Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Fontenelle. Public Advertiser, 14 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Fontenelle at her house, No. 271, Holbourn. 2nd piece: Compressed into 3 short Acts. "Miss Fontenelle...is the best Romp we ever saw, Mrs Jordan alone excepted...We were sorry to see [her] fall over the groove of the scene; but as practice is more forcible than precept, we hope it will teach her the truth of Friar Lawrence's caution, 'they stumble who run fast'" (Diary, 4 May). Receipts: #219 19s. (133.14.6; 6.8.6; tickets: 79.16.0)

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Theatre to see Philaster, which I never saw before, but I found it far short of my expectations. [An undated edition, the Sixth Impression, was published, probably, in this year, with no cast, no prologue, no epilogue.

Event Comment: The United Company. The date of the first performance is not known, but Luttrell dated his copy of the separately-printed Prologue and Epilogue 5 April 1684 (J. W. Dodds, Thomas Southerne, p. 48). Very probably the play first appeared during the week of 31 March-5 April, immediately following Easter. The Prologue and Epilogue are reprinted in Wiley, Rare Prologues and Epilogues, pp. 191-94. This may have been the last new role William Smith undertook for some years; see Cibber, Apology, ed. Lowe, 1, 78-79, for the incident which prompted Smith's leaving the stage for awhile. One song, I never saw a face till now, with music by Captain Pack, is in The Theater of Music, the First Book, 1685; and another, O why did e'er my thoughts aspire, the music by R. King, is in the same collection. A third song, See how fair Corinna lies, the music by Captain Pack, is in A Collection of Twenty-Four Songs, 1685

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr Luke? Sparks. Tickets and places to be had of Hobson at the stage door, and of Sparks at Courteen's Coffee-House in Bow St., Covent Garden. Dramatic Censor, I, 34-35: The whole part of the King, except his soliloquy, is truly wretched for an actor: and, to say truth, I never saw one who did not make a very insipid figure in it, the late Mr Sparks excepted; he was great in the formentioned soliloquy, respectable in every passage of the least regard, and so peculiarly happy in falling, when stabled, from the throne, that we may truly say, a good end apologized for a very bad character. Receipts: #150 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel); cash, #80 7s. 6d.; tickets, #91 5s. (Clay MS)

Event Comment: "[Mrs Jordan] plays Miss Hoyden with great effect . . . but the character in her hands is only the Romp in other situations . . . We never saw anything more naturally assumed, or more agreeably wicked, if we may so phrase it, than the whole of [Miss Farren's] deportment in her scenes with Loveless" (Morning Chronicle, 11 Jan.). Receipts: #215 3s. (212/9; 2/14)

Event Comment: [As mainpiece the playbill announces the 1st night of The False Friend (see 24 Oct.), but "Miss Farren was taken ill, and The Beggar's Opera was the substitute. It proved, however, to be a substitute flat, stale and unprofitable. We never saw more indiffernet acting" (Oracle, 22 Oct.). Afterpiece in place of Richard Coeur de Lion, advertised on playbill of 20 Oct.] Paid Watch & Beadles, St. Martin's parish? 1 Year #42 10s. 4d. Receipts: #73 4s. (46.17.0; 24.17.6; 1.9.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mme Banti. A Grand Serious Opera (1st time in this Country [1st performed at Paris, 1779]); the Music by Gluck. Accompanied With Chorusses under the Direction of Kelly. With entirely new Scenes designed by Marinari, and executed under his direction, Dresses and Decorations. Tickets to be had of Mme Banti, No. 7, Hay Market. The Company are respectfully entreated not to come upon the Stage this Night, as the Iphigenia is accompanied with a degree of Spectacle on which the effect of the Performance chiefly depends; besides, the Machinery used in this Opera will make it dangerous for the Company to be upon the Stage during the time of the representation. "We never saw a House more splendid, more crowded, nor more gratified...In spite of the request not to crowd upon the stage, it was quite thronged; and it was impossible to move the complicated and superb scenery with effect. We lament that no means can be devised to save the stage from this perpetual intrusion" (Morning Chronicle, 8 Apr.). "Banti had a crowded house for her benefit, and is said to have netted 1500 guineas" (Monthly Magazine, May 1796 p. 321)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Ward. Mainpiece: Not acted this season. Afterpiece: A comedy of one act by Mrs Cibber not acted these 12 years. [See 2 May 1753.] None admitted behind Scenes

Event Comment: [Benefit for Dibdin, but not acted,] Princess Louisa Anne, sister to His Majesty died in the morning. All Theatres and Gardens closed for 8 days. Rec'd of Mrs Squibb for her deficiency the 10th Inst. #11 5s. Rec'd of Davis for his deficiency the 4th inst. #4 12s. Received of Perry for his deficiency the 4th inst. #4 12s. (Account Book).*c1768 05 13 cg [Benefit for Dibdin, but not acted,] Princess Louisa Anne, sister to His Majesty died in the morning. All Theatres and Gardens closed for 8 days. Rec'd of Mrs Squibb for her deficiency the 10th Inst. #11 5s. Rec'd of Davis for his deficiency the 4th inst. #4 12s. Received of Perry for his deficiency the 4th inst. #4 12s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: MMiss Morris was a pupil of Mr Colman's--She was very much approved by the public in the character of Juliet. On the sixth night of her appearance on the stage she was taken ill, and died before the end of this season. See the Bill for her Benefit (Hopkins MS Notes). Afterpiece: Not acted these 6 years. [See 19 May 1762.] [The Occasional Prologue, by Colman, is Larpent MS 288, which introduces Miss Morris as Juliet, and stresses the qualms and fears of a new performer.] Receipts: #227 19s. 6d. (Account Book). Lloyd's Evening Post, 28-30 Nov.: Sir: The managers of both theatres have of late, in order to put a stop to the Public complaint against a dearth of actors, given trials to several stage candidates that seemed to have any promising requisite. Such experiments have not proved fruitless. The most brilliant and interesting of which was the young lady's appearance on Covent Garden Theatre last night, in the character of Juliet. So great was her terror, on presenting herself for the first time before a crowded audience, that, deprived of all her powers, she fell down on the stage in a swoon. The first act in consequence, was all terror on her side, all compassion and anxiety on that of the audience. But having had time between the first and second Acts to recover from her panic, she shone forth in the Balcony Scene the most pleasing promise of a young tragic actress that has been seen for half a century past, and continued so throughout. Her person is genteel, her tone of voice insinuating, variable, and melodious; her recitation is just and sensible; very affecting in the pathetic parts; condescending, free, and polite are the familiar speeches with the Nurse. She is happily devoid of all stage whine, and tragedy Cant. The manner she has been rudimented in does great honour to her instructors, who have so judiciously prevented the so excellent actor of this verily a Shakespeare's Juliet, from being sophisticated by the studied tricks, and false ornamenting of mistaken modern and degenerate art

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 20 years. [See 16 April 1751.] With the Decorations prescribed by Shakespeare. The Characters new Dressed in the Haibts of the Times. [The reviewer for Town and Country Magazine preferred Mrs Hartley's acting in Jane Shore to that in Henry VIII, where she frequently sunk into a whining monotony which from the length of some of the speeches became very disagreeable.' She did, however, he thought, do the last scene well.] Receipts: #223 13s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Maguire and Tindal. Afterpiece: Never perform'd there

Event Comment: Both pieces By Particular Desire. Afterpiece: Never performed there. Last night was deposited in the Vault of St Paul's Covent Garden the remains of James Bencraft, that truly honest, amiable, and benevolent man, whose perpetual pleasantry and delectable vein of humour cannot more aptly be described than in the words of Hamlet-"That fellow of infinite jest &c., Alas poor Jemmy" (+Winston MS 9 from The Gazetteer)

Event Comment: Benefit for Hull. Afterpiece: Translated (with alterations) from Detouches. Never perform'd before. Translation by Thomas Hull (Biographia Dramatica)

Event Comment: [D$DuBellamy, as would appear from a letter to the Printer of the Public Advertiser, 20 Sept. "Being at the Opera House last week to see the Conscious Lovers and As You Like It, not to mention the various and allowed excellencies of each performer, I was most agreeably surprized at the songs, in the bills said to be sung by a Gentleman, which indeed his genteel figure and polite address, at first sight well authenticated; but for the songs, viz. If Love's a Sweet Passion,--Blow, Blow Thou Winter's Wind,--with some others I must confess I never heard the like; his voice was finely masculine, strong, sweet, clear and articulate; his manner not servilely confined to the pedantic stiffness of some, or the affectation of others; in a word he sung like a Gentleman; and the sound, as Milton elegantly expresses it, 'Floated the Wings of silence.' This is not intended (by doing justice to Mr D. B@@y) to depreciate any....I am told he has applied to Mr Beard, with what success I know not, [hopes he will be one of the new singers at Covent Garden] signed T. S."]

Event Comment: By Particular Desire. [The BM Playbill lists Mercury-Bannister.] Half past six went into ye Pit to see $Barry do Hastings and Mrs Dancer Jane Shore. Before ye play began, ended reading ye parts of Hastings, Jane Shore and Dumont. When ye Gods called for ye Prologue, York beckoned to be quiet. What authority these fellows assume! T. Barry did Dumont, but he will never be equal to his father. The Entertainment was Lethe. Old Man and Lord Chalkstone by Shuter. Garrick, who sat near me, laughed at his understanding ye character of Lord Chalkstone so little, as to say--"She married for money, and I for a title." Drunken man pretty well by Weston (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Never performed before. Written by Milton, the Music entirely New (playbill). Music by William Jackson (Wyndham, Annals of Covent Garden, I, 178). As condolence on Death of Duke of York (Genest, V, 186). Paid for licensing Lycidas #1 1s. (Account Book). Receipts: #251 11s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: (Never Performed) a Comic Opera by Isacc Bickerstaffe. [The Theatrical Monitor, No XIV (27 Feb.), remarked: We were scraped, squalled and clapped, out of our senses at Covent Garden....It was thought there were no less than 500 orders in the house. O Shameful! Why are not a generous audience left to judge of a piece, Without this forc'd imposition." N.B. Hardly possible for "500 orders" to have filled the house which took in #233 19s.] Receipts: #233 19s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A new Burletta never performed before, composed by Mr Barthelemon. [Text by Ralph Schomberg.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A New Tragedy [by Joseph Cradock] never performed. The Music composed by Mr Fisher. Words of the Epithalamium to be had at the Theatre. Paid Palmer (wax chandler) #140; Paid Buxton & Enderby (oyl merchants) #136 3s. (Account Book). Receipts: #220 16s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [by Bickerstaffe]: a Musical Entertainment never performed there before. The Cnaracters new dress'd. [Daphne identified by Winston MS 10 and by Kemble note on playbill.] Paid Cooper (printer) #42 1s. (Account Book). [Reviewer for Town and Country Magazine commends Miss Wewitzer for the lower register of her voice. Belives she will be a credit to her tutor, Griffiths the Organist."] Receipts: #181 4s. 6d

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A New Comedy [by Oliver Goldsmith] never perform'd. [Carried in the Account Book under its secondary title. A long and grudgingly favorable review appeared in the Westminster Magazine: On the whole the Comedy has many excellent qualities: though we cannot venture to recommend it as a pattern for imitation. Still attached to the laudable intent of it, we wish it may keep possession of the stage till a better comedy comes to relieve it." There follows a long account of Foote's Puppet Show.] Receipts: #234 11s. 6d

Event Comment: [Henderson's 1st recorded appearance as Falstaff was at Bath, 6 Mar. 1777. "In the frolicksome, gay, and humourous situations of Falstaff Henderson is superior to every man...His soliloquy in describing his ragamuffin regiment, and his enjoying the misuse of the king's press-money are so truly excellent that they are not inferior to any comic representation of the stage" (Davies, I, 252-53).] Afterpiece: Never performed here. The Musick composed by Dr Arnold

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Never performed here

Event Comment: By Permission [of the Lord Chamberlain]. Benefit for Davis. 1st piece: Altered from [The Soldier's Fortune, by] Otway, by John Brownsmith. [not in Larpent MS; not published.] 2nd piece: A Poetical Interlude altered from Prior's Nut-brown Maid. 3rd piece: Altered to 3 acts. [Prologue by Shatford Jones. Author of Epilogue unknown. For authorship of 1st piece and prologue see Morning Chronicle, 25 Oct.] Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30. Tickets delivered for Davis and Wright will be admitted