Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted in 10 years. [See 20 Dec. 1764.] Mrs King and Mrs Greville Imperfect (Hopkins Diary). Receipts: #107 11s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for King. Not acted in 10 years. [See 10 May 1762.] Considerable alterations to the mainpiece. Part of Pit laid into Boxes. Receipts: #143 17s.; Charges: #66 10s. 6d.; Profits to King: #77 6s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time at a public theatre; C 3, by Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven, afterwards Margravine of Anspach, 1st acted privately at the Town-Hall, Newbury, 6 Apr. 1780. Text (G. Riley, 1781) assigns no parts. Prologue by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Epilogue by Joseph Jekyll (see text)]: With new Dresses, &c. "The Prologue [the first 30 lines and the concluding couplet of which were used by Sheridan as the Prologue to Pizarro (see dl, 24 May 1799)] was so much admired that at the request of the Duchess of Devonshire and several other of the nobility it was respoken after the piece; but as King was absent from the theatre, it was delivered by Palmer" (Town and Country Magazine, May 1780, p. 23 ). "The chief singularity was that [Lady Craven] went to it herself the second night, in form; sat in the middle of the front row of the stage-box, much dressed, with a profusion of white bugles and plumes, to receive the public homage due to her sex and loveliness. The Duchess of Richmond, Lady Harcourt,...Mrs Damer, Lord Craven,...and I were with her. It was amazing to see so young a woman entirely possess herself-but there is such an integrity and frankness in her consciousness of her own beauty and talents, that she speaks of them with a naivete as if she had no property in them, but only wore them as gifts of the gods. Lord Craven on the contrary was quite agitated by his fondness for her and with impatience at the bad performance of the actors, which was wretched indeed, yet the address of the plot, which is the chief merit of the piece, and some lively pencilling carried it off very well, though Parsons murdered the Scotch lord, and Mrs Robinson (who is supposed to be the favourite of the Prince of Wales) thought on nothing but her own charms, or him. There is a very good though endless prologue written by Sheridan and spoken in perfection by King, which was encored (an entire novelty) the first night: and an epilogue that I liked still better and which was full as well delivered by Mrs Abington, written by Mr. Jekyl. The audience, though very civil, missed a fair opportunity of being gallant, for in one of those ----logues, I forget which, the noble authoress was mentioned, and they did not applaud as they ought to have done, especially when she condescended to avow her pretty child and was there looking so very pretty...Yet Lady Craven's tranquillity had nothing displeasing;...and it was tempered by her infinite good nature, which made her make excuses for the actors instead of being provoked at them" (Walpole [28 May 1780], XI, 178-80). Public Advertiser, 14 July 1781: This Day at Noon will be published The Miniature Picture (price not listed). Receipts: #144 9s. (94.9; 48.3; 1.17)

Event Comment: "Palmer and Bannister having withdrawn from the theatre, The School for Scandal and The Quaker, which were intended for the opening pieces, were changed" (Town and Country Magazine, Oct. 1787, p. 445). [These two actors thought themselves ill-used because of the refusal of the dl management to acknowledge their right to open the Royalty (see 20 June 1787). Oulton, 1796, II, 1-8, prints an exchange of letters between Palmer, Bannister, and King (the dl acting manager) relating to this situation.] "Some twenty of thirty bars of Handel, on the approach of the court to the play [in III. ii of mainpiece]...made a fine preparation for the scene which followed" (World, 19 Sept.). Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Fosbrook at the Theatre. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [see 13 Nov.]. Receipts: #186 5s. 6d. (151.0.0; 35.4.6; 0.1.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Jones. Tickets to be had of Jones at the White Horse, Parson's Green; at the King's Arms, Fulham; Ship, Fulham; and the George, Walham Green. Afterpiece: It is hoped that the greatest Attention will be paid, as it is impossible for the Company to cogitate throughtout the Cogibundity of Cogitations, unless the most profound Profundity of Thought is observed. Pit 2s. Gallery 1s. Good Fires in the Pit

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of King Lear, advertised on playbill of 14 Oct.] Receipts: #217 6s. 6d. (215.16.0; 1.10.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Author [of mainpiece, who is named in Kemble Mem., but not on the playbill. In mainpiece the playbill retains King, but "Mr King being ill I acted his Part to-night" (Kemble Mem.).]. Account-Book, 12 May: Author's Charge 3rd night of Fugitive enter'd short by error #12 16s. Receipts: #408 5s. (365.1; 41.0; 2.4; tickets: none listed) (charge: #147)

Event Comment: [Afterpiece: Prologue by George Colman, the elder.] Powell: Love a-la-mode rehearsed at 10 (for King); Lodoiska music at 11 (for Kelly, Storace, Crouch); Natural Son at 12 (King, Moody. Miss Farren one scene). Receipts: #347 15s. 6d. (283/0/0; 53/13/6; 7/2/0)

Event Comment: Benefit for King. [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as Gertrude was at Liverpool, 23 July 1777; Mrs Jordan's as Ophelia at Richmond, 19 Aug. 1795.] Morning Herald, 28 Apr.: Tackets to be had of King, No. 56, Store-street, Bedford-square; 30 Apr.: The dresses [in Hamlet] were all modern. Receipts: #498 17s. 6d. (284.11.6; 55.9.0; 2.5.0; tickets: 156.12.0) (charge: #232 7s. 6d.)

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. [On this night an unsuccessful attempt was made to assassinate the King. As he entered his box he was shot at by James Hadfield, who was in the pit. The royal family remained in the theatre throughout the performance, during which God save the King was sung on four different occasions. Hadfield was subsequently adjudged insane. See Gentleman's Magazine, May 1800, pp. 478-80.] Receipts: #438 13s. 6d. (345.15.6; 87.9.0; 5.9.0)