Event Comment: Benfit for Berry. Afterpiece: By Desire. Tickets at stage door, and of Berry at Mr Pope's, a Peruke Maker in Russel St., Covent Garden. Berry's figure was well adapted to Sciolto, Acasto and characters of that cast; No man had more feeling than he, and it generally had its proper effect, but by being too fond of aiming at tenderness, he grated upon the ear of an auditor (Genest, IV, p. 363, from State of the Stage). Receipts: #220 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Barrington. [No Buildings on stage. Salarino-Usher, according to $Hogan, based on a Havard playbill.

Event Comment: [Benefit for Mr Mathews & $Jan: Auretti. Ye provok'd Husband? was play'd Palmer being ill (Cross). No Building on Stage. [The bills, all printed before the last minute change, list The Non Juror. Probably announcement was unnecessary, as audience came mainly to enjoy the dances this night.] Receipts: #100 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Macklin. Miss Macklin did Monimia (Cross). Afterpiece: For last time this season. With a New Prologue. To prevent mistakes, those Gentlemen and Ladies who send for Places, are desired to send for Tickets; which may be had of Miss Macklin, in Bow St.; and of Mr Crudge at the stage door

Event Comment: For the Benefit and Increase of a Fund established for the support of Decayed Musicians, or their Families. Boxes and Pit put together at Half a Guinea. Gallery 5s. To begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets delivered to Subscribers to this Charity will admit one Person to any part of the House. Subscribers tickets may be had of Richard Dawson, near Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster, who is empower'd by the Society to deliver them and receive Subscriptions. Tickets for the Performance are delivered by Mr Rash at the Prince of Orange Coffee-House, in the Haymarket. The tickets delivered for the 17th will be taken. (General Advertiser, 28 April, advance notice)

Event Comment: Benefit for Widow Lampe and Miss Young. Afterpiece: Being Positively the last time of performing it this season

Event Comment: Newly compos'd by Mr Arne. Benefit for the Charitable Hospital for Lying-In Women, in Jermyn St., St James. Pit and Boxes a half guinea. First Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. To begin at 12 noon. Ladies are not expected to come dress'd

Event Comment: To begin exactly at 6:00 o'clock. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be had of Mr Varney at the Stage door. [Repeated throughout the season.] Ye Naturalizing Bill having made some Noise against the Jews, some people call'd out for ye Merchant of Venice, & a Letter was thrown upon ye Stage desiring that play instead of the Opera, but we took no Notice of it, some little hissing but it dy'd away (Cross). [Sometime in the calendar year 1753, Lacy and Garrick drew up a mortgage on the Drury Lane property for #10,000, to be amortized to James Clutterbuck over a period of twenty-one years at the rate of #4 per acting night, and permission to grant free seats in any part of the theatre (except the stage, scenes and orchestra) to forty persons. These latter to be named and seats assigned ten days prior to the opening of any season. This thirteen-page document, which describes accurately the bounds of the 13,134 square feet of land on which the ten buildings comprising Drury Lane Theatre stood, contains protective clauses for Clutterbuck, to the effect that Garrick and Lacy will exhibit nowhere else in London without the #4 nightly payment and for Garrick and Lacy, to the effect that arrears in payment could be collected solely from Drury Lane property, and not from the individual incomes of the mortgagees. It was not signed, so apprently was not executed. (See Havard, Collection of Documents dealing with affairs of Drury Lane, No 2, fMS, Thr 12.)] Receipts: #150 (Cross)

Event Comment: Two days ago a Letter [price 1s.] came out to Miss Nossiter in which Mrs Cibber is abu'd & tother greatly extoll'd. The Author has also fell foul upon Mr Murphy author of Gray's Inn Journal. It is wrote by one Morgan an Irish Gent: High words has pass'd at ye Bedford Coff. H. between him and Murphy & 'tis thought a Duel will be ye Consequence (Cross). [See The Authorship of a Letter to Miss Nossiter, Shakespeare Quarterly, January 1952, p. 69.

Event Comment: A tragedy written by Mr Glover, great Applause-but a thought dull (Cross). Never Acted before. [Mainpiece complimented left-handedly by Murphy in Gray's Inn Journal, 8 Dec. The music and scenery were both suited to the piec e, and the acting of it, were there no other inducement, should be sufficient to draw numerous audiences...I cannot but remark that the applause it met with, was scarcely warm enough for such fine writing...I am convinced that this Tragedy will prove an elegant Closet-companion to every reader of taste."] Receipts: #230 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for a family in Distress (Cross). Tickets to be had at the Sword-Blade Coffee House, Birchin Lane, Lombard St.; Prince of Orange Coffee House in the Haymarket; Joe's Coffee House, Mitre Court, Fleet St.; Smyrna Coffee House, Pall Mall; the Swan Tavern, Grafton St.; Warwick-St. Coffee House near Golden Square; the Feather's Tavern, opposite St Clement's Church in the Strand; and of Mr Varney at the stage door. Receipts: #212 (Cross)

Event Comment: New Scenes, Music, Habits, Decorations, Machines &c. Nothing under Full Prices. A new Pantomime-went off with great Applause (Cross). [The afterpiece dealt with in high irony by Murphy in Gray's Inn Journal (29 Dec.): It is writ entirely upon the Grecian plan, so much admired by the French critics, and of course does not bid very fair to please the multitude in this country, whose taste is too much vitiated by Shakespeare's monstruous irregularity, to relish the simplicity of this piece. Mr Ranger will only observe that he is highly pleased with the Fable, the Morality, the University, and Integrity of it, and as the writing is equal all through, he looks upon it to be one of the best Pantomimes in the English language.] Receipts: #180 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMacklin has built two magnificent Rooms, ground floor [one] for Coffee, the other a [meeting] Room (Winston MS 8). [The Tuner pub. at 1s. by Dr Hiffernan. Fifty-three pages touching on theatre in general but particularly on Boadicia. There is no plot in the play...Boadicia is a monster well deserving what she suffers; therefore is neither an object of Terror or Compassion: but of Detestation. Sh deserts us in the third act...Tender-hearted Venusia is introduc'd to be whined to death...There is scarce any sentiment throughout; no moral to be deduced...the Diction...favors more of the level, languid, and underepic, than of the vigorous marrowy, tragic style...Never was Author more oblig'd to Performers, they acted to the full amount of his meaning; the Matter often fail'd Mr Garrick's continued and vigorous exertion."] Receipts: #180 (Cross)

Event Comment: FFoote play'd Ben , Miss Macklin Miss Prue , Mrs Clive Mrs Frail . Foote cou'd not sing ye Song in Ben, so said two or three times, I can't do it & upon a little Hissing, said, Gentlemen I have no talents for singing-ye whole play Hum (Cross). [Opposed to Cross's summary of the effect of the performance appeared in Gray's Inn Journal the Murphy account (19 Jan.): The excellent Comedy of Love for Love has been revived here this week, the humorous and diverting Part of Ben, the sailor, was performed with great pleasantry by Mr Foote, who showed by his manner and his looks, that he had entered into the secret of the character, tho' twas visible at the same time, that his powers were greatly suppressed by his solicitude for his first appearance in a new character. It may be said of Miss Macklin, tho perhaps better qualified for spirited genteel comedy, that she acquitted herself with great applause in a part in which Mrs Clive has displayed so many inimitable strokes of humour."] Receipts: #160 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMiss Macklin's benefit will be on Tuesday the 5th of February; the Play will be the Recruiting Officer, in which she will act the part of Sylvia , and Mr Foote the part of Brazen , being the first time of their appearing in those characters. To which will added a piece by Foote call'd the Knights. Receipts: #110 (Cross)

Event Comment: On Tuesday next a New Tragedy called Philoclea. On Monday 28 January will be a Benefit for Sga Nicolina Giordani, A comic Opera with dances. Tickets and places for the Boxes may be had at Sg Giordani's Lodging, at Mr Milbourn's Grocer, in James St. Covent Garden. To the Young Gentlewoman who has performed Hermione [see 19 Jan.]: @Great was th' Applause you met, great your desert,@You charm'd the Eye, the Ear, the Head, the Heart.@Amaz'd we saw you at the first appear,@Ev'n in the hardest part, a perfect play'r.@Your person, your deportment set to view,@The youthful princess that the poet drew.@All was propriety, and all was grace,@We read the author's meaning in your face.@Your elocution was both just and strong,@Mix'd with due ease, and not an accent wrong,@Such varied Musick in your voice we heard,@That in the Tones both Taste and Sense appear'd.@Love, Jealousy, and Rage so well expres't@Engag'd our souls, nor knew we which was best,@'Twas Nature all-she form'd you for the stage,@Follow her steps, and glad th' Admiring Age.-Public Advertiser@

Event Comment: By Command of the King (Cross). This day a new tragedy, entitiled Constantine the Great was read here to the actors for the first time. This piece is written by the reverend Mr Francis, from whose valuable translation of Horace it may be inferred that he is such a judge of all the graces of Language and every beautiful turn in writing, that it is not to be doubted but he will give the public a production abounding in elegancies. [See 23 Feb.

Event Comment: For the the Author Tho' but the 5th Night, Mr Rich's Indulgence (Cross). Philoclea published at 1s. 6d. Tickets to be had at Dodsley's, Tulley's Head in Pall Mall; the Bedford Coffee House, Covent Garden; the Grecian Coffee House, in Devereaux Court; and at Baker's Coffee House in Change Alley

Event Comment: Afterpiece: By Particular Desire and for the last time this season (Public Advertiser). For Miss Macklin's benefit. Ye farce of ye two Knights was to have done, but Mr Yates not being perfect it was chang'd (Cross). Receipts: #210 (Cross)