Event Comment: Not acted in 30 years. Principal Characters new Dress'd. Written by Otway (General Advertiser). Mr Woodward did ye part of Malagene in which he took off Mr Foote & would have many of ye Actors but the Audience grew so outragious, that he was forc'd to desist ye 4th & 5th Acts were much hooted, Mr Havard in a part where he says Whir was severely treated, nor could he ever appear after in ye play, but the whole Audience echoed that Word--it was given out again, wch so enrag'd the Audience yt they call'd loudly for Garrick, but as he was not this Night at the House, they pull'd up the Benches, tore down ye King's Arms, & wou'd have done much more mischief had not Mr Lacy qone into the Pit, & talk'd to 'em, what they resented was giving out a piece again after they had damn'd it--the Gallery resented ye Guards being sent in--Mr Lacy was oblig'd to go upon the Stage after & tell 'em I had given out the play again, as ne'er a Manager was present to give other Directions--In his Argument Mr Lacy call'd a Witness in ye pit, saying that Gent: next to ye painter knows I was in ye pit when ye Guards went into the Gallery, so I cou'd not send 'em this painter after ye rout came behind the scenes & was angry for being call'd painter (his name was Hudson) but at length he as well as ye rest was pacified--and we gave out Provok'd Husband (Cross). [See Foote's retaliation in Daily Advertiser, 26 Jan.] Paid Capt. Turber 1!2 year's rent #11 3s. 4d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #140 (Cross); #137 12s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: To begin exactly at 6:00 o'clock. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be had of Mr Varney at the Stage door. [Repeated throughout the season.] Ye Naturalizing Bill having made some Noise against the Jews, some people call'd out for ye Merchant of Venice, & a Letter was thrown upon ye Stage desiring that play instead of the Opera, but we took no Notice of it, some little hissing but it dy'd away (Cross). [Sometime in the calendar year 1753, Lacy and Garrick drew up a mortgage on the Drury Lane property for #10,000, to be amortized to James Clutterbuck over a period of twenty-one years at the rate of #4 per acting night, and permission to grant free seats in any part of the theatre (except the stage, scenes and orchestra) to forty persons. These latter to be named and seats assigned ten days prior to the opening of any season. This thirteen-page document, which describes accurately the bounds of the 13,134 square feet of land on which the ten buildings comprising Drury Lane Theatre stood, contains protective clauses for Clutterbuck, to the effect that Garrick and Lacy will exhibit nowhere else in London without the #4 nightly payment and for Garrick and Lacy, to the effect that arrears in payment could be collected solely from Drury Lane property, and not from the individual incomes of the mortgagees. It was not signed, so apprently was not executed. (See Havard, Collection of Documents dealing with affairs of Drury Lane, No 2, fMS, Thr 12.)] Receipts: #150 (Cross)

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre to The French Dancing Master, and there with much pleasure gazed upon her (Lady Castlemaine); but it troubles us to see her look dejectedly and slighted by People already. The play pleased us [Pepys and Mrs Pepys] very well; but Lacy's part, the Dancing Master, the best in the world

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: In haste to carry my wife to see the new play I saw yesterday, she not knowing it. But there, contrary to expectation, find The Silent Woman. However in; and there Knipp come into the pit...[and] tells me the King was so angry at the liberty taken by Lacy's part to abuse him to his face, that he commanded they should act no more, till Moone [Mohun] went and got leave for them to act again, but not this play. The King mighty angry; and it was better indeed, but very true and witty. I never was more taken with a play than I am with this "Silent Woman," as old as it is, and as often as I have seen it. There is more wit in it than goes to ten new plays. Nathaniel Wanby, Coventry, 1667: We have known in our time that the Silent Woman hath had the loud applause of a whole theatre (BM Harleian MS. 6430, p.23)

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's playhouse, by agreement met Sir W. Pen, and saw Love in a Maze: but a sorry play: only Lacy's clowne's part, which he did most admirably indeed; and I am glad to find the rogue at liberty again. Here was but little, and that ordinary, company. We sat at the upper bench next the boxes, and I find it do pretty well, and have the advantage of seeing and hearing the great people, which may be pleasant when there is good store. Now was only Prince Rupert and my Lord Lauderdale, and my Lord [...]...But here was neither Hart, Nell, nor Knipp; therefore, the play was not likely to please me

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Sir W. Pen and I to the King's house, and there saw The Committee, which I went to with some prejudice, not liking it before, but I do now find it a very good play, and a great deal of good invention in it; but Lacy's part is so well performed that it would set off anything