Event Comment: Benefit for Mr & Mrs Davies (Cross). Mainpiece: Acted but once these 17 years. Tickets and places to be had of Mr and Mrs Davies at their lodgings at Mr Evan's, in Tavistock Row, Covent Garden, and at The Stage Door. Receipts: #192 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Davies. Mainpiece: Not acted for three years. First appearance in Calista for Mrs Yates because Mrs Cibber, ill, could not play the part. Davies advertised before this he had opened a Bookseller's shop opposite Tom's Coffee House, Russel Street, Covent Garden

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr Davies and Mrs Love. Tickets deliver'd by Norris taken. Receipts: #143 5s. 6d. Charges: #74 14s. Profits to Davies and Mrs Love: #68 11s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Davies, bookseller, and Mrs Davies, who formerly belonged to this Theatre, and who have sustained misfortunes in trade. Public Advertiser, 20 May: Tickets to be had of Davies, Great Russel-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #198 9s. 6d. (69.14.0; 17.10.0; 0.13.6; tickets: 110.12.0) (charge: #64 4s.)

Event Comment: Paid to Charlotte Lane for cleaning for Mr Dyer a white cloth Suit lac'd with silver, 2s. 6d. For Altering and mending ditto, silk &c., 6s. (MS list in Folger Library, Davies Life of Garrick, II, 322)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 10 years [acted 10 Nov. 1779]. [Miss Brunton was from the Bath theatre. Prologue by Arthur Murphy (Works, 1786, VII, 60).] Receipts: #337 18s. (335/7/6; 2/10/6)

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. "I could wish an actor of Brereton's merit would avoid tones in speaking which approach to something like singing" (Davies, m, 251). Receipts: #311 7s. (131/15/0; 6/9/6; 0/1/6; tickets: 173/1/0) (charge: #106 10s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 2, by George Colman, ynger]: With new Musick, Scenery, Machinery, Dresses and Decorations. The Musick entirely new, composed by Kelly with an overture by Dussek]. The Scenes designed and executed by Greenwood? Jun, with the assistance of Chalmers and Banks. The Machinery, Decorations and Dresses designed and under the direction of Johnston, and executed by him, Underwood and Gay. The Female Dresses designed and executed by Miss Rein. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. "We have to congratulate the town on the acquisition of three admirable dramatic writers, in the persons of Johnston, Greenwood, and Miss Rein, who have here exhibited a specimen of the Sublime and Beautiful which it will be difficult, indedd, to surpass" (Monthly Mirror, Jan. 1799, p. 47). [This piece is "an exhibition of music and dialogue, pantomime and dancing, painting and machinery, antique dresses and armour, thunder and lightning, fire and water, illumination, processions, banquets, battles, sieges, explosions, and everything that can surprize, enchant or terrify the spectators" (Morning Chronicle, 21 Jan.). Morning Chronicle, 16 Feb. 1799: This Day is published Feudal Times (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #483 15s. 6d. (381.10.6; 100.6.6; 1.18.6)

Event Comment: Benefit Davies, Bookseller (General Advertiser). Tickets to be had of Mr Cummins, Bookseller, under the Royal Exchange; at the Horn Tavern in Fleet St.; at Mr Waller's, Bookseller, over against Fetter Lane End; The Temple Exchange Coffee-House; at Lebeck's Head in the Strand; and at Mr Davies in Old Round Court in the Strand

Event Comment: Benefit Dunstall and Davies. Receipts: #15 16s. 6d., plus #91 15s. from tickets, distribution unspecified. Charges #60. Paid Bridgwater in part of his Bond #50 (Account Books, Egerton 2268). Tickets to be had at Dunstall's in Hunt's Court, Castle St; and of Davies at Mrs Cox's at the Indian Queen, in Cranbourn St., Leicester Fields

Event Comment: Benefit for Davies, and Mrs Davies. Tickets at their lodgings at Mr Marshall's in Tavistock Row, Covent Garden, and at Stage Door. Part of Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Receipts: #220 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Davies. No Building on Stage. [The playbill lists Russel-$Davies.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Davies. Oroonoko by Mr Powell (Hopkins). Very well (Hopkins Diary-MacMillan). Receipts: #166 10s. (MacMillan); charges: #64 4s. [Profit to Mrs Davies: #102 6s.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr J. Aickin and Davies. Paid a cotton Bill #2 6s. 8d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #171 19s. Charges: #66 6d. Profit to J. Aickin and Davies: #105 13s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Davies. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Receipts: #159 13s. 6d. Charges: #67 3s. Profits to Mrs Davies: #92 10s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: "[In mainpiece] Richard , last night, was personated by Davies, and the Governor by Macready" (General Advertiser, 19 Oct.). Receipts: #226 18s. (222.7.6; 4.10.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Clinch. Doors opened at half past 5. Play to begin at Half an Hour after 6. [Afterpiece written by Sheridan for Clinch, traditionally in gratitude for his saving The Rivals from damnation. (See Thomas Moore's Life of Sheridan [London, 1825], I, 148). The Westminster Magazine for May adds to cast: Irish Corporal-Davies, $Wewitzer">Fox; Soldiers-$Davies, $Wewitzer, Chaplin, and reviews the piece briefly: St Patrick's day is replete with broad humor, homely jests, and extravagant caricature. The language in general shewed the author a man of honour and observation; the situations were whimsical and produced that mirth which the audience in the Prologue were invited to partake of....The jests were occasionally too low and vulgar, and his scene too extravagantly absurd. The main drift of the Prologue was to tell the Audience that a fine Spring impeded the theatrical harvest; and that at this season the benefits of Nature were the greatest enemies to the Performer's Benefits."

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MD 2, by George Colman, ynger, based on Raoul Barbe Bleue, by Michel Jean Sedaine (although, in the 1st edition of the play, this denied by Colman). Text (Cadell and Davies, 1798)]: The Scenery, Machinery, Dresses, and Decorations entirely new. The Musick composed and selected [from Paisiello] by Kelly. The Scenes designed and executed by Greenwood? Jun, Chalmers, and others. The Machinery, Decorations, and Dresses designed and under the direction of Johnston, and executed by him, Underwood, Gay, and Miss Rein. Books of the Songs to be had in the Theatre. Times, 8 Feb. 1798: This Day is published Blue Beard (1s. 6d.). "In the course of the representation, many blunders in working the scenery, which are unavoidable in a first representation of this nature, occurred, and the delays which took place were frequently very great...It was twelve o'-clock before the curtain dropped...The Expense of getting it up is said to be not less than #2,000" (London Chronicle, 18 Jan.). Proud swells the tide, with loads of capering heels, And vacant Folly shouts applause in peals; Hoards, even beyond th miser's wish, are thrown, To deck some sham farago for the town...Money for dresses, money for new scenes, New music, decorations, and machines; The cost of these, including every freak, Would pay ten decent players four pounds a week. Anthony Pasquin (pseud. for John Williams), "Innovation," in The Devil [1787], II, no. 2, 46. Receipts: #319 14s. 6d. (216.17.6; 102.2.0; 0.15.0)

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. It is not certain this is the first performance, but it may well have been. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@139, p. 125. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 346. Pepys, Diary: Sir W. Pen and I to the Duke's house, where a new play. The King and Court there: the house full, and an act begun. And so went to the King's. Downes (p. 28): Sir Martin Marral, The Duke of New-Castle, giving Mr Dryden a bare translation of it, out of a Comedy of the Famous French Poet Monseur Moleire: He adapted the Part purposely for the Mouth of Mr Nokes, and curiously Polishing the whole....All the Parts being very Just and Exactly perform'd, specially Sir Martin and his Man, Mr Smith, and several others since have come very near him, but none Equall'd, nor yet Mr Nokes in Sir Martin: This Comedy was Crown'd with an Excellent Entry. In the Last Act at the Mask, by Mr Priest and Madam Davies; This, and Love in a Tub, got the Company more Money than any preceding Comedy