Event Comment: [By Susanna Centlivre.] Never Acted before. Whincop (pp. 189-90): On the first Day there was a very poor House, scarce Charges. Under these Circumstances, it cannot be supposed the Play appeared to much Advantage, the Audience only came there for want of another Place to go to, but without any Expectation of being much diverted; they were yawning at the Beginning of it, but were agreeably surprized, more and more every Act, till at last the House rung with as much Applause as was possible to be given by so thin an Audience

Event Comment: At Clayton's House in York Buildings. At 8 p.m. Tickets 5s. No Money receiv'd or Tickets given out at the House; [available at Charles Lillier's, Corner of Beauford Buildings, and at Eliot's St. James's Coffeehouse]

Event Comment: [By Nicholas Rowe.] Never Acted before. The Medley, 22 April: Whereas Nicodemus Somebody, Esq; alias The Merry Mr Pack, belonging to the Play-house in Lincolns-Inn-Fields, was on Wednesday Night last very noisy and troublesome in the first Gallery of Theatre-Royal in Drury-lane, he's desir'd hereby, when out of his own House, to behave himself with a little more Manners and Discretion, and not distinguish himself again by his ill-natur'd Gestures and frequent Hissings

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. An exact Computation being made, how many the Pit and Boxes will hold, with ease; they are to be put together, and such a Number of Tickets will be printed, and no more; to be deliver'd this present Tuesday, at Boman's Chocolate-House in Bridges-Street, no Money being to be taken at the Theatre, but for the Gallery. N.B. By desire the Play is not to begin till 9 a Clock, by reason of the Heat of the Weather; Nor the House to be open'd till Eight

Event Comment: A riot caused the acting of Cato to cease in Act IV. See The Weekly Packet 1 March, The Evening Post 22-25 Feb., The Post Boy 22-25 Feb. The most complete account appeared in Read's Original Weekly Journal, 1 March: The Night before had been the Third Night of a New Comedy, written by a young Gentleman of good Interest, and well respected, and the Boxes were bespoke for Monday Night, but a certain Ruler of that House, remarkable for Ill-Nature and Immorality, stop'd the Run of the Play, and caus'd the Tragedy of Cato to be given out...and tho' he was earnestly expostulated with on the Injustice of such a Proceeding, yet he obstinately persisted in his Resolution, which the Friends of the Author of the New Play very much resented: But this was not all, for when Cato came to be play'd, Mr Wilks, Mrs Oldfield, and Mrs Porter, who have principal Parts had given them to some of the inferior Players, which was look'd on as Riding the Audience, who would no longer Brook what they look'd on as an Insult, but with their hisses, Catcalls, &c. deafen'd the House, and drown'd the Shrill Pipes of the Actors; insomuch that the loudest Rant in Lee or Shakespear had been no more to be prefer'd to it, than the Noise of a Flagelot to the whistling of a Tempest; till the End the Players were obliged to retreat to their Fastnesses, unable any longer to Stand their Assaults; for they were storm'd with Orange-Peals, &c. as well as bombarded with Hisses Huzzas and Catcalls. Nor wou'd the Audience suffer them to Capitulate or receive any Offers of Submission, but calling for a Dance, put an End to the Play, in the middle of the 4th Act

Event Comment: Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 11 Oct.: Last Friday Night...three Gentlemen demanded to go behind the Scenes; but there being an Order of the House made to the contrary, they were denied Admittance; upon which they went into the Pit, and with Apples, &c. pelted the Players in a shameful Manner, after which they got upon the Stage and drew their Swords and broke down the Scenery, Lamps, &c. which put the House in an Uproar, and 'twas an Hour before the Gentlemen could be brought to a civil Behaviour

Event Comment: [Text by N. F. Haym. Music by G. F. Handel.] By Command Pit and Boxes at half a guinea. Gallery 5s. At 6:30 p.m. When the Tickets are dispos'd of, No Persons will be admitted for Money. The Diary of Mary Countess Cowper, p. 154: At Night, Radamistus, a fine Opera of Handel's Making. The King there with his Ladies. The Prince in the Stage-box. Great Crowd. Mainwaring, Handel, pp. 98-99: If the persons who are now living, and who were present at that performance may be credited, the applause it received was almost as extravagant as his Agrippina had excited; the crowds and tumults of the house at Venice were hardly equal to those at London. In so splendid and fashionable an assembly of Ladies (to the excellence of their taste we must impute it) there was no shadow of form, or ceremony, scarce inoeed any appearance of order or regularity, politeness, or decency. Many, who had forc'd their way into the house with an impetuosity but ill-suited to their rank and sex, actually Fainted through the heat and closeness of it. Several Gentlemen were turned back, who had offered forty shillings for a seat in the gallery, after having despaired of getting any in the pit or boxes

Event Comment: Benefit Hawker and Thomas. By Subscription. Written by the late Mr Farquhar. At 6 p.m. N.B. Several Gentlemen and Ladies have complained of the coldness of the House, particular Care will be taken that Night to make the House much warmer

Event Comment: DDaily Post, 25 Feb.: About 11 in the Morning, a Fire broke out at the Earl of Cardigan's House in Portugal Row, Lincoln's Inn Fields...and the New Play-house, which was in great Danger, escap'd with but little Damage

Event Comment: Benefit Newhouse and Pelling. Receipts: money #26 14s.; tickets #93 1s. Probable attendance: boxes, 24 by money and 109 by tickets; stage, 8 by money; pit, 32 money and 283 by tickets; slips; 1 by money; first gallery, 70 by money and 231 by tickets; second gallery, 74 by money

Event Comment: By Their Majesties Command. Benefit Mrs Oldfield. Daily Journal, 7 March: Last Night the King, Queen, Prince of Wales, and the Princesses were all at the Theatre in Drury-Lane....But before the Play began, a Gentlewoman presented a Book, address'd to Princess Amelia, intitled, The Ladies Preservative, in the Three Chief Characteristicks of Beauty; the Hair, Complexion, and Teeth, which was very graciously received. Universal Spectator, 8 March: And supposing the Tickets which came in at the usual Rates, there was about 240 1. in the House. But her Benefit is generally reckoned at 500 1. several Persons of Quality, &c. giving five, ten, and twenty Guineas each. There was the greatest Appearance of Ladies of Quality at her Benefit that ever was known, and the House so excessive full, Stage and all, that the Actors had scarce Room to perform

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. A New Oratorio in English. Composed by Mr Handel. And to be perform'd by a great Number of the best Voices and Instruments. The House to be fitted up and illuminated in a new and particular manner. Tickets One Guinea. Gallery Half a Guinea. [Text by Samuel Humphreys. Their Majesties, Prince, and three eldest Princesses present.] Daily Advertiser, 20 March: An Entertainment, perhaps, the most magnificent that has ever been exhibited on an English Theatre....The Composition of the Musick is by no means inferior to the most finish'd of that Gentleman's Works; but the Disposition of the Performers was in a Taste beyond what has been attempted. There was a very great Number of Instruments by the best Hands, and such as would properly accompany three Organs. The Pit and Orchestre were cover'd as at an Assembly, and the whole House Illuminated in a new and most beautiful manner. [See also Lady A. Irwin to Lord Carlisle, in Deutsch, Handel, pp. 309-10.

Event Comment: Benefit Short and Neale. Receipts: money #28 1s.; tickets #212 4s. [Short's Tickets at his House in Milman Street, near Bedford Row; Neale's at his house in Nottingham Street, Bloomsbury.

Event Comment: Their Majesties present. London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 11 Feb.: On Saturday Night a Disturbance happen'd at the Opera House . . . occasion'd by the Footmen's coming into the Passages with their lighted Flambeaux, which gave Offence to the Ladies, &c. in the House; whereupon the Footmen were order'd out, but they refus'd to go, and attack'd the Centinels, but a stronger Guard coming to their Assistance, with their Bayonets fix'd, drove them out; in the Fray one of the Footmen was stabb'd in the Groin, and in the Body, and its thought will die of the Wounds

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Being a True Story in Common Life, and the Incidents extremely affecting. Written by the Author of George Barnwell [George Lillo]. N.B. This is much the coolest House in Town. At Common Prices, viz. Boxes 5s. Pit 2s. 6d. Gallery 1s. 6d. [For a puff, see Daily Advertiser, 25 May.] Daily Advertiser, 28 May: Last Night . . . Guilt its own Punishment . . . was acted . . . with the greatest Applause that has been shewn to any Tragedy for many Years. The Scenes of Distress were so artfully work'd up, and so well perform'd, that there scarce remain'd a dry Eye among the Spectators at the Representation; and during the Scene preceding the Catastrophe, an attentive Silence possess'd the whole House, more expressive of an universal Approbation than the loudest Applauses

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Mr Congreve, London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 2 Oct.: Last Night in the Entertainment of Dr Faustus...when the Machine wherein were Harlequin, the Miller's Wife, the Miller and his the Miller's Man, was got up to the full Extent of its flying, one of the Wires which held up the hind part of the Car broke first, and then the other broke, and the Machine, and all the People in it fell down Upon the Stage; by which unhappy Accident the young Woman who personated the Miller's Wife had her Thigh broke, and her Kneepan shatter'd, and was otherways very much bruised, the Harlequin had his Head bruised, and his Wrist strained; the Miller broke his Arm; and the Miller's Man had his Scull so fractured that his Life in despaired of. Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole, 6 Oct.: Covent Garden has given me a sort of surfeit of Mr Rich and his cleverness, for I was at [cg] when the machine broke t'other night; the house was in amaze for above a minute, and I dare say a great many in the galleries thought it very desterously performed, and that they screamed as naturally as heart could wish, till they found it was no jest, by their calling for surgeons, of whom several luckily happened to be in the pit. I stayed to see the poor creatures brought out of the house, and pity poor Mrs Buchanan not a little, whom I saw put into a chair in such a fright that as she is big with child, I question whether it may not kill her.-Horace Walpole's Correspondence with Thomas Gray, I, 113-14

Event Comment: Being St. Cecilia's Day. Boxes half a guinea. Pit 5s. First Gallery 3s. Upper Gallery 2s. 6 p.m. Particular Care has been taken to have the House well-aired; and the Passage from the Fields to the House will be cover'd for better Conveniency

Event Comment: Edition of 1740: Set to Musick by Mr Handel. Boxes half a guinea. Pit 5s. First Gallery 3s. Upper Gallery 2s. Particular Care if taken to have the House secur'd against the Cold, constant Fires being order'd to be kept in the House till the Time of performance