Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Rec'd stopages #1 8s.; from John Palmer in part of his bond #70; Paid 5 days salary list #367 13s. 4d. Receipts: #173 16s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Went to the 2 shilling Gallery to see the new tragedy, with its musical entertainment The Cunning Man, a sort of translation of Rousseau's Devin du Village. Holland, Powell and Bensley played Warwick, Edward and Pembroke very well. Mrs Yates did great justice to Queen Margaret. Mrs Palmer did Elizabeth. The Prologue was spoken by Bensley, the Epilogue by Mrs Yates. The characters were very richly dressed in the dresses of the time. The improper use of ridiculous modern dresses on the stage often offends me (Diary of Sylas Neville, unpublished MS portion)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never performed. Founded [by Thomas Hull] on a Play wrote by the late Sir Samuel Tuke [Adventures of Five Hours]. The Afterpiece: A Masque (perform'd but once) [by Thomas Hull], With New Music, Dresses and Scenery. The Music by Mr Bach. Books of the Masque to be had at the Theatre. Paid for The Perplexities #2 2s. (Account Book). Receipts: #226 16s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: A new Comic Opera. Composed by Piccini. By Command of their Majesties. Note: The above is the second part of the favorite opera of La Buona Figliuola

Event Comment: Paid Mr Hood for half years new river water, due at Xmas last #10 15s. 4d. (Account Book). Receipts: #131 2s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Sixth Day. For the Author. Charges #85 5s. Balance due to author #41 14s. (Account Book). [This balance was paid to Thomas Hull on 9 Feb.] Receipts: #126 19s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Ladies send servants by 3 o'clock. A Comic Opera, Never Perform'd [by Isaac Bickerstaffe]. The Scenes, Dresses and Dances entirely new (playbill). [The playbill does not assign parts. Assignment from Genest and Winston who both identify the Young Gentlewoman as Miss Brickler. The Music compiled from Favourite airs of the most celebrated composers." See note for 27 May relative to dances in this opera.] Receipts: #245 14s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: A new serious Opera, for this night only. Benefit for Guarducci

Event Comment: A new comic Opera, composed by Fischietti, a Neopolitan. Benefit for Lovatini

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Afterpiece: By Desire. Benefit for Holland. Part of Pit laid into Boxes. House Charges #67 1s. 6d. [Profit to Holland #201 8s. 6d.] Tragedy (never performed) written in the manner of Shakespeare [by Joseph Reed]. Rec'd stopages 16s. 6d. Paid salary list #294 2s. 8d.; Chorus singers 1 night #2 5s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #268 10s. (Treasurer's Book). To see Dido, a Tragedy in Shakespere's style, performed for the first time, with Daphne and Amintor. This piece is the production of a Ropemaker of Chadwick, and being refused by the managers, was given to Holland to be played for his benefit. It went off with considerable applause and is by desire to be performed again. Powel and Yates were good in Aeneas and Dido. Holland played Narbel, Havard Bilias, and Bensley Anchises. We had a prologue spoken by King and an Epilogue spoken by Mrs Abington. Before the play began, by the light of my wax taper read No. 1564 of the London Chronicle, in which was Night' a pretty good ode (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: A new serious Opera, composed by Vento

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Poitier. Afterpiece: Alter'd from Addison. The Music entirely new set by Mr Arnold. [Original three acts reduced to two.] To be performed for this night only. Charges #75 14s. [Profit to Mrs Thompson #59 7s. 6d. plus #48 9s. from tickets (Box 135; Pit 98) (Account Book). As indicated by the name Mrs Thompson in the Account Book, Miss Poitier was already married by this time, although she does not appear in the Bills under the name Mrs Thompson until 16 Sept. 1767. She was first married to Vernon, the singer at Drury Lane.] Receipts: #135 1s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Cautherley. House Charges #66 2s. 6d. [Afterpiece advertised as not acted for 3 years, but see 29 March 1764.] Paid J. Johnston by order #12 12s. (Treasurer's Book). Linco's Travels by particular Desire

Event Comment: Benefit of the Charity, at the Chapel of the Lock Hospital. To begin at 12 noon. A new Oratorio. Music by Worgan. It was to hear him [Giardini] that I went (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: NNeville MS Diary: At 6 took my place in ye Pit. I expected ye Taylors would have been damned; but with certain alterations and additions it went off better than it did last night. It is a sort of burlesque tragedy. If there is any wit in it, it is very low and unlike that in Mr Foote's other pieces. The Prologue, spoken by him, is more diverting than any part of ye play. Some Masters and leading Journeymen are taken off. [Cast listed.] The Citizen was vilely performed, except Old Philpot by Weston. Palmer is not equal to ye young one. They went off without concluding it. We had ye Builders Prologue before ye farce, by ye same means we had it last night. Foote wished for ye Builder, as ye person who supplied his place did his part vilely

Event Comment: The Third Day

Event Comment: The Fourth Day

Event Comment: [G$Genest, V, 140, notes that Bannister's name does not appear in the playbill; the Public Advertiser bill, which does not specify any parts, includes Bannister as well as Strange, Loveman, Keen, and Smith, for which there is no support in the 1767 edition.] Before six went into the Pit to see the new tragedy of The Countess of Salisbury performed for the first time. One cannot judge perfectly of a Play without reading it, but it was received with vast applause. The author being an Irishman, Weston spoke a Prologue in the character of an Hibernian (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: By Permission. Benefit for Mrs Dancer. A new Tragedy altered from Southerne's Oroonoko

Event Comment: MMr Bannister made his first appearance on this stage in Merlin with a new Song introduced.--He was received with applause, --is a tall figure, good voice and sings well (Hopkins MS Notes). [The grand procession of the orders of chivalry hereafter a regular feature of Cymon.

Event Comment: Paid for Licensing The Oxonian in Town #2 2s. Paid for Licensing the New Prologue #1 1s. (Account Book). Receipts: #138 18s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Desire. Music [to afterpiece] by Barthelemon. I often go to both theatres, have seen Garrick and Mrs Yates, who are the first in this theatrical sphere. The former has hitherto [i.e., this season] appeared only in comedy, --his manner, his humour, and his judgment are not to be equall'd. The adoration he meets with from the English is equal to his merit. His every motion they attend to, and every turn of his eye seems to transport them. Mrs Yates [at Covent Garden] has much tragic merit. Her low voice is very tuneful, her feeling great, her action peculiarly graceful and her figure uncommonly fine. She has more power than Mrs Dancer (at Drury Lane] and more variety than Mrs Fitz-Henry, tho' less strength and compass. On the whole she is superior to the former and inferior to the latter. Barry and Mrs Dancer are engag'd here (MS Letter from Henry Grattan to Cornet Broome giving his first impressions of living in London, 27 Oct. 1767, in Folger Library). Neville MS Diary: Went into the Pit to see As You Like It a second time. Reddish did Orlando for the 1st time. He is a pretty good player. End Act I, Hearts of Oak. The Entertainment was the new Farce called a Peep Behind the Curtain. Glib by King who is the author. The piece is not unentertaining, whatever other merit it may have. The Prologue and an Address to the Town by way of Epilogue, are spoken by Mr King, the music by Barthelemon

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A Comedy [by Wm Kenrick] never perform'd before. The characters New Dress'd. [Theatrical Monitor, No VIII (16 Dec. 1767) approved the mainpiece--"engages the mind, affects the passions, totally divested of indecency"--but thought Garrick's art of "puffing" was evident in his note at foot of playbills, "Those Ladies and Gentlemen, who have taken places for this day, are desired to send their servants by one o'clock, in order to ascertain the same, otherwise they cannot be secured," since the house, except the first night, had not been half full. N.B. This note appeared in an Advance Bill, but did not appear in the Bill of the Day.

Event Comment: A new serious opera. Music composed by several. The comic opera is obliged to be deferred on account of the Indisposition of Sga Guadagni

Event Comment: Characters new Dress'd. Receipts: #244 17s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Characters New Dressed. [The Theatrical Monitor No X (30 Jan. 1768), gives a six-page review of the mainpiece under the usual Aristotelian topics: Fable, Characters, Moral, Sentiment, Diction, rather disapproving of the play on all of them. Praises the performers.