Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Desire. Paid Mr Dibdin's draft #70 (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #264 13s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Last time of performing before the Holidays. Elfrida is oblig'd to be deferr'd on account of Indisposition of Miss Catley. Receipts: #150 19s. 6d

Event Comment: Pantomime reviv'd not acted these 8 years. [See 17 May 1765.] Paid Mrs Topsham for Women's cloaths as per bill #24 (Account Book). Receipts: #228 5s. 6d

Event Comment: A New Pantomime of Mr Messinks went off with great Applause (Hopkins Diary). Music By Dibdin. New Scenes, Habits, and Machines. Nothing under Full Prices will be taken. [Repeated.] Paid 4 days salary list at #85 12s. 11d., #342 11s. 8d.; Miss Mansell on acct #5 5s.; Mr Clinch ditto, #6 6s.; Dr Arne for Mrs Bradley 2 nights per order #5 5s.; Stopages nil (Treasurer's Book). [Full description of the New Pantomime is given in the Westminster Magazine (January 1773): Harlequin born to the Pigmies comes to manhood, gets a job from the Register Office in a Nobleman's family where he meets Colombine. They love, and elope, a chase ensues through several noted places in London, which are detailed in the review. The union of the lovers is finally consended to, and all closes with dancing. "Some of the paintings in the scenery are well executed; and the generality of Mr Dibdin's music deserves equal praise." In it Mrs Wrighten gives a ludicrous imitation of Miss Catley's manner of singing. The reviewer's general thesis about the London stage of this period, given first in the preliminary number, 1 Jan. 1773 continues: "The Stage seems now buried in universal darkness...The Publick for several weeks, has been fed with the lean carcass of two villainous pantomimes."] Receipts: #162 13s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid Hopkins's bill for licenses #5 5s.; Miss Younge for cloaths #10 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Full Prices (Winston MS 10). Receipts: #157 16s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid Buxton & Enderby (oyl merchants) #128. Paid Mr Darley for 2 Books of Col[oure]d Prints #4 6s. 6d. (Account Book). Receipts: #203 6d

Event Comment: Paid Bulmer (scowerer) #5 11s. (Account Book). Receipts: #156 11s. 6d

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. [See 23 April 1771.] Receipts: #228 19s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid Palmer (wax chandler) #282 10s. (Account Book). Receipts: #177 5s. 6d

Event Comment: Paid Mr Wright the balance for the Middlesex Hospital #4 2s. (Account Book). Receipts: #118 13s. 6d

Event Comment: [The preliminary number of The Westminster Magazine this date heartily condemned Colman's Comus "picked down into a skeleton," his production of King Henry VIII, and the new play Cross Purposes.] Receipts: #172 10s

Event Comment: Paid Tallow Chandler's 4th Bill #41 6s. 5d.; Spermacetti Candles, #132 18s. Mr Tomlinson for Men's cloaths #11 11s.; Mr J. French on acct #20; Miss Hopkins, 15 nights (19th Dec. incl.) #3 15s. (Treasurer's Book). [The sixth edition of Wm. Law's Absolute Unlawfulness of Stage Representations was published this year (1st. edn. 1726) This day was published the Preliminary Number of the Westminster Magazine, which, monthly, included a section called The English Theatre, which observed generally on the state of the Stage, and commented specifically on new plays. Its view of the stage in general was not as sanguine as had been that of the writer for the Town and Country Magazine (1 April 1772). "We are of opinion, that the English Theatre is now in its decline. Whether it is that the stores of Dramatic Subjects or of Dramatic Genius are exhausted, is not immediately obvious; but there is a fault somewhere....We have seen the Morning star of Wit--the Noon too is past; we have now arriv'd at its evening...There is in Arts, as in Empires, a progress which leads to Refinement; and this refinement leads to Ruin." According to the writer the meridian glory of the English stage was during the reign of Queen Anne. Reviewer damns the Irish Widow, refuses to discuss the Gamesters (revived), damns the Rose and praises the Garrick alteration of Hamlet. This year also appeard Granny's Prediction, a 53-page pamphlet attack on Mrs Barry, condemning her on moral grounds (polygamy) and on aesthetic grounds, commenting on each of her characters. By a spiteful female relative Elizabeth Franchetti.] Receipts: #142 10s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Full Prices. Paid salary list #514 7s. 6d.; Mr Dimon on acct #5 5s.; Rec'd Stopages #17 6s. 6d. Receipts: #174 3s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Gave King's footmen by Desse #2 2s.; his chairmen by Wright #2 2s.; Queen's footmen by Rumford #2 2s.; her Chairmen by Webster #2 2s. (Account Book). Receipts: #135 14s

Event Comment: Paid one year's insurance to Xmas next #15 (Treasurer's Book). [Copies of the annual insurance policies were extant in the Sun Insurance Office, 63 Theadneedle St. London, E. C. 2, as of Dec. 1951.] Receipts: #134 8s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. [See 11 April 1771.] Paid Mrs Rich the balance of the Benefit for the Dispensary #36 11s. 6d., and paid Garton the balance due the Theatrical Fund #143 3s. (Account Book). [The Westminster Magazine this month comments upon the revival of the pantomime and the new scene of the Pantheonv: "This thought evidently was borrowed from the ludicrous situations of the Macaroni in the pantomime of the Pigmy Revels at the other theatre; but no one in the world borrows with less ceremony than Mr Colman, especially from Mr Garrick."] Receipts: #126 2s. 6d

Event Comment: Paid Cooper (printer) #42 8s., and Mrs Lynn for a Lady's white and gold Flower'd suit of Cloaths #12 12s. (Account Book). Receipts: #141 16s

Event Comment: Paid Mr G. Garrick's two notes for Mr Weston, #15 12s.; Paid Mr J. French on acct #12 (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #227 16s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid Mr Door for baskets #2 6d. Gave Duke of Cumberland's Chairmen by Cummins #1 1s. (Account Book). Receipts: #171 16s

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not Acted these 2 years. [See 19 Oct. 1770.] Paid salary list #513 17s. 6d.; Rec'd stopages #17 17s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #160 16s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mr Colman's Night for the Alterations of Elfrida and Comus, & for the New Occasional Prelude (Account Book). Receipts: #254 15s. 6d

Event Comment: Paid Mr Casey's Funeral Bill #3 1s.; Mrs Hunter per order as usual #2 2s. Receipts: #203 7s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid Richards (scene painter) as per Bill #25 4s. Paid Mr Gard for performing 14 nights in the Ostrich to 11th inst. inclusive, #1 15s. (Account Book). [Richards possibly Painted the new scene of the Pantheonv added to Harlequin Sorcerer on 6 Jan. Mr Gard continued to receive the standard wage of 2s. 6d. per naght for performing this bird each time Harlequin Sorcerer was put on. No further notation of his payments as they occur in the account books will be made. He was paid usually after about every 12 of 14 performances.] Receipts: #166 6s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [See 19 April 1770.) Paid Chorus 2 nights this incl. #4 6s. Receipts: #185 19s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid Mrs Leverton (mantua maker) as per Bill #26 14s.; Paid Farrington & Scarr (haberdashers) #6 15s. (Account Book). Receipts: #184 12s. 6d