Event Comment: Boxes 5s. Gallery 3s. Pit 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Doors open at half past five. Play begin at half past six. [Repeated.] Before the Play a
new Overture and
New Occasional Prelude (
Public Advertiser). The House has been quite alter'd since last Season and is now fitted up in the most elegant manner Possible by the
Adam's etc. and is the most Compleat of any Theater in
Europe. Great applause to the House before the Curtain.
The Theatrical Candidates is wrote by
D. G. Esq and was received with great Applause (
Hopkins Diary). [
MacMillan's note from
Kemble differs slightly in wording. In Judging the popularity of a play in terms of
box receipts for this season one must be aware of the fact that the treasurer's account books here differ from those of the five preceding years in not recording the income from the tickets delivered out for benefit nights. Hence on those nights the stated income reflects only the money taken at the door the night of the performance, and does not indicate the larger amounts which the actors received for their tickets. Deficits to various actors listed on the following pages were all paid up, presumably from the ticket receipts. Each actor doubtless at least broke even on his benefit.] Ceiling rais'd 12 feet. Old side
Boxes top and bottom remov'd. New passages to
Boxes. Entrance
Bridges St. Light pillars to support
Boxes inlaid with plate glass on green and crimson ground. Old chandeliers remov'd. Gilt branches with two candles each on pillars. Four new chandeliers in front. No slit i Curtain. Adam architects. 4,000 guineas. Persons not employed in the night's amusement ordered not to come behind the scenes--performers by that means go cross stage (
Winston MS 11, from Dr
Burney's News Cuttings). Paid Renters #8; Supernumeraries and Drum #1 16s.; taylor's Bill #10 11s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). [For the 188 acting nights of the season and for 11 Oratorio nights the Renters were paid a total of #1,692. The Supernumeraries were paid an average of #5 per night or #940 for the season. No further account of these items will be made. Full account of the new look given to
Drury Lane by the Adam's brothers in the
Westminster Magazine for Sept. along with an approving review of the
Meeting of the Company.] From
Lloyd's Evening Post, 25 Sept., "
On the New Front of Drury Lane Theatre": @
Garrick asham'd to poke his nose@Too sheepishly beneath the Rose:@And fearing, poor man, what were Worse,@His bashfulness might hurt his purse;@Resolves this year to push a front,@And put a better face upon't.@Not surely meaning to give o'er@His Art, and make no faces more.@Yet, fair as tis, I'd have him know@If tis the last he means to show.@This face will never make amends,@For turning tail upon his friends;@Who own, by general consent,@His face the best Stage ornament.@ (In
Folger Library,
David Garrick Verses, Prologues and Epilogues, MS, p. 86.) Receipts: #208 11s. (Treasurer's Book)