Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Woffington. Ladies send servants by Three

Event Comment: Benefit for the Author. Ladies send servants by half past three

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Elmy. Ladies send servants by Three

Event Comment: Receipts: #57 2s. 6d. [As against the estimated charges for a night (#35 19s. 8d.), the first night's bill for fixed charges came to #36 7s. 1d., but included two days' bills, two days' billstickers, and six advertisements. In addition, paid Lambert (scene painter) three months' salary due 16 Aug. last, #25 (Account Book).

Event Comment: This play is alter'd, that is all the Comedy is cut out, & is still 5 short Acts went off well-but heavy (Cross). Mainpiece: A Reviv'd Tragedy, alter'd from Southern. Receipts: #200 (Cross). [See Theatrical Review, 1757 and 1758, for comment: "The distress of the first three acts is exquisitely wrought, and withal naturally; but the Fourth seems to me to have little or no grounds, but in Isabella's diseased fancy, and romantic notion....As to the distress of the Fifth it is prodigious."

Event Comment: MMr Cibber having obtained Leave to act Plays, etc. at the Theatre in the Haymarket, humbly solicits Subscription, from his Patrons among the nobility, Gentry, etc. @Conditions. Each Subscriber will have@for Five Guineas 25 Box, or 40 Pit Tickets@for four Guineas 20 Box, or 32 Pit Tickets@for three Guineas 15 Box, or 24 Pit Tickets@for two Guineas 10 Box, or 16 Pit Tickets@for one Guinea 5 Box, or 8 Pit Tickets@for Half a Guinea 4 Pit Tickets or 6 Gallery@ Subscription Tickets will be taken any Night of the first Ten Performances. No Subscriptions will be received after Thursday 1 Jan. 1758, the first Day of Performance. The Play, Farce, and Entertainments will be timely mentioned in the Bills, Advertisements, &c

Event Comment: Receipts: #124 7s. 6d. Barry's 1!3 of surplus came to #14 15s. 10d. [Three new Renters came in: James Partridge, Abraham Langford, William Williams at 1 share each] (Account Book)

Event Comment: TThe London Chronicle for 1758 (p. 455): On Friday the 3rd instant was presented Coriolanus. The two first acts of this play, as it is performed at the above theatre, were written by Shakespear; the three last for the most part by Mr. Thomson. But how a man of Mr Sheridan's knowledge (who first introduc'd it there about four years ago) could think of pounding into one substance two things so heterogeneous in their natures as the productions of those authors, is to me amazing. Mr Smith enters in the first act, after having (as we are to suppose) just overcome the Volsci, to the tune of violins and hautboys; but I am a little afraid the grandeur of his triumph is a little misapplied, considering the early times in which Coriolanus lived, before the Roman empire had arrived to any degree of splendor and magnificence, and was great in virtue only. However it makes a fine show; and Mr Smith, who has an excellent person, by the help of a little burnt cork and a real coat of mail cuts a very martial appearance. I think it was one of the Gracchi, who, when he was speaking to the people, always had a servant behind him in the Rostrum with a pitch-pipe which he touched whenever he found his master's voice rising beyond a certain height; such an instrument as this would, in my opinion, be of service to Mr Smith, for his fault seems to be that of keeping too much at the top of his vioce. Mrs Hamilton in the part of Veturai, especially in the last act, excells herself; and in particular, she repeats that line: "He never can be lost who saves his country," with the genuine spirit of a free-born Englishman. By the unnatural conjunction which is attempted to be made in this tragedy, most of the other characters are robbed of their significance. Those two excellent actors, therefore, Ryan and Sparks, only give us just cause to regret that the parts of Tullus and Volscius are not longer....After the play was presented a Ballad Opera called The Contrivances; in which some good comedians are oblig'd to submit to the drudgery of supporting as contemptible a trifle as ever was acted on the stage

Event Comment: Benefit for Charles Sarjant, late of Uxbridge, under Misfortunes. Afterpiece not acted this season. Ladies send servants by half after three. Mr Sarjant hopes his friends will favor him with their company tonight, and excuse his not having paid his respects to them in person, having been unhappily confined by the gout

Event Comment: TThe Provok'd Wife was in the Bills for this Night, but Mr Garrick finding himself ill in ye Morning Fresh bills for Ye Mercht were posted at one o'Clock-two or three hiss'd when the play began, but Mr Havard told 'em ye reason of the Change & all was over (Cross). Receipts: #185 15s. (Winston MS 8)

Event Comment: The Anniversary Meeting of the Shakespeare Society will be held this day, at the Shakespeare's Head Tavern in Covent Garden. Dinner to be on the table at three o'clock. E. B. Secretary

Event Comment: Benefit for Shuter. Mainpiece: By Desire. Not acted these five years. [See 4 April 1752.] Ladies send servants by half past three o'clock. [The MS of Shuter's skit is Larpent MS 155.

Event Comment: By Authority, for three nights only. 7 p.m. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Books of the Burletta to be had at the Theatre, Price 1s. [See account of interdicted performance, 12 Jan.

Event Comment: Receipts: #132 0s. 6d. Paid Kemp #9 12s.; Meares #1 10s.; Mr Day (turner) #12 1s.; Pattinson (tallow chandler) three bills to 11 Feb., #54 8s. 8d. Was at Covent Garden Gallery with Sir Harriott to see the Jovial Crew and Duke and No Duke. I met Legyt, Piggot, Bettenson there & got home by 10 (Hailey, Brietzcke Diary, Vol. 197, p. 72)

Event Comment: Charges #35. The Anniversary Meeting of the Shakespeare Society will be held this day at the Shakespeare's Head Tavern in Covent Garden. Dinner will be on the Table at three o'clock. E. B. Secretary

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Macklin. Last time of performing afterpiece this season. Part of Pit laid into boxes; Amphitheatre on stage. Full prices. Send servants at 3 o'clock; Doors open promptly at Three

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Davies. Mainpiece: Not acted for three years. First appearance in Calista for Mrs Yates because Mrs Cibber, ill, could not play the part. Davies advertised before this he had opened a Bookseller's shop opposite Tom's Coffee House, Russel Street, Covent Garden

Event Comment: A New Comedy of three Acts [by Foote]. By Authority. Open'd by Mr Foote. Most of the performers entirely new. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Doors to be opened at five. Curtain drawn up at seven. [Notice repeated in subsequent bills. Genest, IV, 599, lists Smith as Sir George.

Event Comment: The Twenty-Third Day. Daily Advertiser, 18 Aug.: Last Saturday John Sterne was committed to Newgate by Justice Welch, for the Murder of Mr Matthews, an eminent Surgeon in Brook St., Holborn. [Sterne had been an usher in Mathews' Academy, was discharged, but Matthews let Sterne live in Matthews' house for a long time, then expelled him and put his belongings on the stairs. On Friday 15 Aug. Sterne got two pistols and came back to Owen's Coffee House. Here] he waited three Hours for Mr Matthews, who was gone with a Friend to the little Theatre in the Haymarket and afterwards into Company at the Pewter Platter, a publick house in Cross St. [There Sterne shot Matthews.

Event Comment: Never acted there before. [The Death of George the Second prevented the performance of the 25th taking place. The Theatres closed for three weeks--heretofore six weeks. See Remarks on the Minor, with Foote's Answer, Gentlemen's Magazine, Nov. 1760, pp. 502 ff. Opened 17 Nov.

Event Comment: ctually no play. Death of George II closed theatres three weeks.] Mainpiece: Not acted in 2 years. [See 28 April 1759. There was no income this night, but the play list had to be met. The house carried a profitable balance of #318 16s. 5d. The payroll plus other expenses came to #284 12s. 9d., leaving a thin balance of #34 3s. 8d. (Account Book). Other bills included #14 17s. to Luppino for making dancing dresses; Robertson 10s. for attendance four nights in The Rape; Miss Ibbott #5 5s. for performing the part of Queen Elizabeth in the Earl of Essex; Marenesi and wife advanced weekly #2 2s. till the Theatre opened again (Account Book)

Event Comment: Box #43 17s. 6d. Paid Mr Blackmore a Bill for sundries and expenses in taking the inventory of the Men's Wardrobe #26 2s. 6d. Bought three men's outfits #68. Gave the King's footmen and Chairmen #4 4s., and Prince of Wales' Footmen and Chairmen #2 2s. Gave the Porters of the several Inns #3 14s. (Account Book). [The Gentlewoman who played Bertha was Miss Fielding. See notation of payment to her for acting this part, 10 Jan.] Receipts: #176 16s

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Cibber. Part of Pit [made into] Amphitheatre. Ladies are desired to send their servants by three o'clock

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard. Part of Pit will be laid into the Boxes, where Servants will be admitted to keep Places, and on the Stage, which will be formed into an Amphitheatre. Ladies desired to send their servants by three o'clock

Event Comment: Benefit for Cooke. By Particular Desire. Tickets delivered for the Busy Body will be taken. [Account Book indicates Receipts: #26 1s. 6d. plus #53 14s. from tickets: (Box 61; Pit 165; Gallery 137). A staff of 22 servants, plus the women dressers and charwomen were paid #3 13s. 2d. for operating the theatre this night. The deficit carried into the summer after this night was #216 19s. 10d. This deficit plus summer expenses produced an encumbrance of #359 12s. 9d. to be met at the start of the 1761-62 season. Rich upon ten occasions withdrew under Account I from the treasury #2743. From this account he put back into the treasury upon three occasions (May 8, 31; June 23) #600. So over and above the #6 which the Rich family received daily in Account 76, Rich tucked away #2143 in Account I. In addition his carpentry bills to Mr Gom for work at Cowley were paid from theatrical funds. His cut from Account 76 at #5 per night was #810. So apparently Rich cleared #2953 this season despite the fact that it ran only 162 nights, and that George II's death occurred in a money-making part of the season.] Charges: #42 (Account Book)