Event Comment: Afterpiece: A Pantomime Entertainment not acted these eight years. [See 20 Oct. 1768.] New Scenes, Dresses and other Decorations. Doors open at 5 o'clock. To begin exactly at 6 o'clock. Theatrical intelligence, Covent Garden: Mrs Hunter, lately returned from Ireland was very well receiv'd in Mrs Oakly, and to do her justice she played the part throughout better than it has been performed for some time at either house. The labourings of Mr Wroughton's jealousy in Oakly reminded us of the progressive workings of a fatt of small beer, when inflated with powerful yeast....Orpheus and Eurydice was reviv'd after the play-the dullest of all dull Pantomimes (Harlequin's Jacket excepted). The two additional scenes we were summoned by the bills to behold, are two of the late memorable regatta:-The first is a perspective of Ranelagh Gardensv to the water, illuminated with party-coloured lamps, which terminates with the temporary obelisk erected on that occasion:-Behind this we just catch the streamers of the barges and etc., supposed to be rowing up to the stairs, and landing their company, to martial music and under the discharge of cannon, imitated by the unnatural slamming of one of the Green Room doors. This scene, however, had a tolerable appearance, but being on too confined a scale, its intended effect must have been lost. The other represented the inside of as much of the Temple of Neptunev as was possible to give the spectators in a theatre:-we cannot extol it by any means as a perfect representation:-and to prevent it coming too near the original, Harlequin, Perot, Pantaloon, and etc. were made to lounge in the orchestra instead of its being occupied by a good band of music:-in short the whole pantomime went off rather flat. It is recommended to the managers here never to suffer the scene shifters to appear again in such garb as they did; old greasy plush waistcoats, with red-stocking sleeves!-such a habit may be in keeping with a blacksmaith's forge, but not for a theatre royal in the metropolis of a polished country (Folger News Clipping)

Event Comment: Queen Mab is reviv'd with Alterations and Additions particularly Grand New Scene with a Representation of a Regatta very well executed but is too much like The Naval Review (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Hopkins differs slightly. He also adds from the Public Advertiser, 13 Nov., The last grand scene is a Representation of the whole Regatta sailing by Ranelagh. That and the Red House were invented and drawn by Mr deLoutherberg, and painted by Messrs French, deRoy, Greenwood, and others."] Rec'd stopages #11 12s. 6d. Paid Salary list #626 16s. 6d. Receipts: #152 12s. (Treasurer's Book). [Fuller descriptions of the Regatta scene appeared in the Westminster Magazine for Nov.: The Scene affords a picturesque view of the Thames on the Surry Side to Ranelagh Gardens representing the procession of barges etc., of the different squadrons, previous to their landing the company. The effect produced by this united scenery and machinery was very pleasing; every barge appeared to be rowed to the time of the band of music which is supposed to be upon the water, and evepy man and oar keeps a regular stroke: the sky, flat behind, was finely designed and executed for the general relief, and disposition of the men and boats near shore, in the foreground, was beautiful and did the painter great credit. The whole concluded with a Tar 's song in character, by Mr Bannister, and a dance by sailors and their doxies.'

Event Comment: Baddeley was prevented exhibiting the Magic Lanthorn at Hampstead (Winston MS 11). [See comment upon Baddeley's Magic Lanthorn in Garrick's Meeting of the Company.

Event Comment: Being the last time of Garrick's appearing in character of Sir John Brute . When the Song Encor'd Mr Garrick said Come Col. give us that Song again for two very good Reasons, the first because your friends desire it-and Secondly because I believe I shall never be in such good company again. House Mr and Mrs Davies (Sold) (Hopkins Diary). Paid Mr Davies in lieu of Bt #60. Rec'd of Mr Davis on acct #30. Receipts: #281 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: With Alterations [by David Garrick]. [Henderson was from the hay.] 'The style of Henderson did not assimilate with the tone of the [dl] company. They declaimed in a higher key, and more upon the level. The frequent under-tones the former hardly struck the ear at any considerable distance' (Boaden, Siddons, I, 170). Receipts: #225 8s. (204.2; 20.14; 0.12)

Event Comment: By Permission [of the Lord Chamberlain]. Benefit for Follet, Smith & T. Smith, late of the Bear, Westminster-bridge. Tickets to be had of Follet, No. 20, Little Wild-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields; of T. Smith at the Golden Cross, Charing Cross. T. Smith hopes to be honoured with the company of his brother Free Masons, Bucks, &c., Gentlemen of the Welsh Society, Hereford Society and West-moreland Society

Event Comment: 1st piece [1st time; CO I, by Charles Dibdin, based on Rose et Colas, by Michel Jean Sedaine]. 3rd piece [1st time; CO I, by Charles Dibdin, based on Les Femmes Vengees, by Michel Jean Sedaine]: With new Scenery [Public Advertiser, 19 Sept.: by Richards] and Decorations. Both the Musical Pieces, with new Overtures, composed by Dibdin. Books of the new Musical Pieces to be had at the Theatre. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Brandon (only) at the Stage Door. No Money to be taken at the Stage Door, nor any Money to be returned after the Curtain is drawn up. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 5:15. To begin at 6:15 [see 21 Sept.]. Public Advertiser, 18 Sept.: This Afternoon at Three will be published Rose and Colin and The Wives Revenged (each 6d.). "At this season of the year the little company upon the Ton, who are in town, seldom rise from the table till after the beginning of the play; in order, therefore, to obviate the disturbance that the fracas in the boxes usually makes towards the close of the first act, or the beginning of the second, this comic opera [Rose and Colin] was prefaced. It at the same time affords these late comers an opportunity of seeing the play [i.e. the mainpiece] complete" (Town and Country Magazine, Sept. 1778, p.453)

Event Comment: [As afterpiece the playbill announces the 31st night of The Touchstone (see 20 Feb.), but "The entertaiment at Covent-garden theatre was obliged to be changed last night, on account of Lee Lewes being seized with a most violent inflammation in his right arm...Hand-bills, announcing that The Reprisal would be the farce, were distributed at each door of the theatre as the company came in; when the tragedy, however, was ended, some persons in the galleries...began an alarming disturbance, calling out vociferously for the pantomime...and continued throughout the farce to behave in the most savage manner, pelting every actor and actress as fast as either came on the stage. Mrs Morton stood their fire of oranges, apples, and pieces of wood, with more heroism than prudence. At length the brutes aimed at her head with an orange, which struck her a violent blow, and she fainted immediately" (Morning Chronicle, 16 Feb.).

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Jerrold. Afterpiece: Containing the Life and Death of King Chrononhotonthologos, the valiant Exploits of Bombardimian, his general, the unsuccessful Love of Fadladinada, Queen of Queerumania, to the Antipodean King, concluding with the marriage of the aforesaid Queen to her two fortunate Lovers, Aldiborrontiphoscophornio and Rigdum Funnidos. Mr and Mrs Jerrold present their humble respects to the Ladies and Gentlemen, and as through the badness of the weather, and being Assembly-Night on their former Benefit, there was not the Expenses in the House; therefore solicit the Favour of their Company, and Interest in this their second Attempt. To begin precisely at 6:30. Pit 2s. Gallery 1s. Tickets to be had at the Crown, and at the Cock, Well's row

Event Comment: [In afterpiece the playbill retains Wood, but "As soon as the play was finished, Palmer stepped forward, and...informed the Audience that Wood was taken suddenly and dangerously ill, but in order to prevent the Company from being disappointed of the farce, R. Palmer had undertaken to perform the character of Bouquet at a few hours notice. After the usual Musick the farce commenced, and it is but justice to R. Palmer to declare that he acquitted himself much to his own credit and entirely to the satisfaction of the audience" (Morning Chronicle, 14 July).

Event Comment: Opera [1st time; Past 3, author unknown]. The music [to Part I] composed by Giovanni Battista? Bianchi, [to Part II by] Rauzzini, [to Part III by] Giordani. With Grand Chorusses. With new Decorations devised and painted by Novosielski, and new Dresses. The Side-boards, with a cold Collation and all sorts of Wines, at 12 o'clock. The Performance under the direction of Vestris Sen., and to conclude with a Ball. Tickets, at 2 Guineas each, are ready to be delivered at the Office in Union-court, where Boxes may be taken. No Masks will be admitted. The Doors will be opened at 9:00, and the Performance to begin at 10:00. Books of the Performance will be given out (gratis) at the Theatre. Morning Herald, 7 June: The Omaggio, or homage paid by the vassals and tenants to their Lord, is naturally calculated to give free scope to lively, and sentimental music. In the former stile Bianchi and Giardini [sic] were equally succesful; and in the latter Rauzzini was surprisingly great, both as composer and performer...Slingsby would, in our opinion, have come out with as great a share of applause as the best of them, having to go through an English dance in his own stile, but by some unaccountable accident...the music-band stopped short when he was in the very climax of his exertions. The scenes are in the rural stile, with the addition of natural trees, flowering shrubs, &c., set in the neatest order...The company did not begin to move till about four, and by five the rooms were cleared. Public Advertiser, 7 June: The Vestris' gave incontrovertible proof of the variety of their powers...They did more, they shewed what this country had never seen-the possibility of presenting to the eye a large and extensive stage filled with dancers all in motion at the same time

Event Comment: For the better convenience of the company, during the Performance the Pit will be open as usual, and the passage through the Boxes into the Galleries will be open. As soon as the Performance is over, the Supper Rooms will be opened, and, during the time of Supper, the Pit will be covered and the Galleries shut up. The Decorations are entirely new planned, and executed by Novosielski. The whole under the Direction of Crawford. Tickets 2 guineas each. The Doors to be opened at 9:00. The Performance to begin at 10:00. [Le Picq was from the Opera, Naples.]

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [This was Mrs Bulkley's 1st appearance as a member of the DL company. As from CG, she had acted at this theatre on 9 Apr. 1778, and on other occasions.] Receipts: #144 11s. (109/3/0; 35/5/6; 0/2/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by John O'Keeffe, altered from his The Banditti (see 28 Nov. 1781). Text in his Dramatic Works, Vol. 1 (T. Woodfall, 1798)]: With new Scenes [by Carver (O'Keeffe, u, 38)], Dresses, and a new Overture. The Selected Airs by Handel, Vento, Giordani, Giardini, Bertoni, Dr Arne, and Carolan, the Irish Bard. The Overture and New Airs composed by Dr Arnold. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. [This was Sga Sestini's 1st appearance on the English-speaking stage. For several preceding seasons she had been a member of the Italian opera company performing at the King's.] "Sestini . . . was handsome, sprightly, and a good actress, if great exuberance of gesticulation, activity of motion, and affected Italian smorfie could make her one; but her voice was gritty and sharp (something like singing through a comb), and she was nothing of a singer, except for lively comic airs. Yet she was . . . long a favourite with the mass of the public, though not with the connoisseurs" (Mount-Edgcumbe, p. 33). Account-Book, 30 June 1783: Paid O'Keeffe in full for The Castle of Andalusia #368 18s. 6d. Receipts: #166 2s. 6d. (165/9/0; 0/13/6)

Event Comment: "The company [of spectators] was so numerous that there was hardly room on the stage for the performers to go through their pans . . . Mme Simonet displayed all that power of acting for which she has been so justly celebrated since the first introduction of the ballets called 0?Action when first Vestris held the sceptre of Terpsychore at the King's Theatre [in 1780-81]" (Public Advertiser, 18 Feb., which also has a synopsis of the action)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilson. 1st piece: Taken from Beaumont and Fletcher. 2nd piece [1st time; F 2, by John Dent. Prologue by Turner (see text)]. 4th piece: A Tragical, Comical, Operatical, Pastorical, Pantomimical, Farcical, Burlettical, Preludical, Interludical, Whimsical, Rhetorical, Diabolical, Oratorical Representation, being the most Comical Tragedy that ever was Tragedized by any Comical Company of Tragedians. With the Triumphal Entry of Chrononhotonthologos into Queerumania, attended with Drums, Trumpets, Fiddles, Flutes, Fifes, Flagelcts, Lutes, Bag-Pipes, Tabours and Pipes, Marrowbones and Cleavers, Post-Horns, French-Horns, Salt Box, Broomstickados, &c

Event Comment: Mainpiece: As altered in 3 acts by Garrick. 2nd piece [1st time; ball, p 2, composed by the principal characters, who were from Audinot's company in Paris. Synopsis of action in London Chronicle, 10 Oct.]: A Dramatic Romance told in Action. With New Dresses, Scenery and Decorations. The Music selected from the most Eminent Composers. The Story will be delivered (Gratis) at the Theatre. Receipts: #158 19s. 6d. (157/2/0; 1/17/6)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Frederick to Murray, but on the playbill in the New York Public Library Theatre Collection his name is deleted and a MS annotation substitutes Francis's.] Boxes 3s. Pit 2s. Gallery 1s. To begin precisely at 7:00. The Public are respectfully informed that the Company will perform here but four or five Weeks longer, being engaged elsewhere. The Theatre is not only very commodious, but also remarkably cool. The Days of performing will be regularly Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

Event Comment: The Company will perform on Friday and Saturday next, and then finally close the Season

Event Comment: Boxes 3/. Pit 2X. Gallery u. To begin punctually at 7:00 [same throughout season]. Tickets to be had and Places taken of Waldron, No. 17, Dorville's Row. The Company will perform on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

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: [Wroughton was from cg. This was his 1st appearance as a regular member of the dl company; he had previously acted at this theatre on one occasion, 1 Apr. 1780. Mrs Taylor was from the York theatre.] "On every first appearance, it falls to a performer to chuse their own parts. They do that part once, and in all probability they never do it again. We fear this will happen to Mrs Taylor. In Elwina there was nothing to recommend [but see 4 Oct., 27 Nov.]" (World, 1 Oct.). Receipts: #189 0s. 6d. (134.4.0; 53.9.0; 1.7.6)