Event Comment: Benefit for Kemble. 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. [Afterpiece in place of Who's the Dupe?, announced on playbill of 12 Apr.] Public Advertiser, 22 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Kemble, No. 25, Henrietta-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #290 15s. (164/0/0; 11/2/0; 1/18/0; tickets: 113/15/0) (charge: #106 17s. 7d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Brereton. 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. [Afterpiece in place of Too Civil by Half, announced on playbill of 14 Apr.] Public Advertiser, 24 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Brereton, Charles-street, Covent-Garden. Receipts: #317 19s. (133/13; 12/11; 0/9; tickets: 171/6) (charge: #107 15s. 10d.)

Event Comment: [The play is opened by Mrs Beverley and Charlotte, and when Mrs Siddons came on she was hissed because of a widespread report that she had refused to act for Brereton's benefit in Dublin. "A considerable period of time was lost; it might be forty minutes before the play began . . . We could perceive that the lady supported herself with a great degree of firmness under this very aweful trial--a trial which, in great measure, determined her future fame--perhaps her residence in this metropolis" (Town and Country Magazine, Oct. 1784, p. 510). "The Breretons have used her shockingly--Mrs B. was mean enough to sneak off the stage and leave her to stand the insults of a malicious party tho' she knew the whole disturbance was on her account and that her husband had at least been obliged to contradict the reports that concern'd him" (Betsy Sheridan, Journal, 1960, p. 32). Mrs Siddons explained to the audience that the stories circulated against her were "calumnies." She had, in fact, on 19 Aug., acted Jane Shore in Dublin for Brereton's benefit (Dublin Public Register, 19 Aug. 1784). "Though Mrs Siddons delivered this address with her usual judgment and articulation, and it was received with reiterated bursts of applause, yet she was so agitated when off the stage as to be very near fainting, and continued for some time much flurried" (Public Advertiser, 6 Oct.).] Receipts: #304 5s. (291/13; 12/11; 0/1)

Event Comment: There are two Kemble playbills for this night, one announcing Douglas, and a second, which reads: "On Account of the sudden and severe Indisposition of a Principal Performer . . . Douglas is unavoidably postponed, and This Evening will be presented . . . Macbeth. Macbeth-Holman; Lady Macbeth-Mrs Bates. The rest of the Characters, with the Vocal Parts, all as usual [see 4 Oct.]."

Event Comment: Benefit for Mme Rossi. Tickets, half a guinea each, to be had of Mme Rossi, No. 33, Pall-mall. 2nd ballet: With Grand Chorusses; the original Music by Matthew Locke is entirely preserved; the rest partly new [by Barthelemon], partly compiled from the most favourite Scotch Airs. "We cannot think last night's effort among the most successful . . . Lepicq and Rossi were the Macbeth and Lady--and considering the narrow boundaries of their art, which is tongue-tied, they discoursed 'with most miraculous organs.' Still, however, the whole of the material questions of the scene were agitated with all the disadvantages of contrast with comparative inefficience" (Public Advertiser, 18 Mar.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by A Lady [unidentified], based partly on L'Amitie A l'epreuve, by Charles Simon Favart and Claude Henri de Fusee de Voisenon]: The Overture and the new Music composed by Hook. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Public Advertiser, 30 Mar. 1786: This Day at Noon is published The Peruvian (1s. 6d.). [The music was printed under the title of The Fair Peruvian (S. A. & P. Thompson [1786]), which was the original title as given in the MS (Larpent 727).] Receipts: #246 8s. (242/16/6; 3/11/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bensley. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. The Romp [announced on playbill of 16 Apr.] cannot be performed on Account of the Indisposition of Mrs Jordan. Public Advertiser, 31 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Bensley at his house, No. 21, Charlotte-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #285 12s. (126.18.0; 13.17.6; 2.16.6; ticket2: 140.0.0;) (charge: #107 8s.)