Event Comment: Thomas Gray to Horace Walpole, 3 Jan.: I went to King Arthur last night, which is exceeding fine; they have a new man to supply Delane's place, one Johnson, with ye finest person & face in the world to all appearance; but as awkward, as a Button-maker; in short, if he knew how to manage his Beauties to advantage, I should not wonder, if all the Women run mad for him: the inchanted part of the play, is not Machinery, but actual magick: the second scene is a British temple enough to make one go back a thousand years, & really be in ancient Britain: the Songs are all Church-musick, & in every one of ye Chorus's Mrs Chambers sung ye chief part, accompanied with Roarings, Squawlings & Squeakations dire. Mrs Giffard is by way of Emmeline, & should be blind, but, heaven knows! I would not wish to see better than she does, & seems to do; for when Philidel restores her to sight, her eyes are not at all better than before; she is led in at first, by a Creature, yet was more like a Devil by half, than Grimbald himself; she took herself for Madame la Confidente, but every body else took her to be in the Circumstances of Damnation: when Emmeline comes to her sight, she beholds this Mrs Matilda first, & cries out Are Women all like thee? such glorious Creatures! which set the people into such a laugh, as lasted the whole Act: the Frost Scene is excessive fine; the first Scene of it is only a Cascade, that seems frozen: with the Genius of Winter asleep & wrapt in furs, who upon the approach of Cupid, after much quivering, & shaKing sings the finest song in the Play: just after, the Scene opens, & shows a view of arched rocks covered with Ice & Snow to ye end of ye Stage; between the arches are upon pedestals of Snow eight Images of old men & women, that seem frozen into Statues, with Icicles hanging about them & almost hid in frost, & from ye end come Singers, viz: Mrs Chambers, &: & Dancers all rubbing their hands & chattering with cold with fur gowns & worsted gloves in abundance. Gray, Correspondence, I, 36-37

Event Comment: Tragedy never acted. By James Thomson. Characters New Dress'd. But as it is rather more fashionable to run mad about Mr Thomsons's play, I will change my theme and talk to you of Tancred. I want much to know how you like it, at this distance I would lay any wager you do not like it so well as your sister does, who certainly cannot be your sister and not have been to see it long ago. Everybody agrees that no play was ever so much improved in acting, at least since the Booths and Bettertons. That first scene expecially, where Siffredi discovers to Tancred who he is, pleased me almost beyond anything I ever saw, indeed even before I saw it, that scene was my favourite. But what do you think of the story, and what of the style?-A Series of Letters between Mrs Elizabeth Carter and Miss Catherine Talbot, I, 60 (dated strangely 2 March). [On 26 April, the Daily Post published a letter by Bellario on Tancred and Sigismunda, discussing the kind of support it received]: A very remarkable new Lord of the Treasury was proud of appearing its Foster Father, and attended at the public rehearsals; the first night of the performance this celebrated person and his friends in the Box with him (all very lately most flaming Patriots) were seen clapping their hands at the following remarkable speech: First of You All...To Quit Mistakes. [The letter also discussed political aspects of the play, then the poetry of the lines. The author heard that three hundred lines were cut out after the first performance, and was of opinion that double that amount would have been beneficial.

Event Comment: FFoote a Fool. Whoever attacks my Reputation or Livelihood, is a mad Bull to me, and ought to be knocked down, prosecuted, etc. I hear I am to be hung up on Wednesday, at the Haymarket, by one Foote, a Fool. [The orator Henley, who usually advertised in the Daily Advertiser, placed this notice in the General Advertiser today.

Event Comment: Paid Norton 6 Chorus #1 10s. (Treasurer's Book). This Day is Publish'd at 6d. Remarks on the New Tragedy call'd The Roman Father, with a word to the Author. "When authors write such lively strains so sad,@They needs must make the honest Critic mad." By a Spectator. Sold by W. Reeve at Shakespeare's Head in Fleet St.; and A. Dodd at the Peacock opposite St. Clement's Church in the Strand. Receipts: #180 (Cross); #159 7s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Tomorrow (not acted this season) The Busy Body, with Entertainments of Dancing by M Devisse, being the 1st time of his appearing in England, and Mad Auretti. Receipts: #160 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Froment, Gardner, Page (Housekeeper) and Mad Cointrie. Tickets deliver'd by Goodall, Rawlins, Goodwin, and the Widow Dupre will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit Wright, Y. Cross, Mad. Camargo & 4 more had tickets (Cross). [The four were: Sturt, Lewis, G. Bullbrick, and Loyde.] Tickets for 13 April will be taken. Receipts: #110 (Cross)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. [Dancing by Mad Auretti had been forecast in the bill for 29 Jan., but is mentioned on the bill of the day.] Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: RRichd 3d (by Mossop) & Anatomist was put up but: Mossop being taken ill, after many Messages it was resolv'd to do ye Con. Lovers & Harl. Ranger. Small bills were printed & deliver'd at ye Doors to signify the Change & all went well. Mr Rich's Ent: of ye Sorcerer came out this day (Cross). Receipts: #120 (Cross). [The small bill referred to by Cross read as follows:] @Theatre Royal in Drury Lane@This night being the@11th of February@Richard the Third@(On Account of the Indisposition of a Principal Performer)@Is Oblig'd to be Chang'd to@The Conscious Lovers@and@Harlequin Ranger@with Dancing@By Mad Auretti@

Event Comment: For Mad Auretti (Cross). In order to accomodate the Quality and Gentry with places, the Pit and Boxes will be laid together, and the Stage will be formed into an Amphitheatre for the conveniency of Ladies and Gentlemen. Ladies are desired to send servants by 3 o'clock. Receipts: #240 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mlle Auretti. Last time of performing mainpiece this season. Part of Pit rail'd into the Boxes. Amphitheatre on Stage. [Ladies send servants by 3 o'clock.] Tickets of Mad Auretti, at her house in Leicester Fields, and at the Stage Door. Receipts: #190 (Cross)

Event Comment: For the Benefit of Mr Crisr Smart, an Ingenious young Man In poetry, but now confin'd in a Mad house the farce had universal applause (Cross). Afterpiece: A new Comedy in 2 Acts. Part of Pit laid into boxes. Tickets delivered out for the 26th of January will be taken. Receipts: #285 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Cibber. Tickets delivered for The Orphan will be taken. No building on stage. [Goldsmith, in his Bee (Vol. 1759, p. 56), commenting on Mad Clairon s' excellent preservation of character on stage, glances at Mrs Cibber, perhaps in this night's performance: 'I can never pardon a lady on the stage who, when she draws the admriation of the whole audience, turns about to make them a low courtesy for their applause. Such a figure no longer continues Belvidera , but at once drops into Mrs Cibber." See comment upon her deportment as Ophelia , 29 April 1763.

Event Comment: Benefit for Davis, Perry, and Mad Jansolin. No Building on stage

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never acted before. Characters new dressed &c. [See Theatrical Review; or, Annals of the Drama, 1763, pp. 67-74: Bless us what a sweet consistent piece of business is a modern Tragedy." See Boswell's account of his attendance that night with two friends, With oaken cudgels in our hands and shrill sounding catcalls in our pockets," ready prepared to damn the play (London Journal), p. 154 ff.).] Critical Strictures on the New Tragedy of Elvira, published this month (Gentleman's Magazine). I then undressed for the Play. My father and I went to the Rose, in the Passage of the Playhouse, where we found Mallet, with about thirty friends. We dined together, and went from thence into the Pitt, where we took our places in a body, ready to silence all opposition. However, we had no occasion to exert ourselves. Not withstanding the malice of a party, Mallet's nation, connections and indeed imprudence, we heard nothing but applause. I think it was deserved. The play was borrowed from de la Motte, but the details and language have great merit. A fine Vein of dramatick poetry runs thro' the piece. The Scenes between the father and son awaken almost every sensation of the human breast; and the Council would have equally moved, but for the inconvenience unavoidable upon all Theatres, that of entrusting fine Speeches to indifferent Actors. The perplexity of the Catastrophe is much, and I believe justly, critisized. But another defect made a strong impression upon me. When a Poet ventures upon the dreadful situation of a father who condemns his son to death; there is no medium; the father must either be monster or a Hero. His obligations of justice, of the publick good, must be as binding, as apparent as perhaps those of the first Brutus. The cruel necessity consecrates his actions, and leaves no room for repentance. The thought is shocking, if not carried into action. In the execution of Brutus's sons I am sensible of that fatal necessity. Without such an example, the unsettled liberty of Romev would have perished the instant after its birth. But Alonzo might have pardoned his son for a rash attempt, the cause of which was a private injury, and whose consequences could never have disturbed an established government. He might have pardoned such a crime in any other subject; and the laws could exact only a equal rigor for a son; a Vain appetite for glory, and a mad affectation of Heroism, could only influence him to exert an unequal & superior severity (Gibbon's Journal, ed. D. M. Low [New York, n.d.], pp. 202-4)

Event Comment: The Mad Scene in the Pantomime much hiss'd (Hopkins). Receipts: #163 18s. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: The Mad Scene left out (Hopkins) [of Rites of Hecate, see 6 Feb. 1764]. Receipts: #201 5s. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Beard's Night. Charges. #64 5s., Balance to Beard #198 12s. (Account Book). Got but a bad place in the 2s. Gallery at Covent Garden where I saw Love in a Village with the Citizen...At the end of Act 2, we had the dance of the Female Archer, by Mad LaRiviere, Miss Wilford, &c. with Miss Pope of the other House. Ought to be particularly encouraged because she is virtuous. Mr Elliot has sold her to Cumberland (Neville MS Diary). Receipts: #262 17s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: FFoote has saved [Taylors] by adding Francisco's mad scene (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A New Comedy of 3 Acts [by George Colman] never performed. [In the Shakespearean Pageant, with figures from seventeen of his plays, the chief effectiveness lay with the Musicians who ushered in each group with appropriate music: Martial Music-The Roman Characters of Coriolanus and Julius Caesar; Soft Music-Antony and Cleopatra; Grand Music, Old English Characters-King John, Richard III, Henry VIII: Magical Music, "above, about, underneath" for Prospero; Macbeth's Music; Fairy Music-Oberon and Titania; Solemn Music for Tragic Muse accompanied by Othello, Hamlet, the Ghost, Mad Ophelia and Lear with Cordelia; Dead March in Saul-Juliet's Bier with attendants; Allegro for the Comic Muse-Falstaff, Touchstone, Launcelot, Malvolio; Andante-Florizel and Perdita, Portia Antonio and Bassanio; Flourish-for Car drawn by the muses carrying Shakespeare's Bust; Final Song by Mrs Mattocks, "Sweetest Bard that Ever Sung, Nature's glory, Fancy's Child--." The Prelude is, in print, entirely favorable to Garrick's effort at Stratford. But it could be rendered in a mercilessly ironical manner if the three participating actors so chose. Mainpiece reviewed in the Freeholder's Magazine, Oct.] Receipts: #224 10s

Event Comment: Mr G. very fine in Hastings Miss Young's first appearance in Alicia pretty well She was a little too Mad Mrs Canning a Widow made her first appearance upon the Stage in Jane Shore a Small mean figure very little power (very So, So.) great applause (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly in wording.] Rec'd Stopages #30 5s. 6d.; Paid Salary list #522 18s.; Mr King 6 nights extra salary #3; Mr Johnston's Music Bill for Alfred, &c. #19 16s. 9d.; Mr Baddeley on note per Mr. G G #21. Receipts: #267 11s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Matilda deferr'd Reddish Ill. Matilda was advertis'd for this Night but Mr Reddish came Yesterday as Mad as a March Hare, Said he had all the Terrors of the Damn'd upon him, & that he had not had a Wink of Sleep all Night. Call'd the Great Gods & the dear Woman (Mrs Canning) that lay by his Side to Witness the Truth of this Assertion & behav'd like a Man in Despair (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble delicately omits reference to Mrs Canning.] Paid salary list 4 day #378 10s. 8d.; J. French on acct #5 5s.; Mr. J. Johnston Music bill #10 1s. Receipts: #180 3s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: House. Mr Reddish Still continuing a little Mad or So--Mr Cautherly plaid the Duke & very well was applauded (Hopkins Diary). Last time but one of performing before Easter. Paid Carpenter's Dinners &c. at Black Lyon #6 6s.; Tabor & Pipe 10 nights (1st inst. incl.) #5 5s.; Rec'd of Mr Rowland 1 yrs. rent to Lady Day last (#1 16s. Land tax deducted) #41 4s. Receipts: #180 3s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Street Ballad, The Duenna or the Double Elopement, a new song to an old Tune: @In the days of Gay, they sing and say,@The town was full of folly:@For all day long, its sole sing-song@Was pretty, pretty Polly.@So now-a-days, as it was in Gay's,@The world's run mad again-a@From morn to night its whole delight@To cry up the Duenna.@One half the town still talks of Brown@The other of Leoni,@While those sly curs, the managers,@Keep pocketing the money... [Brown was the original Clara in the opera. See 16 Dec. 1775 (Hampden, Journal).