Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as the Countess of Salisbury was at Bath, 25 Nov. 1778.] "So thoroughly wretched, so utterly destitute of all Requisites is this Tragedy ... that it excites with Wonder not a little Indignation that the unexampled Genius of such an actress [as Mrs Siddons] should be wasted on Dullness if possible yet more unexampled" {Public Advertiser, 8 Mar.). Receipts: #275 0s. 6d. (256/7/0; 16/19/6; 1/9/0; ticket not come in: 0/5/0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Baddeley. Mainpiece: Not acted these 30 years [not acted since 22 July 1718]. Afterpiece [1st time; C 2, ascribed to Jesse Foot. MS: Larpent 650; not published; synopsis of plot in Gazetteer, 20 Apr. Author of Prologue unknown]. Public Advertiser, 16 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Baddeley, No. 2, Little-Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #216 18s. (73/10; 35/11; 3/10; tickets: 104/7) (charge: #106 8s. 4d.)

Event Comment: Windham Diary (30 Jan. 1784), 41: On the Wednesday 1 went to see Mrs Crawford in 'Belvidera', and found her much as I expected, though her disparity was very great. I can perhaps better conceive the delusion that, aided by a little prejudice [in favor of Mrs Siddons] and the recollection of Mrs C. in better times, could hesitate about the preference. The chief faults that I should find would be, that her articulation was cramped and timid, her tones sometimes colloquial and vulgar, her action confined, and her countenance inexpressive. A new man of the name of Pope performed; I pronounced him in my own judgment as inferior, upon the whole, to Brereton. [Henderson's 1st appearance as Pierre was at Bath, 14 Oct. 1773.]

Event Comment: Benefit for Baddeley. Public Advertiser, 2 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Baddeley, No. 2, Little Russel-street, Covent-garden. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Ogle to King, but on the Kemble playbill a MS annotation substitutes Barrymore.] 2nd piece [1st time: INT I, probably by Robert Baddeley. MS: Larpent 692; not published]. Receipts: #226 3s. 6d. (105/18/0; 30/11/6; 0/16/0; tickets: 88/18/0) (charge: #111 17s. 7d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Lepicq. Tickets, half a guinea each, to be had of Lepicq, No. 33, Pall-mall. "On machinery at this Theatre the less stress is laid the better. The boat, of which, had it been good, there was too much use, was very far from good. The representation of Lepicq swimming transgressed as little the commandment. And as to the ascent of Lepicq in the bucket, that was so badly managed as to put us in heart-felt trepidation . . . The Rivali Delusi was cut very properly by omitting the under singers' airs; yet the curtain did not drop till midnight" (Public Advertiser, 16 Apr.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Dignum and Mrs Wilson. Public Advertiser, 2 May: Tickets to be had of Dignum, Little Wild-street, Drury-lane; of Mrs Wilson, No. 2, Catherine-street, Strand. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years. Receipts: #301 19s. 6d. (33/5/0; 15/19/0; 1/2/6; tickets: 251/13/0) (charge: #108 15s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Dignum. Morning Herald, 11 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Dignum, No. 13, Little Wild-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Receipts: #333 18s. (99/7; 6/12; 0/11; tickets: 227/8) (charge: #106 18s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Burton and Harwood, prompter. Tickets delivered for a comedy will be admitted. Morning Herald, 11 May: Tickets to be had of Burton, No. 8, Clement's Inn; of Harwood, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #216 5s. 6d. (34/19/0; 16/6/0; 2/12/6; tickets: 162/8/0) (charge: #106 2s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Nix, Mrs Hedges & Miss Barnes. [As mainpiece the playbill announces The School for Scandal, but "Smith having an inflammation in his eyes, and Aickin being suddenly laid up with the gout, the play was obliged to be changed [to] The Beggar's Opera" (Morning Herald, 25 May).] Morning Chronicle, 22 May: Tickets to be had of Nix, No. 21, Crown-court, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden; of Mrs Hedges, No. 168, opposite New Bondstreet, Piccadilly; of Miss Barnes, at Cateman's, No. 52, Drury Lane. Receipts: #300 0s. 6d. (60/10/0; 19/13/6; 2/0/0; tickets: 217/17/0) (charge: #108 8s. 1d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Phillimore, Spencer & Danby. Morning Chronicle, 22 May: Tickets to be had of Phillimore, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden; of Spencer, The Garrick's Head, Bow-street, Covent Garden; of Danby, Wardourstreet, Soho. Receipts: #251 15s. (26/9/0; 13/0/6; 0/17/6; tickets: 211/8/0) (charge: #107 8s. 11d.)

Event Comment: "Friday night, about 20 minutes before eight o'clock, on the conclusion of the third act, a very serious alarm took place at Drury Lane Theatre. A fire broke out at an oil-shop, the corner of Little Brydges-street. The flames appearing through the windows at the back of the upper gallery, the alarm of fire spread through many parts of the house. [The audience was dismissed, those in the boxes] passing over the stage into Russel-street...Some of the box and pit company continued for a time on the stage with the performers, some of whom were dressed in character, others half dressed, and the appearance [was] truly motley" (Public Advertiser, 5 Feb.). Receipts: #133 12s. (129.10; "An Alarm of Fire prevented the 2nd Acct."; 3.12; tickets not come in: 0.10)

Event Comment: A Serious Opera in 2 acts; the music entirely by Handel, and selected from the various Operas set by that admirable composer, under the direction of [i.e. arranged and added to by] Dr Arnold. Benefit for Carnevale, deputy manager. No receipts listed. "In order to induce the king to visit the theatre called his own [see 17 Mar.], but which he seldom frequented, the Giulio Cesare of Handel was revived, or rather a medley from his Italian works, for little of the original music was retained, and many of his most favorite songs from other operas were introduced, Verdi prati [from Alcina], Dove sei [from Rodelinda], Rendi sereno il ciglio [from Sosarme], and others. This ancient music was particularly suited to Rubinelli, and was familiar to Mara, both of whom sung it incomparably well" (Mount-Edgcumbe, 61)

Event Comment: Benefit for Baddeley. 2nd piece [1st time; INT 1, probably by Robert Baddeley. Larpent MS 765; not published]. 3rd piece [1st time; MF 1, author unknown. Larpent MS 766; not published]: The Overture and Music entirely new. Public Advertiser, 5 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Baddeley, No. 2, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #285 (96.3.0; 14.1.6; 0.18.6; tickets: 173.17.0) (charge: #105 9s. 4d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Williames and Bates. Public Advertiser, 9 May: Tickets to be had of Williames, No. 2, Duke's-court, Bow-street; of Bates, No. 12, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #193 18s. 6d. (20.6.0; 10.8.0; 1.3.6; tickets: 162.1.0) (charge: #109 5s. 3d.)

Event Comment: "At the conclusion of the Opera on Saturday, a scene of riot and tumult took place which the King's Theatre has not witnessed since the celebrated discords between 'Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee' in the days of Handel and Bononcini. At the commencement of the last dance hostilities commenced by hissing and hooting from the pit and boxes...The dancers, however, were not dismayed, but continued their evolutions, though the noise was so great that they derived but little aid from the music. At last a body of malcontents, among whom were several stars and ribbons, sallied from the pit and took possession of the stage, from which they drove the light-heeled troops, and immediately began to perform a ballet tragique. The chamber of Ifigenia was despoiled of all its ornaments, and side scenes, and patent lamps; Roman tents and triumphal cars danced on the stage in all the mazes of confusion, nor did they cease, till they had demolished everything they found that was moveable. Mr Carnevale came forward to inform the audience that Mr Gallini could not be found...The ostensible reason given for this riot, which in our opinion is not to be justified on any pretense, is that Mr Gallini has not engaged dancers of sufficient eminence" (Public Advertiser, 10 Feb.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Quick. "Quick, in July 1777, played Richard III at Bristol" (Anthony Pasquin [pseud. for John Williams], Poems [1789], II, 244). "Most people expected from Quick a comic representation of Richard the Third--but strange to tell he was earnest in the attempt, and succeeded tolerably. The audience, however, were not disposed to be very serious, and named him 'Little Dicky'" (Public Advertiser, 8 Apr.). [Address by Robert Merry (European Magazine, Apr. 1790, p. 307.] Gazetteer, 1 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Quick, Broad-court, Bow-street. Receipts: #430 17s. 6d. (265.5.6; 4.15.0; tickets: 160.17.0)

Event Comment: Love in a Village [advertised on playbill of 23 Apr.] is obliged to be deferred, on account of the Indisposition of a principal Performer. [2nd piece in place of The Death of Captain Cook; 3rd piece of The Little Hunchback, both advertised on playbill of 23 Apr. But there may have been still a third change: the Account-Book for this night lists The Castle of Andalusia and Poor Vulcan; no corroboration of their having been acted has, however, come to light.] Receipts: #111 14s. (100.0.6; 11.13.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Phillimore, Miss Tidswell & Miss Barnes. Diary, 24 May: Tickets to be had of Phillimore, Little Russel-street; of Miss Tidswell, No. 8, Martlet-court, Bow-street; of Miss Barnes, No. 23, Clare-street, Clare Market. Receipts: #217 18s. (32.13; 21.14; 0.10; tickets: 163.1) (charge: #105 17s. 1d.)

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. "There were not an hundred persons in the Pit when their Majesties entered, and there were not double the number at any part of the evening. The Royal box being in the centre, fronting the stage, their Majesties were invisible to the Gallery; and on their entrance solemn stillness prevailed, until the Orchestra, for the first time in an Opera-house, for the first time by the Professional Band, Struck up God save the King. Never, we will venture to say, in any Theatre during the present reign, was there so thin an audience when their Majesties were present; and we pretend not to divine the cause. Whether it is the failure of the Theatre as a musical room--the general poverty of the performance--the little notice that was given of their Majesties' intention to be present we know not" (Morning Chronicle, 23 Feb.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by Henry Bate]: With new Music, Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations. The Music (with a few exceptions) composed entirely new by Shield. And new Scenery designed and chiefly executed by Richards. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. [Williamson was formely a chorus singer at this theatre; Mme Pieltain had sung at the king's in the season of 1788-89. Afterpiece in place of The Deaf Lover, advertised on playbill of 25 Feb.] "The author is very little responsible for his part of the entertainment, which he acknowledges was composed chiefly for the purpose of [the music, which] in the taste of the present day is almost the only essential part of such an entertainment" (Gazetteer, 28 Feb.). Oracle, 7 May 1791: Thas Day is published The Woodman (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #243 2s. (239.17.6; 3.4.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bland and Mrs Powell. Afterpiece: 1st Time this Season [see 9 Oct. 1790]. Morning Chronicle, 4 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bland, No. 93, Strand; of Mrs Powell, No. 12, Little Russel-street, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #248 9s. (59.17; 21.19; 3.7; tickets: 163.6) (charge: #115 16s. 10d.)

Event Comment: Account-Book: Tickets delivered by Brandon, Longley, Furkins, Pilbro, Anselmo, Copland, Rye, Pugh, Robson, Jealous, Noble, Varley, Wilkinson, Little, Lamp, Plank, Linton, Standen, the Band will be admitted. Receipts: #366 12s. (43.13.6; 7.4.6; tickets: 315.14)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill omits Earl of Richmond. The assignment is taken from Oracle, 14 Nov.] "In the play Trinculo's curtain [as used for his 1st scene in The Tempest] stood for the Tower, and Bosworth Field was a delightful little farm-yard" (Oracle, 15 Nov.). The Doors to be opened at 5:15. To begin at 6:15 [see 9 Jan. 1792]. Receipts: #189 2". (152.18; 35.1; 1.3)

Event Comment: 2nd piece [1st time; INT 1, author unknown. Not in Larpent MS; not published]: An Occasional Interlude of Singing and Dancing. With new Dresses and Decorations. [This was written as a compliment to the Duchess of York, daughter of the King of Prussia; on 29 Sept. 1791 she had married the Duke of York (see European Magazine, Dec. 1791, p. 459) "It was a pretty, slight compliment, touched up by Byrne, St.Amand, Incledon and Mrs Mountain, with a couple of airs and the Pas Russe a little lamed. Byrne carried his arm in a scarf [see 29 Oct.], and Incledon and Mountain their parts in their hands" (Oracle, 22 Nov.). 3rd piece in place of Oscar and Malvina, advertised on playbill of 19 Nov.] Receipts: #221 4s. (208.16; 12.8)