Event Comment: Benefit for Edwin. Public Advertiser, 9 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Edwin, No. 19, Piazza, Covent Garden. Mainpiece: Written by Ben Jonson, and altered by George Colman, Esq. Receipts: #349 15s. 6d. (250/15/6; tickets: 99/0/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Whitfield. 2nd piece: Written by George Colman, Esq. Not acted these 10 years [acted 20 Dec. 1777]. After which, a Grand Procession of the principal Characters of Shakespeare, as exhibited at the Jubilee at Stratford upon Avon [in Sept. 1769]. Public Advertiser, 5 May: Tickets to be had of Whitfield at his house, Leicester Court, Castle Street, Leicester Fields. Receipts: #114 4s. (45/18; tickets: 68/6) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. [Author of Address unknown.] 1st piece: By the Author of Love in a Village, &c. [Isaac Bickerstaffe]; not acted these 16 years [1st acted at DL, 24 Nov. 1770], by Veterans of the Stage. 2nd piece: By the late Samuel Foote, Esq. 3rd piece: By Garrick; not acted these 12 years. The Doors to be opened at 6:00. To begin at 7:00

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years [acted 19 Feb. 1784]. Afterpiece: Written by the late Henry Fielding, Esq. [The playbill lists Edwin as Coupee, but "Brown, in consequence of the sudden illness of Edwin . . . [undertook] the part of Coupee" (Morning Chronicle, 1 Feb.). He was from the Norwich theatre.] Receipts: #291 10s. (286/14/6; 4/15/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Johnston & Miss Williams. Mainpiece: Written by R. Cumberland, Esq., and perform'd at the Theatre-Royal, Drury-Lane, with great Applause. Never acted there. Tickets to be had of Mr and Mrs Johnston & Miss Williams at the Windsor Castle [Inn], Plough and Harrow, Angel, Cock and Magpie, Salutation; and of Waldron, No. 17, Dorville's Row, where places for the Boxes may be taken

Event Comment: Paid Supernumeraries #9 13s. 6d.; Carpenters #15 12s. 1d. Afterpiece: Written by the late Henry Fielding, Esq. Receipts: #225 12s. (181.3; 43.18; 0.11)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Harwood, late prompter of the Theatre-Royal, Drury-Lane. Harwood's respectful compliments to his Friends in particular, and the publick in general, and assures them every effort in his power shall be exerted to render the Evening's Entertainment agreeable, and humbly hopes for their well-known candour and protection on the above occasion. Tickets and Places to be had of Harwood, next door to Drury-Lane Theatre, Little Russel-street, Covent Garden. [Harwood was prompter at dl from 1780 to 1786. Hooke was from cg.] Afterpiece: Written by the late Samuel Foote, Esq

Event Comment: Benefit for Farren. Mainpiece: Written by Richard Cumberland, Esq. Not acted these 10 years [acted 15 Jan. 1778]. Public Advertiser, 11 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Farren at his House in Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields. Receipts: #303 7s. (90.8.6; 5.14.6; tickets: 207.4.0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Written by the late Henry Fielding, Esq. Receipts: #98 4s. 6d. (79.10.0; 18.2.0; 0.12.6)

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 Bannister Jun. [Author of Prologue to 1st piece unknown. 2nd piece: By permission of G. Colman, Esq. [owner of the copyright]. 3rd piece [1st time; F 2 (?)]: Altered from Woman's a Riddle [by Christopher Bullock; alterer unknown. Not in Larpent MS; not published]. Public Advertiser, 2 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Bannister Jun., No. 2, Frith-street, Soho. Receipts: #286 11s. (145.16; 14.5; 1.12; tickets: 124.18) (charge: #106 1s. 5d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer. 1st, 2nd and 3rd pieces: Never performed there. By Permission of G. Colman, Esq. [owner of the copyrights]. Public Advertiser, 30 Apr.: Tickets to be had of R. Palmer, No. 14, East Place, Lambeth. Receipts: #144 17s. (43.5; 18.13; 0.14; tickets: 82.5) (charge: #105 9s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; F 2, ascribed variously to John O'Keeffe and to James Foord; adapted from La Gageure Imprevue, by Michel Jean Sedaine. Text prints a Prologue "Supposed to be written by G. Colman, Esq., and intended to be spoken by Bannister Jun.," but "it arrived, by accident, too late at the theatre to be studied and recited" (London Chronicle, 25 Aug.)]. "A new afterpiece was...attempted to be represented, [but] it was not heard out" (Public Advertiser, 19 Aug.). Public Advertiser, 8 Oct. 1788: This Day is published A Key to the Lock (1s.)

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 Bannister Jun. Public Advertiser, 11 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Bannister Jun., No. 2, Frith-street, Soho. Afterpiece: By Permission of G. Colman, Esq., taken from The Genius of Nonsense. Receipts: #266 3s. 6d. (137.1.0; 15.3.0; 0.13.6; tickets: 113.6.0) (charge: #116 5s. 2d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Baddeley. 3rd piece [1st time; INT I, probably by Robert Baddeley. Not in Larpent MS; not published]: Taken from [The Lame Lover, by] the late Samuel Foote, Esq. Public Advertiser, 2 May: Tickets to be had of Baddeley, No. 10, New Store-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #297 16s. (74.14; 8.12; 0.19; tickets: 213.11) (charge: #117 16s. 4d.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Altered from Shirley, by David Garrick, Esq. Receipts: #193 0s. 6d. (185.10.0; 7.10.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Quick. Mainpiece: Written by R. Cumberland, Esq. Afterpiece: Written by Colley Cibber, with capital Additions by Fielding, Dean Swift, G. A. Stevens, &c. &c. &c. Public Advertiser, 20 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Quick, Broad-court, Bow-street. Receipts: #327 4s. (177.2.6; 9.11.6; tickets: 140.10.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Harley. Mainpiece: As altered from Beaumont and Fletcher by the Duke of Buckingham and D. Garrick, Esq. Not acted these 7 years. Morning Chronicle, 20 May: Tickets to be had of Harley, No. 22, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields. Receipts: #242 1s. 6d. (84.10.6; 7.5.0; tickets: 150.6.0)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Berry. Afterpiece: Written by the late Samuel Foote, Esq. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30. Tickets to be had at Mrs Richman's@Masquerade@Warehouse, Oxford-street; of Berry, at the George in the Haymarket; and of Rice at the Theatre, where Places for the Boxes may be taken. No Money to be returned

Event Comment: Mainpiece: In 5 Acts, altered from the Dramatic Romance by David Garrick, Esq. With a new Overture and new additional Musick by Storace [on 2 Jan. 1792 and thereafter, added: Shaw] and other Eminent Masters. Entirely new Scenery by Greenwood, and new Dresses, Decorations and Machinery. To conclude with a Grand Procession of the Hundred Knights of Chivalry, and the Representation of an Ancient Tournament. [These were included in all subsequent performances.] Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Morning Post, 3 Jan. 1792, prints a full description of the Procession of over 100 persons: 1st, Anglo-Saxon Knights and banners; then ancient British knights, Norman knights, Indians, Turks, Scythians, Romans, a dwarf, a giant; at end, "soldiers drawing a superb picture of St. George, knights in chain mail, a cupid leading a knight covered with a silver net, Hymen, piping fauns, bands of cupids drawing an altar--flame burning, cupids hovering over it, and others feeding doves below, a troop of Arcadian shepherds drawing the car of Cymon and Sylvia, characters of the drama, and chorus." "At the conclusion of the procession, a tournament took place of both horse and foot, between several combatants in armour, who fought with lances, swords and battle-axes: three of Hughes' horses [from the Royal Circus] were introduced, and managed with much dexterity; the Prince of Wales' Highlander made one of the procession, and entered the lists as a champion, fighting with an enormous club; against him a small female warrior was opposed, by whom he was subdued. It was by far the grandest spectacle ever seen upon the stage. Many of the characters were taken from Sir Philip Sydney's Arcadia, in which the scene of the piece was laid; and the dresses of the knights, armour, &c. from the drawings and descriptions of the best antiquarians" (Oulton, 1796, II, 215). [This was Edmund Kean's 1st appearance on the stage; he was about four years old. He personated a cupid lying in Cymon and Sylvia's car (Kelly, Reminiscences, II, 21-22).] Account-Book, 13 Jan. 1792: Paid Hughes for his Horses #16 19s. 10d.; 23 Jan.: Paid Gough for his Greyhounds in Cymon #5 19s. 6d. Receipts: #420 6s. (385.0; 35.5; 0.1)