Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of
Merope, announced on playbill of 4 Jan. "We played last night
Much Ado about Nothing, and had an apology to make for
the change of three principal parts. About twelve o'clock
Mr Henderson sent word he was not able to play. We got
Mr Lewis from Covent Garden, who supplied
the part of
Benedick. Soon after
Mr Parsons sent word he could not play.
Mr Moody supplied
the part of
Dogberry; and about four in
the afternoon
Mr Vernon sent word he could not play.
Mr Mattocks supplied his part of
Balthazar...In
the middle of
the first act, a message was brought me that
Mr Lamash (who was to play
the part of
Borachio) was not come to
the House. I had nobody
there that could go on for it, so I was obliged to cut his scenes in
the first and second acts entirely out, and got
Mr Wrighten to go on for
the remainder of
the part. At length we got
the play over without
the audience finding it out. We had a very bad house. Mr Parsons is not able to play in
The School for Scandal to-morrow night; do not yet know how we shall be able to settle that" (
Garrick, Private Correspondence, II, 328-29:
Hopkins, prompter,in letter to
Garrick, 6 Jan. 1779. He does not state who took Wrighten's place as
the Sexton.).] On account of
the sudden Illness of a Principal Performer,
the new Pantomime [
The Wonders of Derbyshire, announced on playbill of 4 Jan.] is obliged to be deferred till Friday. Receipts: #74 11s. (48.19; 25.10; 0.2)