that the play was advertised in the Post Boy, 11-13 May 1697, suggests that it was first acted about mid-April, a month before publication. For an account of the history of the play before its production, see Cibber, Apology, I, 217-18

Event Comment: Rich's Company was apparently suspended because of its action in allowing John Powell, who had been involved in an altercation with Colonel Stanhope and Charles Davenant, to act before making satisfaction for the incident. See Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 368, and Cibber, Apology, II, 20n. The suspension lasted but a day; on 19 May 1698 Powell was forbidden to be received at either Drury Lane or Dorset Garden

Event Comment: [Colley Cibber states that Estcourt imitated Tony Leigh's conception of this role.--Apology, I, 304-5.

Event Comment: Benefit Cibber. Mainpiece: several new Additions never performed but once, particularly a Scene of Comical Magickv

Event Comment: For the Encouragement of the Comedians Acting in the Hay-Market, and to enable them to keep the Diversion of Plays under a separate Interest from the Opera. By Subscription. The Boxes to be open'd to the Pit, and none to be admitted but by the Subscription Tickets. First Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. [Cibber (II, 4-5) states that each subscriber received three tickets for the first day of each of three plays offered by subscription for a payment of three guineas.

Event Comment: Benefit Cibber. Note, That Mr Dogget is to Play but Six Times

Event Comment: Benefit Betterton. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. To which will be added Three Designsv, Representing the Three Principal Actions of the Play, in Imitation of so many great Pieces of History Painting, where all the real Persons concern'd in those Actions will be plac'd at proper distances, in different Postures peculiar to the Passion of each Character. In his Apology (I, 117-18) Cibber said that Betterton...when being suddenly seiz'd by the Gout,...submitted, by extraordinary Applications, to have his Foot so far reliev'd that he might be able to walk on the Stage in a Slipper, rather than wholly disappoint his Audience. He was observ'd that Day to have exerted a more than ordinary Spirit, and met with suitable Applause

Event Comment: [The transfer of the company from the queen's to dl was made without fanfare. On 6 Nov. Swiny, Wilks, Cibber, and Dogget had been granted a license to established a company; see Nicoll, pp. 275-76.

Event Comment: Receipts: #173 3s. [When the comedians on 6 Nov. received a license to act, Collier became director of the opera, an enterprise which he farmed out to Aaron Hill. See Cibber, Apology, II, 101-6.

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Mills and Mrs Saunders. N.B. This is positively the last time of Acting till Winter, the Company being obliged to go immediately to Oxford. [For the Oxford repertory, see Cibber, II, 135-39.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: [By Colley Cibber. Music by Dr Pepusch.] A New Musical Masque...in two several Interludes, compos'd after the Italian manner and perform'd all in English. N.B. A Printed Book of the Masque will be given each Person that pays in the Pit or Boxes

Event Comment: Benefit Cibber

Event Comment: On this day a new license was issued to Wilks, Cibber, Booth

Event Comment: Benefit Rogers and Theophilus Cibber. With all the Decorations and Dances proper to the Play

Event Comment: MMist's, 19 Feb.: Yesterday, as young Mr Cibber was performing the Part of Harlequin in Apollo and Daphne, his Foot slipp'd, and he fell down the Stage and broke his Nose

Event Comment: Benefit Hallam, Rob. William, and Miss Tynte. Written by Shakespear. Th. Cibber (Lives and Characters, pp. 49-49): I remember, some Years ago, on Mr Giffard's coming from Ireland (then a young Actor) Mr Booth performed the Character of Hotspur one Night, when Mr Giffard played the Part of the Prince of Wales ; Mr Booth knowing Mr Giffard must be naturally prejudiced in favour of Mr Thomas Elrington, to whose Performance in Hotspur he had many times attended with no small Admiration-Mr Booth, piqued on this Occasion, exerted himself in a particular Manner, and played the whole Part with such Fire, and Engergy of Spirit, as rouzed his Auditors to an Extravagance of Applause, and made Mr Giffard confess (as he has often done in my Hearing) that, notwithstanding his Prepossession in favour of Mr Elrington,-Mr Booth, in Power, Spirit, and Judgment, went far beyond him in this Part; as he afterwards, with Admiration confessed,-he did in every other

Event Comment: Written Originally by Shakespear. [By Lewis Theobald.] Theophilus Cibber: [Booth's] Illness...returned soon after his playing King Henry VIII. He was then studying the Part of Julio in the Double Falsehood; he rehearsed it several times,-when the Play begin ready for acting, he was prevented appearing in it, by a Relapse into his former Indisposition.-The Part was supplied a few Nights by Mr Charles Williams (a promising Player, who died young) to whom Mr Booth had given the Part to study, as doubting the Certainty of his being able to appear in it himself: But, at Mr Theobald's Entreaty (backed by many Gentlemen and Ladies) he good-naturedly (but fatally) disregarded his Indisposition, which was then an intermitting Fever, and acted that Part from the fifth to the twelfth Night; which was alas! the last time of his Appearance on tle Stage.-Lives and Characters, pp. 82-83