Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never perform'd there. With New Dresses and Decorations. Receipts: #153 14s. 6d. (151.12.6; 2.2.0)

Event Comment: Before the Play began, Reddish went on, and addressed the Audience as follows, which was drawn up by Mr Sheridan, "Ladies and Gentlemen, having in my Address to the Publick on Tuesday Night last accounted for my Omission in the Part of Vainlove in a manner which appeared to reflect highly on the Managers, I now beg Permission to ascribe it to the Confusion I was in from the Displeasure of the Audience, and, as the Managers are satisfied with my Assurance that this was the Case, I humbly hope for the Indulgence of the Publick, whom I never meant to offend, and whom I will ever study to please" (Hopkins Diary). Raceipts: #119 17s. 6d

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; T 5, by George Edward Ayscough, based on Semiramis, by Voltaire. Prologue by the author. Epilogue by Richard Brinsley Sheridan (see text)]: With New Scenes and Dresses. This Tragedy is a translation from Voltaire by Captain Ayscough. Mrs Yates played finely, and met with the Applause she deserved. Mrs Reddish, alias Mrs Canning, who played the part of Azema, was hissed all through, and must never perform again. Indeed she was very bad. The Play was greatly applauded (Hopkins Diary). Public Advertiser, 24 Dec. 1776: This Day is published Semiramis (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #226 3s. 6d. (224.16.6; 0.0.0; 1.7.0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Never performed here

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Mainpiece: Never performed here [so stated on playbill of 18 Aug.]. Public Advertiser, 13 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Palmer at his house in Bow-street, Bloomsbury. [Henderson's 1st appearance as Don John was at Bath, 23 Oct. 1773.

Event Comment: Benefit for Jewell, treasurer.Mainpiece: Never performed here. [Henderson's 1st recorded appearance as Falstaff was at Bristol, 11 Sept. 1775.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never performed here. [Digges's 1st recorded appearance as Sir John Brute was at Edinburgh in 1757.

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; T 5, by William Shirley. Not in Larpent MS; not published; synopsis of plot in London Chronicle, 19 Dec. Prologue by the author (London Chronicle, 23 Dec.). Epilogue by Richard Cumberland (Collection...of English Prologues and Epilogues, IV, 194]: With New Scenes and Dresses. "I have been at another new play, The Roman Sacrifice. It is the old story of Junius Brutus, without a tolerable line. I went to see it, as I had never seen Henderson, and thought I could Judge him better in a new part; but either the part was so bad, or he wants to copy, that I should not have found out he was at all superior to all other actors" (Walpole [23 Dec. 1777], X 170). Receipts: #2223s. 6d. (207.8.0; 13.13.6; 1.2.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Booth, Fearon & L'Estrange. Mainpiece: Never perform'd here.[Afterpiece in place of The Englishman in Paris, announced on playbill of 14 May.] Receipts: !173 16s. 6d. (60.14.6; tickets: 113.2.0) [charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Morning Chronicle, 5 Sept.: Tickets to be had of Palmer at his house, Bow-street, Bloomsbury. Afterpiece: Never performed here

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never aceted here. [Mrs Montague was from the York theatre.

Event Comment: Benefit for Edwin. 1st piece: Never performed there. [Master Edwin was from the Hay.] Public Advertiser, 18 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Edwin, No. 76, the corner of Long Acre, Drury-lane. Receipts: #107 10s. 6d. (89.0.6; tickets: 18.10.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: "Henderson's Iago was perhaps the crown of all his serious achievements. It was all profoundly intellectual like the character. Any thing near this, I have never seen...The most perplexing difficulty in the [character] is to turn the inside of design outward to the spectators, and yet externally seem to be cordial and sincere and interesting among the victims-it demands an instant versatility, that yet must not savour of trick. You must hear his insinuations with curses, and yet confess that you also would have been deceived. Other Iagos were to be seen through at once...Though a studious man, there was no discipline apparent in the art of Henderson; he moved and looked as humour or passion required...[He] cared little about the measure of the line; he would not consider the fame of the versifier while the heart was to be struck' (Boaden, Siddons, II, 28-29, 49). Receipts: #149 18s. (146.9; 3.9)

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. Afterpiece: Never performed here. [Mainpiece in place of The Islanders; afterpiece of Harlequin Free-Mason, both announced on playbill of 14 Feb.] Receipts: #239 12s. (235.5; 4.7)

Event Comment: Opera [1st time; Past 3, author unknown]. The music [to Part I] composed by Giovanni Battista? Bianchi, [to Part II by] Rauzzini, [to Part III by] Giordani. With Grand Chorusses. With new Decorations devised and painted by Novosielski, and new Dresses. The Side-boards, with a cold Collation and all sorts of Wines, at 12 o'clock. The Performance under the direction of Vestris Sen., and to conclude with a Ball. Tickets, at 2 Guineas each, are ready to be delivered at the Office in Union-court, where Boxes may be taken. No Masks will be admitted. The Doors will be opened at 9:00, and the Performance to begin at 10:00. Books of the Performance will be given out (gratis) at the Theatre. Morning Herald, 7 June: The Omaggio, or homage paid by the vassals and tenants to their Lord, is naturally calculated to give free scope to lively, and sentimental music. In the former stile Bianchi and Giardini [sic] were equally succesful; and in the latter Rauzzini was surprisingly great, both as composer and performer...Slingsby would, in our opinion, have come out with as great a share of applause as the best of them, having to go through an English dance in his own stile, but by some unaccountable accident...the music-band stopped short when he was in the very climax of his exertions. The scenes are in the rural stile, with the addition of natural trees, flowering shrubs, &c., set in the neatest order...The company did not begin to move till about four, and by five the rooms were cleared. Public Advertiser, 7 June: The Vestris' gave incontrovertible proof of the variety of their powers...They did more, they shewed what this country had never seen-the possibility of presenting to the eye a large and extensive stage filled with dancers all in motion at the same time

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Webb. Mainpiece: Never performed Here. [Miss Stuart was from cg.] Tickets to be had of Mrs Webb, No. 15, Bedford-street, Covent Garden

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Never performed here. Written by [John] O'Keeffe; As it was performed at the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket [beginning with 4 Sept.], with the greatest Applause. The Overture and new Music composed by Dr Arnold. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #205 7s. 6d.(203/6/6; 2/1/0)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Wilson, but "Last night the Audience of Covent Garden Theatre were detained above Half an Hour waiting for Wilson, who never appeared to play his character in Duplicity. At last an apology was made for his absence, and his Brother was permitted to read his part" (Morning Chronicle, 29 Dec.).] Receipts: #220 4s. (215/0; 5/4)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Webb. Morning Herald, 20 Apr.: Tickets to he had of Mrs Webb at her house, No. 15, Bedford-street, Covent-garden. Afterpiece: Never performed here. Receipts: #198 19s. (154/14; rickets: 44/5) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Webb. Afterpiece: Never performed here

Event Comment: "Allegranti displayed unusual powers--a most brilliant shake, which she does not always favour us with, a sostenuto of prodigious extent, and above all, what she never fails to favour us with: exquisite grace, taste and feeling" {Public Advertiser, 4 Nov.)

Event Comment: The Discovery [announced on playbill of 19 Dec] is obliged to be deferred on account of Henderson's Indisposition. Afterpiece: Never performed here. Taken from Soiiman the Magnificent of Marmontel. Receipts: #241 8s. 6d. (231/9/0; 9/19/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Quick. Public Advertiser, 8 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Quick, No. 99, High Holbourn. Mainpiece: Written by Beaumont [recte Massinger] and Fletcher. With Alterations [by Leonard Macnally (Not. Dram.)]. To conclude with a Representation of the Ceremony of receiving a Knight of the Order of Malta. The Music by Dr Arne. Afterpiece: Never performed here. Receipts: #292 13s. (197/1; tickets: 95/12) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wilson. 2nd piece [1st time; INT I, probably by Richard Wilson. MS: Larpent 667; not published]. 3rd piece: Never perform'd here. [Prologue and Epilogue by John Gay.]

Event Comment: Benefit for Parsons. Mainpiece: Never perform'd here