Event Comment: By Authority [of the Lord Chamberlain]. Benefit for Freeman [who, as Chamont, is identified in Public Advertiser, 7 Apr.]. Tickets to be had of Freeman, Vine-street, Piccadilly; of Massey, at Marshall's, Bedford-court, Covent Garden. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s

Event Comment: Benefit for Mattocks. Public Advertiser, 30 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mattocks at his house in Covent Garden. Receipts: #146 17s. 6d. (112.3.6; tickets: 34.14.0) (charge: #69 18s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bannister. Public Advertiser, 23 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Bannister at Starzaker's, the Upper End of Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #246 12s. 6d. [77.0.0; 13.1.6; 0.10.0; tickets: 156.1.0) (charge: #65 17s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Brown. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Midas [announced on playbill ff 24 Apr.] cannot be performed on account of Wilson's sudden illness. Tickets delivered for Love Finds the Way will be admitted, that Opera being unavoidably postponed on account of Mrs Farrell's Indisposition. Public Advertiser, 3 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Brown, No. 10, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #150 18s. 6d. (89.17.6; tickets: 61.1.0) (charge: #67 7s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hopkins, prompter, and Mrs Hopkins. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Afterpiece: A Dramatic Entertainment (in two parts) of Singing, Dancing and Dialogue in Honour of Shakespeare. In which a Pageant. The Music by Dibdin. Public Advertiser, 10 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Hopkins, No. 7, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #280 7s. (169.5; 21.0; 1.2; tickets: 89.0) (charge: #64 4s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Miss Hopkins'. Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2 (?), by Thomas Holcroft. Not in Larpent MS; not published]: The Music [by William Shield (European Magazine, Jan. 1782, p.59)] entirely new. Public Advertiser, 15 Apr. Tickets to be had of the Miss Hopkins', No. 7, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #129 8s. 6d. (61.15.0; 24.5.6; 0.1.0; tickets: 43.7.0) (charge: #66 11s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Farrell. Public Advertiser, 9 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Farrell, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #266 3s. 6d. (135.1.6; tickets: 131.2.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Aldridge. Tickets delivered for Love in a Village [announced on playbill of 1 May] will be admitted. Public Advertiser, 27 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Aldridge at the Carpet Warehouse, Piazza, Covent Garden. Receipts: #199 16s. [132.2; tickets: 67.14) [charge: #67 5s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Farren and Miss Sherry. Mainpiece: With the grand Triumphal Entry. Tickets delivered by Thompson will be taken. Public Advertiser, 22 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Farren at Rumler's, Clare-court, Drury-lane; of Miss Sherry at Nichol's, Baker, Bridges-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #265 7s. (84.5; 15.9; 0.1; tickets: 165.12) (charge: #75 12s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hurst and Burton. Afterpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Public Advertiser, 25 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Hurst at his house, No. 374, Strand; of Burton, Duke's-court, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #209 15s. (42.11.0: 11.16.6; 0.2.6; tickets: 155.5.0) (charge: #65 3s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jackson. Mainpiece [1st time in London; T 5, by John Jackson, 1st acted at Crow Street Theatre, Dublin, 13 Jan. 1777, as Gerilda. Larpent MS 448, which also lists the following unassigned parts: Halard, Bragances, Setoc, Bruno, Grindal, Clara. Authors of Prologue and Epilogue unknown]. [Robinson, who is identified in Morning Chronicle, 6 May, was from the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin.] Account-Book, 4 May: Paid Hull in lieu of a Benefit #100. Public Advertiser, 18 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jackson, Great Piazza, Covent Garden. Receipts: #188 15s. 6d. (99.19.6; tickets: 88.16.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Peile. Mainpiece: Not acted these 6 years. Tickets delivered by Dagueville will be taken. Public Advertiser, 1 May and 27 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Peile at his house in North-street, Westminster; of Dagueville, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #149 2s. 6d. (56.14.6; tickets: 92.8.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wright, Carpenter & Butler. Public Advertiser, 5 May: Tickets to be had of Carpenter at Sutton's, No. 11, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden; of Butler, next Door to the Theatre. Receipts: #283 15s. 6d. (42.2.0; 7.2.6; 0.2.0; tickets: 234.9.0) (charge: #74 14s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Whitfield and Mrs Pitt. [2nd piece in place of The Ephesian Matron, announced on playbill of 12 May.] Public Advertiser, 2 May: Tickets to be had of Whitfield, No. 14, Crown-court, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #144 15s. [51.14; tickets: 93.1) [charge: #74 7s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Bradshaw, Mrs Love & Mrs Johnston. Tickets delivered for The Plain Dealer will be taken. Public Advertiser, 13 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Bradshaw at Mrs Norolk's, Glazier, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden; of Mrs Love, Gerrard-street, Soho; of Mrs Johnston, No. 97, Drury-lane. Receipts: #132 16s. (32.3; 20.13; 1.4; tickets: 78.16) (charge: #65 15s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Dumay, Holloway & Harris. Tickets delivered for Know Your Own Mind will be taken. Public Advertiser, 9 May: Tickets to be had of Dumay, Sand-hill, Lamb's Conduit Fields, behind the Foundling Hospital; of Holloway, Great Maddox-street, Hanover-square; of Harris, No. 12, Duke's-court, Bow-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #251 15s. (56.11; tickets: 195.4) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Condell, Evans & Curteen, box-keepers. Tickets sold at the doors will not be admitted. Public Advertiser, 12 May: Tickets to be had of Condell, Cross-court, Duke's-court, Bow-street, Covent Garden; of Evans at Bromfield's, Trunk-maker, No. 118, Long-acre; of Curteen, No. 11, Temple-lane, White-friars. Receipts: #259 5s. (53.3; tickets: 206.2) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Davies, bookseller, and Mrs Davies, who formerly belonged to this Theatre, and who have sustained misfortunes in trade. Public Advertiser, 20 May: Tickets to be had of Davies, Great Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #198 9s. 6d. (69.14.0; 17.10.0; 0.13.6; tickets: 110.12.0) (charge: #64 4s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bannister. [Afterpiece: Prologue by David Garrick.] Public Advertiser, 25 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Bannister at Starzaker's, Upper End of Bow-street, Covent Garden

Event Comment: Paid Smith 1 night extra playing at Covent Garden [on 21 Sept.] #2 12s. 6d.; Lampmen #4 10s.; Supernumeraries #5 5s. [Afterpiece in place of The Padlock, announced on playbill of 24 Sept.] Receipts: #148 2s. 6d. (111.6.0; 36.12.0; 0.4.6)

Event Comment: [As mainpiece the playbill announces Caractacus, but it "was not performed last night at Covent Garden theatre, on account of Leoni's sudden illness. The Busy Body was substituted in its stead" (Morning Chronicle, 4 Nov.).

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of Merope, announced on playbill of 4 Jan. "We played last night Much Ado about Nothing, and had an apology to make for the change of three principal parts. About twelve o'clock Mr Henderson sent word he was not able to play. We got Mr Lewis from Covent Garden, who supplied the part of Benedick. Soon after Mr Parsons sent word he could not play. Mr Moody supplied the part of Dogberry; and about four in the afternoon Mr Vernon sent word he could not play. Mr Mattocks supplied his part of Balthazar...In the middle of the first act, a message was brought me that Mr Lamash (who was to play the part of Borachio) was not come to the House. I had nobody there that could go on for it, so I was obliged to cut his scenes in the first and second acts entirely out, and got Mr Wrighten to go on for the remainder of the part. At length we got the play over without the audience finding it out. We had a very bad house. Mr Parsons is not able to play in The School for Scandal to-morrow night; do not yet know how we shall be able to settle that" (Garrick, Private Correspondence, II, 328-29: Hopkins, prompter,in letter to Garrick, 6 Jan. 1779. He does not state who took Wrighten's place as the Sexton.).] On account of the sudden Illness of a Principal Performer, the new Pantomime [The Wonders of Derbyshire, announced on playbill of 4 Jan.] is obliged to be deferred till Friday. Receipts: #74 11s. (48.19; 25.10; 0.2)

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 Miss Younge. Mainpiece: Not acted these 7 years [acted 23 Apr. 1773]. Public Advertiser, 13 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Miss Younge at Thelwall's, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #217 16s. 6d. (83.16.0; 17.14.6; 9.1.0; tickets: 107.5.0) (charge: #64 15s.)