Event Comment: The Doors to be opened at 5:15. To begin at 6:15 [see 2 May 1786]. Receipts: #142 11s. 6d. (113/15/0; 28/9/6; 0/7/0). Orders and Free #76 12s

Event Comment: A new Comic Opera [in 2 acts]; the Music entirely new by Paisiello, under the direction of [i.e. with additions by] Cherubini. Public Advertiser, 26 Jan.: "Il Marchese Tulipano was in its original state a petite piece [in 1 act] of Paisiello [entitled Le Finte Contesse; performed at this theatre on 26 Mar. 1778 as Il Marchese Villano], enlarged to the size in which it is now before us by Cherubini." By Their Majesties Command no Person can be admitted behind the Scenes. Pit 10s. 6d. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. The Doors to be opened at 6:30. To begin exactly at 7:30 [same throughout season]. Subscriptions are received at Messrs. Ransom, Morland and Hammersley's, Bankers, No. 57, Pall-mall, who will deliver the Subscription Tickets. The Nobility and Gentry, Subscribers to the Opera-house, are respectfully entreated to send for them, in order to prevent future mistakes, as nobody can be admitted without producing a ticket. N.B. To prevent Inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their Carriages they are most respectfully entreated to give positive Orders to their Servants to set down and take up with their Horses Heads towards Pall-Mall. The Doors in Market-Lane for Chairs only. All Persons claiming free Admission into this Theatre by Renters' Shares or otherwise are requested to bring their Titles to the Office every Day, from Eleven to Twelve o'clock in the Forenoon, in order that they may be registered previous to the opening of the House

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Abington. Pit and Boxes will be laid together. Ladies and Gentlemen are most earnestly requested to come early, to prevent Inconvenience in getting to their Places, and to send their Servants to keep them by Four o'clock. "At the close of the entertainment Mrs Abington came forward, and delivered a short poetical address to her fashionable auditory [written by Maurice Morgann (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1797, p. 263)], apposite to her feelings on the present occasion" (Morning Herald, 11 Feb.). "The character [of Scrub] throughout was well conceived, and executed with a sprightliness and degree of humour that kept the house in a continual roar of laughter" (Public Advertiser, 11 Feb.) "Mrs Abington's voice was in its usual tone; her manners and deportment were inattentive and torpid, rather than active and interesting" (Morning Post, 11 Feb.). "With all her endeavours to give new points to the character, she entirely failed. Her appearance en culottes, so preposterously padded, exceeded nature. Her gestures to look comical could not get the least hold of the audience, though they had seen her before in men's clothes, when playing Portia in The Merchant of Venice, where her figure, dressed as a lawyer in his gown, gave effect to her excellent delivery on mercy, and the audience had been always delighted. But this leu de benefice, comparatively speaking, was disgusting and absurd as she dressed the character ... However, I have heard it originated in a bet she had previously made" (Henry Angelo, Reminiscenes, 11, 281-82). Receipts: #406 13s. 6d. (249/9/6; 1/9/0; tickets: 155/15/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Henderson. Pit and Boxes will be laid together. Ladies and Gentlemen are most earnestly requested to come early, to prevent Inconvenience in getting to their Places, and to send their Servants to keep them by Four o'clock. [Prologue by Arthur Murphy {Works, 1786, VII, 369).] Morning Herald, 14 Feb.: Tickets to be had at the house of the late Mr Henderson [see 8 Nov. 1785], Buckingham-street, York Buildings. "The poetical address delivered by Mrs Siddons before the play was written by Murphy, and was so very dull that we will charitably suppose his feelings obstructed the operation of his fancy" (General Advertiser, 27 Feb.). Receipts: #141 9s. 6d. (140/15/0; 0/14/6; tickets: none listed) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Part of the Pit [6 rows (Public Advertiser, 6 Mar.)] will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by half past Four o'clock. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Orestes to Smith, but he "was indisposed . . . Throughout the whole [of his part] Kemble's skill was apparent. In the last scene he displayed as fine a picture of horror as was ever given from the stage" (Morning Chronicle, 6 Mar.).] Morning Herald, 24 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #293 11s. (122/17/0; 10/1/6; 1/2/6; tickets: 159/10/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those who from their Infirmities shall be obliged to retire from the Stage. Receipts: #211 6s. 6d. (95/19/0; 25/12/0; 1/5/6; tickets: 88/10/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons [whose 1st appearance as Imogen was at Bath, 15 Apr. 1779]. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. Public Advertiser, 13 Jan.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. "The exact receipts of Mrs Siddons's house on Monday were #332 [actually #335 5s., excluding the 2nd account and after-money], which, with bank notes for side-boxes, and gold tickets through all the boxes, raise the total to about #650 or #700. This benefit is clear of the nightly charges of the house" (Morning Chronicle, 1 Feb.). Receipts. #344 17s. 6d. (161.10.0; 9.11.6; 0.1.0; tickets: 173.15.0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those who from their Infirmities shall be obliged to retire from the Stage. Receipts: #263 7s. (145.17; 14.1; 0.14; tickets: 102.15) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Mainpiece: Not acted these 9 years. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their servants by Half past Four o'Clock. Public Advertiser, 10 Jan.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #343 12s. 6d. (189.9.0; 6.12.0; 0.11.6; tickets: 147.0.0) [charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Billington. Mainpiece: Not acted these 10 years [acted 5 Nov. 1779]. The Music chiefly composed by Hook, the rest compiled from the most eminent Masters. With new Songs and other Alterations [and restorations; the names of almost all the characters have been changed (see 23 Nov. 1778)]. Public Advertiser, 12 Jan.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Billington, No. 53, Poland-street. Receipts: #365 3s. 6d. (244.0.6; 2.12.0; tickets: 118.11.0) [charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Edwin. Mainpiece: By Permission of George Colman, Esq. [the holder of the copyright]. Public Advertiser, 24 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Edwin, No. 19, Piazza, Covent-garden. Receipts: #386 7s., as follows: money taken at the doors was #256.0.6, on which he paid charge of #100.11.6, leaving a balance due him of #155.9.0, which he was paid on 7 Apr.; after money, #4.8.6, was retained by the theatre; he sold 411 box tickets, 83 pit tickets, 107 gallery tickets for #125.18.0, free of charge; his total profit therefore was #281.7.0

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund, for the Relief of those who from their Infirmities shall be obliged to retire from the Stage. Receipts: #258 2s. 6d. (161.15.0; 34.1.0; 1.6.6; tickets: 61.0.0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mme Mara. Public Advertiser, 2 May: Tickets to be had of Mme Mara, No. 64, Pall-Mall. Receipts: #149 17s. 6d. (73.10.0; 9.2.6; 1.5.0; tickets: 66.0.0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants by Half past Four o'Clock. Mainpiece: Not acted these 10 years. [Epilogue by Robert Jephson.] Afterpiece: Written by D. Garrick, Esq. Public Advertiser, 31 Jan.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #340 5s. 6d. (166.10.0; 11.0.0; 1.4.6; tickets: 161.11.0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those who from their Infirmities shall be obliged to retire from the Stage. Receipts: #181 17s. 6d. (159.6.0; 19.12.0; 2.19.6; tickets: none listed) (charge: free)

Event Comment: [The playbill retains Mrs Crouch, but "Though [her] indisposition occasioned some disappointment, the loss was felt the less, as her place was supplied by the pleasing and unaffected Miss Hagley" (Public Advertiser, 12 Mar.).

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those who from their Infirmities shall be obliged to retire from the Stage. Receipts: #236 13s. (138.1.0; 33.4.6; 1.12.6; tickets: 63.15.0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jordan. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by half past Four. Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Richard (later) Sir Richard? Ford. Kemble Mem.: Altered by R. Ford from the Humourous Lieutenant. Epilogue by Henry William? Bunbury. Larpent MS 894; not published]: Altered from Beaumont and Fletcher (recte Fletcher alone). Oracle, 25 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jordan at her house, No. 14, Somerset-street, Portman-square. Receipts: #346 8s. 6d. (102.18.0; 13.5.0; 3.6.6; tickets: 226.19.0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Part of the Pit [9 rows (London Chronicle, 5 Apr.)] will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by half past Four. Morning Chronicle, 4 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, No 49, Marlborough-street. Receipts: #412 11s. (212.2.0; 10.18.6; 0.0.6; tickets: 189.10.0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those whose Infirmities oblige them to retire from the Stage. The whole Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Those Ladies and Gentlemen who have seats in the Pit are earnestly requested to be early at the Theatre, and Servants are desired to attend at half past Four o'Clock to keep Places. "The fine tragic powers of [Mrs Siddons] and Kemble were but wasted on the turgid trumpery of the play...But Kemble in this scene [end of Act III] was so impassioned and transcendent that it killed all the rest of the piece. The scorn of Mrs Siddons at his dissimulation--her haughty bearing and marking emphasis, with the piercing powers of her eye, are all treasured where they should be" (Oracle, 16 May). Receipts: #117 14s. (107.11.0; 9.12.6; 0.10.6; tickets: none listed, but Oracle, 17 May, reports that tickets were purchased for as much as one guinea and a half) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Oratorio: Written by Milton. Set to Music by Handel. Among the instrumental performers are Messrs Ashley andSons, Patria, Sarjant, Billington, Mahon, Boyce, Mountain, Howard, Lavenu, Simpson, Gwilliam, Purney, Munro, Leander, Kaye, Sharp, Lyon, &c. Double Drums by J. Ashley. The whole under the direction of Harrison and Ashley. At Play-house Prices. No money to be returned. Places for the Boxes to be had of Brandon at the Theatre. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin precisely at 6:30 [same throughout oratorio season]. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Books of the Performance, with the names of the performers to their respective songs, price 6d., may be had at the Theatre, and to prevent imposition in the streets, the Manager's books are printed with the following words at the bottom of each title-page, "Printed by H. Macleish, Duke's court, Drury-Lane.

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those whose Infirmities oblige them to retire from the Stage. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [same for rest of season]. Receipts: #372 1s. (224.10; 44.7; 1.10; tickets: 101.14) (charge: free)

Event Comment: The King's Theatre having been rented to the Proprietors of Drury-Lane House, with a reserve of the Nights for the Italian Opera to be carried on there for the Opera Trust, the Drury-Land Patent will in future be moved on Tuesdays and Saturdays to the Theatre Royal, Hay-Market, where all old and new Renters, claiming under the Drury-Lane Patent, will be entitled to Free Admission, and to their Rights for each Night of Performance. Half Price not being taken at this Theatre, the Performances will be reduced to the old established Prices. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes in the Theatre Royal, Hay-Market, to be taken at Fosbrook's Office at the King's Theatre as usual. [Mainpiece in place of Cymon; afterpiece of The Patron, both advertised on playbill of 25 Jan.] Receipts: #140 11s. (139.0; 1.11)

Event Comment: Benefit for a Fund for the Relief of those whose Infirmities oblige them to retire from the Stage. The Last Time of Mrs Siddons's performing this Season. Receipts: #170 13s. (122.8; 0.0; tickets: 48.5) (charge: free)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Johnstone, but "Johnstone's character was played by Townsend" (Thespian Magazine, July 1794, p. 282). It is not stated who substituted for Townsend.] Tickets delivered [Account-Book: by Cubitt and Ledger; Cubitt being allowed #50 worth of tickets sold; Ledger's tickets being free, i.e., he to have the remainder] for FONTAINVILLE FOREST will be admitted. Receipts: #195 19s. (62/12/ 6; 7/7/6; tickets 125/19/0)