Event Comment: This Farce was wrote on purpose to Shew Mrs Barry in an Irish part. She did not succeed so well in it as was expected but upon the Whole the Farce was well perform'd & met with great Applause (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan note from Kemble differs slightly. See Account of the Irish Widow" in British Theatre article, London Magazine, Oct. 1772.] Paid Mr Rochfort for men's cloaths #7 7s. (Treasurer's Book). [The account in Town and Country Magazine of the afterpiece: "Upon the whole it is very indifferent production and as it did not meet with the applause that was expected, no one has adopted the bantling. The many are of opinion that Garrick had a hand in it, as it is got up to the best advantage, and a new dance is introduc'd between the acts to put the audience in a good humour for the succeeding scenes. Mrs Sutton is the principal dancer in the Irish Fair, in which she displayed great spirit and activity. The piece concludes with a song sung by Mrs Barry, which we think injudiciously alloted to her, as her forte does not consist in singing."] Receipts: #200 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted for 14 years, altered from Shirley. [See 7 Feb. 1758.] Characters New Dress'd in the Habits of the Times. This Comedy is reviv'd with Alterations. It is well perform'd & had great Applause (Hopkins Diary). Paid Half year's paving &c. to Mich. last for Drury Lane & Russel St. #14. Mr Godfrey for women's cloaths, #15. Mr Clutterbuck's last summer's balance #57 15s. 2d.; Mrs Foster for men's cloaths, #25 (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #121 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Mrs Jewell. [First time for all the women in the characters of the mainpiece.

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Part of Pit laid into the Boxes. Paid Mr J. French on acct #5 5s.; Housekeeper's 2 bills #14 16s.; Properties #1 13s. 8d.; Chorus 2 nights (this incl.) #4 7s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #263 10s. Charges: #74 14s. Profit to Miss Pope: #188 16s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wheeler and Jacobs. Tickets deliver'd by Kear and Mrs Marklew will be taken. Doors open by 5 o'clock. Play to begin at 6 o'clock. Paid Chorus this night #1 15s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #228 13s. 6d. Charges: #74 14s. Profits to beneficiaries #153 18s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Tickets delivered by Smith, Bowles, Ledger, Mrs Morris, Miss Bassan and Miss Matthews for Love in a Village will be admitted this Evening. Receipts: #165 16s. 6d. (124.9.6; 0.12.0; tickets: 40.15.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Younge. Mainpiece: Not acted these 7 years [acted 23 Apr. 1773]. Public Advertiser, 13 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Miss Younge at Thelwall's, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #217 16s. 6d. (83.16.0; 17.14.6; 9.1.0; tickets: 107.5.0) (charge: #64 15s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jackson. 3rd piece [1st time in London; F 2, by James Solas Dodd, based on Le Naufrage, by Joseph de laFont, and 1st acted at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, 1772, as The Funeral Pile. "The performers were exceedingly correct, which is unusual in benefit piece" Oulton, 1796,1,81). Prologue by the author (Town and Country Magazine, May 1779, p.270)]: With an Indian Processionv. Public Advertiser, 24 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jackson in the Great Piazza, Covent Garden

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; PAST 2, by Richard Josceline Goodenough, altered from his unacted play The Cottagers]: The Overture and Music composed by Baumgarten. [Baumgarten used this overture again in Robin Hood (see cg, 17 Apr. 1784).] Books of the Pastoral to be had at the Theatre. [Wordsworth is identified in the playbill of 22 Dec. Mrs Webb was from the Hay.] Public Advertiser, 24 Nov. 1779: This Day is published William And Nanny (1s.). Receipts: #122 15s. (116.15.6; 5.19.6)

Event Comment: Permission [of the Lord Chamberlain]. Mainpiece: Written in imitation of Shakespeare by the late ingenious Dr Kenrick. Never performed there. The Characters entirely dressed in the Habits of the Times. Afterpiece: Not acted these 60 years [acted 4 Mar. 1737]. [Authors of Prologues and of Epilogue unknown.] Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:15. Tickets delivered for M'Cready and Mrs Davis will be admitted

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Mainpiece: A new Comedy, in 5 Acts [1st time; author unknown; not in Larpent MS; not published. Authors of Prologue and Epilogue unknown]. Afterpiece: Never acted here. A Comedy in 2 Acts, taken from Moliere and D'Ancourt. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:15. Tickets delivered for Vietch, Burton and Miss Brown will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Sharp and Mrs Brereton. [Afterpiece: Prologue by George Colman elder.] Receipts: #175 18s. (64.12; 34.2; 0.17; tickets:76.7) (charge: #65 0s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted here these 6 years. Afterpiece: Taken from [the same, by Henry? Fielding, and prepared for the stage by the Author of Midas, &c. [Kane O'Hara; 1st time; BURL 2. Text 1st published by J. Barker [1805]]. With a new Overture, Dresses, and Decorations. The Overture, Songs, Duets and Chorusses composed and compiled by J. Markordt. Books of the Burletta to be had at the Theatre (on playbill of 10 Nov.). Account-Book, 1 Feb. 1781: Paid Mackordt [sic] for music of Tom Thumb #20. [Mrs Inchbald was from the York theatre. Master Edwin had spoken a Prologue at cg on 22 Apr. 1780.] Receipts: #152 1s. 6d. (149.2.0; 2.19.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wells. 2nd piece: With the Manual Exercise by Mrs Wells

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Wheeler. Mainpiece: Not acted these 2 years. Receipts: #139 14s. 6d. (31/9/0; 20/13/6; 1/5/0; tickets: 86/7/0) (charge: #106 17s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Newbold and Miss Bird. [2nd piece: Prologue by George Colman, the elder.]

Event Comment: [Iliff was from the Edinburgh theatre; Mrs Farren from the York theatre.] Afterpiece [1st time; F 2, by John O'Keeffe]. Public Advertiser, 30 Aug. 1788: This Day is published The Prisoner at Large (1s. 6d.)

Event Comment: 3rd piece [1st time; F 2, by Charles Stuart, "from the Spanish"; on 2 Sept. reduced to 1 act. Prologue by the author (see text)]. "The Piece, we understand, was originally founded on some topics that have of late engrossed the conversation of much of the fashionable world...The Lord Chamberlain thought [it] too delicate a nature to appear with the allusions and title it then bore, She would be a Duchess. The consequence was that the offensive bits were expunged and the piece re-christened...It would be unfair to make any observations...in the mutilated stage it was presented" (Public Advertiser, 15 Aug.). "Some part of the plot was supposed to allude to the late occurrences in the family of General John? Gunning, who was indulged with the privilege of erasing [from the MS] that which he disliked, and who reduced it to its present feeble and unconnected form" (Gazetteer, 15 Aug.). [The reference in the original title is to the simultaneous flirtation of Miss Elizabeth Gunning, the General's daughter, with the eldest sons of the Dukes of Marlborough and Argyll (see dnb, under Susannah Gunning). She would be a Duchess: in Larpent MS 915.

Event Comment: [Extra night] By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit the Widow of a Baronet [Sir Richard Perrott] and a large Infant Family. [Address by John Taylor (True Briton, 21 Sept.).] Tickets to be had of the Widow, No. 28, Spring-street, Portman-square [and see 28 Jan. 1799]

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Knight. Mainpiece: Not acted these 20 years [acted 1 Oct. 1779]. Times, 1 May: Tickets to be had of Mr and Mrs Knight, No. 47, Rathbone-place. Receipts: #270 11s. 6d. (138.19.6; 4.9.6; tickets: 127.2.6)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; M. ENT 2, by William Linley. Larpent MS 1246; not published]: With new Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations. The Overture and Musick entirely new, composed by William? Linley. Books of the Songs to be had in the Theatre. [Notice on playbill of 20 Nov.: The Author of The Pavilion, submitting with deference to the decision of the Public, has withdrawn it for the present to make such alterations as he hopes may render it an Entertainment better entitled to their approbation. (On 21 Jan. 1800, altered, it was acted as The Ring.)] "Miss DeCamp need never wish to have a better foil to her exquisite style of acting, than the puny efforts of Kelly and Mrs Crouch. They may be singers, but never should attempt to perform" (Dramatic Censor, I, 9). Receipts: #291 4s. 6d. (157.3.0; 131.8.6; 2.13.0)

Event Comment: Rich's Company. The date of the first performance is not known, for the play was apparently not printed until 1704. Nevertheless, some details indicate a performance early in the early in the season of 1696-97. In the first place, the presence of Verbruggen in the cast indicates that it must have been acted before 1 Jan. 1696@7, when Verbruggen was permitted to act at Lincoln's Inn Fields. The play also parodies the works of Mrs Manley, whose The Royal Mischief had been staged (probably) in April 1696, and it is likely that the company would emphasize the pertinence of the parody by presenting it soon after the appearance of the original. Although The Female Wits may not have been acted until later in the autumn, it seems likely that it was acted first in the late summer or early autumn. Preface, Edition of 1704: [The] Success of this Play has been such...having been Acted six Days running without intermission....Among the rest, Mr Powel and his Wife excell'd in the Characters they represented, as did Mrs Verbruggen, who play'd the Chief Character....The Lady whose Play is rehears'd, personated one Mrs M-ly [Manley]

Event Comment: Benefit Miss Lindar

Event Comment: Benefit Miss Harrison. [Prices 4s., 2s. 6d., 1s. 6d., 1s.