Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Abington. Pit and Boxes will be laid together. Ladies and Gentlemen are most earnestly requested to come early, to prevent Inconvenience in getting to their Places, and to send their Servants to keep them by Four o'clock. "At the close of the entertainment Mrs Abington came forward, and delivered a short poetical address to her fashionable auditory [written by Maurice Morgann (Monthly Mirror, Nov. 1797, p. 263)], apposite to her feelings on the present occasion" (Morning Herald, 11 Feb.). "The character [of Scrub] throughout was well conceived, and executed with a sprightliness and degree of humour that kept the house in a continual roar of laughter" (Public Advertiser, 11 Feb.) "Mrs Abington's voice was in its usual tone; her manners and deportment were inattentive and torpid, rather than active and interesting" (Morning Post, 11 Feb.). "With all her endeavours to give new points to the character, she entirely failed. Her appearance en culottes, so preposterously padded, exceeded nature. Her gestures to look comical could not get the least hold of the audience, though they had seen her before in men's clothes, when playing Portia in The Merchant of Venice, where her figure, dressed as a lawyer in his gown, gave effect to her excellent delivery on mercy, and the audience had been always delighted. But this leu de benefice, comparatively speaking, was disgusting and absurd as she dressed the character ... However, I have heard it originated in a bet she had previously made" (Henry Angelo, Reminiscenes, 11, 281-82). Receipts: #406 13s. 6d. (249/9/6; 1/9/0; tickets: 155/15/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Part of the Pit [6 rows (Public Advertiser, 6 Mar.)] will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by half past Four o'clock. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Orestes to Smith, but he "was indisposed . . . Throughout the whole [of his part] Kemble's skill was apparent. In the last scene he displayed as fine a picture of horror as was ever given from the stage" (Morning Chronicle, 6 Mar.).] Morning Herald, 24 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #293 11s. (122/17/0; 10/1/6; 1/2/6; tickets: 159/10/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Brunton. Mainpiece [1st time in London; T 5, by Frederick Reynolds, 1st acted at Bath, 3 Dec. 1785. In 1795 reduced to 3 acts. Prologue and Epilogue by William Meyler (Town and Country Magazine, Apr. 1786, p. 215]. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Morning Chronicle, 17 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Miss Brunton, No. 5, George-street, York-buildings. Receipts: #350 17s. 6d. (210/11/0; 3/1/6; tickets: 137/5/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith. 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. Morning Chronicle, 25 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Smith, No. 7, Beaufort Buildings, Strand. Receipts: #325 17s. 6d.(163/2/0; 8/2/6; 0/16/0; tickets: 153/17/0) (charge: #65 10s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. 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. Afterpiece: Never performed there. Receipts: #313 15s. (160/14; 17/6; 1/0; tickets: 134/15)(charge: #67 2s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pope. 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. Public Advertiser, 8 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Miss Pope, Great Queenstreet, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Receipts: #254 11s. (82/17/0; 18/7/6; 1/2/6; tickets: 152/4/0) (charge: #114 12s. 2d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jordan. 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. Morning Herald, 10 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Jordan, No. 8, Henriettastreet, Covent Garden. Receipts: #312 5s. 6d. (131/4/0; 13/10/6; 0/17/0; tickets: 166/14/0) (charge: #106 3s. 5d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. 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. Morning Herald, 1 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford-square. "In the apparent assumption of madness [and] the express'd weakness and melancholy of the character Kemble is not equalled by any of his predecessors . . . Till [Mrs Siddons] there never was, in sensible discrimination, as there ought to be, the real madness of Ophelia from the feigned distraction of Hamlet. Till then the dignity, the love, even the pathos of the part [were] but poorly, if at all administered" (Public Advertiser, 17 May). Receipts: #326 14s. 6d. (137/3/0; 7/3/6; 0/4/0; tickets: 182/4/0)(charge: #109 16s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Fosbrook, Box-Book and House-Keeper. Mainpiece: Not acted these 8 years. Receipts: #320 14s. (30/14; 9/4; 1/15; tickets: 279/1) (charge: #106 17s. 3d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Brandon, box-book and housekeeper. Tickets sold at the Doors will not be admitted. Receipts: #300 12s. 6d. (49/15/6; 6/4/0; tickets: 244/13/0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: The last Time of the Company's performing this Season. Receipts: #185 17s. (181/14; 4/3). Account-Book, 9 June: Received Stage Forfeits this Season #61 2s.; received of His Majesty for the Box this Season #60; paid Barlow [treasurer] in full for salary this Season #200; 20 June: Paid one yrs Land Tax #105 os. 4J

Event Comment: [A detailed account of all three pieces appears in Sophie v. la Roche, Sophie in London, 1933, pp. 93-95. The theatre is described as seeming "exceptionally small, but it is very prettily painted in blue and white; the boxes, as in Paris, are open and everything is well lit." In 3rd piece "A twelve-year-old girl dressed as a poor boy who walks around with a bundle of rushes, straw and reeds to patch up old chairs, then really sits down to work on one, sang and played unusually well; indeed, was obliged to give two encores; the third time, however, announced with dignity and candour that it would not be possible, and that she feared she might be unable to take her part the next day; which would grieve her excessively, as she liked having her modest talents appreciated and applauded. Everyone clapped and praised her aloud. She is beuatiful, and deserves to be the nation's darling, and will certainly become a great actress, competent to keep her voice, gesture and features in complete control, never using her talents wrongly or producing exaggerated effects."]

Event Comment: A Serious Opera in 2 acts [1st time; altered by Carlo Francesco Badini from Demetrio, by Metastasio]; the music by Gresnick. By their Majesties' Command no person can be admitted behind the scenes. Pit 10s. 6d. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. The Doors to be opened at 6:30. To begin exactly at 7:30 [see 2 June 1787]. Subscriptions are received at Messrs Ransom, Morland and Hammersley's, Bankers, No. 57, Pall-mall, who will deliver the subscription tickets. The Nobility and Gentry, subscribers to the Opera-house, are respectfully intreated to send for them, in order to prevent future mistakes, as nobody can be admitted without producing a ticket. To prevent inconvenience to the Nobility and Gentry in getting to their carriages, they are most respectfully intreated to give positive orders to their servants to set down and take up with their horses' heads towards Pall-mall. The doors in Market-lane for chairs only. [Synopsis of opera in Morning Post, 25 Dec. Mme Perignon and Goyon were from the Opera, Paris.] Receipts: #86 11s. 6d. [These receipts, and those on all other nights throughout the opera season, represent the sale of non-subscription tickets. On this night 400 tickets were delivered to Prendergrass, office-keeper at the Haymarket pit entrance; of these he sold 84 at 10s. 6d. (i.e. #44 2s.). 100 were delivered to Reynolds, office-keeper at the King's Door pit entrance; he sold 6 at 10s. 6d. (i.e. #3 3s.). 300 were delivered to Butler, office-keeper of the 1st Gallery; he sold 112 at 5s. (i.e. #28). 200 were delivered to Snelson, office-keeper of the 2nd Gallery; he sold 70 at 3s. (i.e. #10 10s.). "Difference from Gallery to Pit" (i.e. money received from persons who changed their seats from gallery to pit, 16s. 6d.). The delivery of 1,000 non-subscription tickets to be disposed of was almost invariably the case on every night of the season. If a subscriber's box was released for sale it could be had for 2 guineas (see 6 Feb. 1787).

Event Comment: Rec'd for a Box #2 2s. Receipts: #129 7s. [non-subscription]

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Benefit for Griffiths. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. The Doors to be opened at 5:15. To begin at 6:30. Tickets to be had of Griffiths, No. 3, Southampton-buildings, Holborn; at the Royalty Coffee-house, Well Close Square; King's Arms, Leadenhall-street; Band Coffee-house; Sun-tavern, Foster-lane; Grotto, Southampton-buildings; Angel, St. Giles's; Cock and Bottle, Upper Brook-street; Nag's Head, Carnaby-market; One Tun, St. James's Market; Fox's Coffee-house, Bow-street; the Go, the Jump, and the Finish; and of Rice, at the Theatre

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Billington. Public Advertiser, 9 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Billington, No. 11, Great Newport-street, Long Acre. Receipts: #277 9s. (176.4; 0.12; tickets [378 in boxes; 41 in pit]: 100.13)

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. Receipts: #313 (139.19.0; 11.15.6; 0.11.6; tickets: 160.14.0) (charge: #70 5s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. Public Advertiser, 10 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Palmer, Kentish Town. Receipts #322 8s. 6d. (151.11.0; 8.2.0; 0.3.6; tickets: 162.12.0) (charge: #66 4s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Kemble. Tickets delivered for The Careless Husband will be taken. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. [Mrs Siddons's 1st appearance as Lady Restless was at Manchester, 17 Feb. 1777.] Public Advertiser, 12 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Kemble, No. 16, Charles-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #293 12s. 6d. (148.16.0; 15.3.0; 0.7.6; tickets: 129.10.0) (charge: #105 11s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Jordan. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. Receipts: #304 2s. (110.18.0; 11.6.6; 2.2.6; tickets: 179.15.0) (charge: #107 14s. 10d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Bensley. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants at half past Four o'Clock. The Romp [announced on playbill of 16 Apr.] cannot be performed on Account of the Indisposition of Mrs Jordan. Public Advertiser, 31 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Bensley at his house, No. 21, Charlotte-street, Bedford-square. Receipts: #285 12s. (126.18.0; 13.17.6; 2.16.6; ticket2: 140.0.0;) (charge: #107 8s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Macklin. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. [In afterpiece the playbill assigns Charlotte to Mrs Morton, but "On the illness of Mrs Morton Miss Ambrose, whom many must remember on the stage, was applied to--and undertook the part. Long disuse to it had made her timid [she had retired from the stage in May 1782], but she was well received by the public, and performed well" (World, 7 May). Mrs Morton is also listed as Betty Hint in mainpiece; her substitute in that part is not known.] World, 17 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Macklin, No. 6, Tavistock-row, Covent Garden. Receipts: #335 1s. 6d. (173.19.6; 2.11.0; tickets: 156.11.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons [whose 1st appearance as Alicia was at York, 26 Apr. 1777]. 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. Public Advertiser, 27 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street. [In the interim she changed the play. The Announcement of 27 Apr. advertises Romeo and Juliet, by Kemble and Mrs Siddons, in which play she did not appear until May 1789.] Receipts: #337 16s. 6d. (146.1.0; 8.7.6; 0.14.0; tickets: 182.14.0) (charge: #105 16s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Brandon, box-book and housekeeper. [Afterpiece in place of Love in a Camp, announced on playbill of 15 May]. Receipts: #321 3s. 6d. (45.7.0; 2.17.6; tickets: 272.19.0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Fosbrook, box-book and house-keeper. Receipts: #302 1s. (29.1; 11.6; 1.0; tickets: 260.14) (charge: #105 2s.)