Event Comment: Oratorio: Written by the late Dr Hawksworth. Set to music by Stanley. Books of the Oratorio may be had of Mr Condell, in Cross St., Bow St., Covent Garden, and at the theatre the night of the performance. Price 1s. [This night Wm. Kenrick delivered his tenth, and apparently last, lecture on The School of Shakespeare. It was on King Lear, and very little could be said in favor of any of his remarks on the passages he selected...[he closed by] presenting the audience an act from Falstaff's Wedding." Monthly Miscellany (April 1774, p. 191), which had reviewed all of his lectures, had commented upon the increasing popularity of them as evidenced by the numbers attending, and presented an engraving of Kenrick in action before his audience.

Event Comment: The Two Misers is unavoidably oblig'd to be deferr'd. Books of the Entertainment [The Two Misers?] to be had at the theatre. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. First Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. No persons admitted behind the scenes, nor any money returned after the curtain is up. Places for the Boxes to be taken, of Mr Sarjant (only) at the Stage Door. The Doors to be opened at Half after Five o'clock. To Begin exactly at Half after Six. Vivant Rex and Regina. (Customary footnote for succeeding Playbills. It will not be repeated here. The Westminster Magazine, September, p. 459, indicates a Prelude was also given this opening night, consisting of several of the actors comparing notes on their various successes, casts of parts, droll accidents, which they had experienced during their different summer excursions. Mattocks, Dunstall, Lee Lewes, Miss Barsanti, and Hull participated. The reviewer reported the content of their reminiscences, but disliked the jumbled nature of the Prelude. Another account in the Morning Post, 21 September.] Note: For performance at hay 20 September, see Season of 1774-1775, p. 1905

Event Comment: Overture and Music for the Prelude composed by Bates. Mr Bensley return'd from Covent Garden Theatre Play'd Pierre as usual was received with Applause (Hopkins Diary). Paid Carpenter's Bill #31 10s.; Two surveyors (by Butler) #5 5s. (Treasurer's Book). [The carpenter's bills averaged #10 per week during the season, or about #380 total. No further mention will be made of this item.] Receipts: #238 17s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mrs King from the York Theatre made her first appearance on this stage in Rosalind. She is very Tall and would look well enough if she did not paint her face so much with white and Red. She has a course Voice-and does not speak very Naturally. She was received with great applause (Hopkins Diary). [Genest, V, 479, suggests Mrs King was used to offset and upset Miss Younge.] Paid Watch tax and Beadle for half a year #18 15s.; Mr Levy Fredrick bill for silks #154 1s. 6d. Receipts: #132 16s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Establishment of a Fund, for the Relief of Performers and others retiring from the Theatre. Mr Barry still continues indisposed. Afterpiece: The LAST time of performing it. [The call for this afterpiece must have been remarkable, supposed to closed 6 Nov. it was continued "by desire" on the 24 Nov. on Dec. 1, 8, 15, and 19.

Event Comment: Boxes 7s. 6d. Pit 5s. First Gallery 3s. Second Gallery 2s. Places for Boxes to be taken of Mr Sarjeant (only) at the stage door. Books of the Oratorios to be had at the Theatre. Doors opened at Half past Five. To begin at Half past Six. [This note recurrs on all Oratorio bills this season. It will not be repeated here.

Event Comment: Benefit for Webster. Mr Barry being ill, the tragedly of King Lear oblig'd to be deferr'd. [A comment in Lloyd's Evening Post for 29 Feb. refers to an incident in cg this evening: "A fellow who sat on the sixth row of the Upper Gallery...Threw a Keg (which he had brought full of liquor into the House) over the Gallery front. It fell upon a lady's head, who sat in that part of the Pit which was railed into the Boxes, but the Lady's hair being dress'd in high ton, the artifical mountain luckily prevented the mischief that otherwise might have been occasioned....The fellow who threw the cask was carried to the Public Office, in Bow Street, and from thence committed to Tothill Fields, Bridewell. As the custom of throwing mugs, bottles, apples, &c. from the galleries of the theatres is equally as wanton and wicked and is frequently the cause of great mischief, it is thought the present culprit will made an example of" (Quoted in Hampden, Journal).

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith. Mr Lacy play'd Cyrus. Spoke too Low and wanted Spirit. Was receiv'd with Applause (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly.] Tickets delivered for Siege of Damascus, for that night, will be taken. The Bill For establishing a Fund for Decayed Actors of dl Theatre has passed the House of Lords (Winston MS 11). Receipts: #134 19s. Charges: #67 7s. 6d. Profits to Smith: #67 11s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for DuBellamy. The Constant attendance Mr DuBellamy has, and is still oblig'd to pay to the business of the theatre, he humbly hopes will be admitted as a sufficient excuse for his not making a personal appliaction to his friends. Doors open half past 5. To begin half past 6 o'clock

Event Comment: The Characters will be dressed in the Habits of the Times. The Musick of Macbeth had a proper Attention paid to it in the getting up by Mr Linley (who composed the Additional Accompaniments) and went off with great Applause. Mrs Melmoth, who came out at Covent Garden [on 26 Feb. 1774], made her first Appearance upon this Stage in Lady Macbeth, was very wild in the Part, met with some Applause. The Play was dressed in the Habits of the Times. [Note added by J. P. Kemble: I have seen some of these Habits, and very paltry and very improper they were] (Hopkins Diary). [Mrs Melmoth was from the Edinburgh theatre.] Receipts: #191 1s. 6d

Event Comment: Announced by the playbill, but "Not perform'd on Acct. of Mr Garrick's Death (at 8 o'Clo'Morng)" (MS annotation on Kemble playbill). See also Public Advertiser, 21 Jan.: Drury Lane Theatre was shut up last night on [this] melancholy Occasion

Event Comment: Benefit for the Widow and Children of the unfortunate Mr Linton, late of this Theatre. [Linton, a musician belonging to the CG band, had been attacked and killed by footpads on 8 July.] "The band were all dressed in mourning, suited to the occasion, and are entitled to their share of applause" (Public Advertiser, 30 Sept.). Afterpiece: Not acted these 4 years

Event Comment: Benefit for Booth. Mr Booth respectfully hopes his close Attention to the several Departments he occupies in the Theatre will be a sufficient Excuse for his not personally waiting on his Friends. [Public Advertiser, 22 Mar., notes that since Wild's accident [see 11 May] Booth had been acting as prompter.] Public Advertiser, 14 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Booth at his house in Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields. 2nd piece [1st time; M. INT I, compiler unknown]: The Music compiled from the most eminent Masters

Event Comment: On Account of the numerous Complaints [etc., exactly as on dl playbill, 16 Sept.] [Mr and Mrs Duncan were from the Chester theatre.] Receipts: #193 10s. 6d. (190.11.6; 2.19.0)

Event Comment: ["When the Commemoration of King Charles's Death [on 30 Jan.] falls on a Sunday we always act on Monday. "This occurred for the first time, at both dl and cg, on 31 Jan. 1785. Previously, when 30 Jan. was a Sunday, both theatres had observed the commemoration on Monday 31 Jan. In mainpiece the playbill retains Kemble as Faulkland, but "Mr Benson read FaulklandR for me [this because Kemble was detained returning from Bath to London]" (Kemble Mem.).] Receipts: #231 7s. (180.12.0; 50.1.6; 0.13.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Author [of mainpiece, who is named in the Account-Book, but not on the playbill. In afterpiece the playbill retains Palmer as Petruchio, but "Mr Palmer not coming to the Theatre tonight, I acted Petruchio for him" (Kemble Mem.).] Receipts: #231 14s. 6d. (186.3.6; 40.1.0; 5.10.0; tickets: none listed) (charge: #178 17s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: The Overture and all the Music composed by Carter. Words of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. MS annotation on BM playbill (cg, Vol. VIII), 15 Dec. 1792: Mr Hurlstone in full for Just in Time #150. Receipts: #286 3s

Event Comment: Benefit for Lewis. 1st piece: By Permission of the Author and positively for that Night only [see 27 Apr.]. 2nd piece [1st time; M. INT 1, by John Cartwright Cross]: The Music composed by Reeve. The Scenery and Machinery by Phillips, Lupino, &c. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre, & of Mr Barker, Vinegar-Yard. Morning Herald, 3 May 1798: This day is published The Raft (1s.). Times, 22 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Lewis, No. 6, Bow-street. Receipts: #412 6s. 6d. (273.16.0; 2.17.0; tickets: 135.13.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Four Youngest Orphans of the late Mr Palmer [see dl, 18 June]. As it is presumed that the well-known liberality of the Publick will be strongly excited on the present occasion, the Proprietor of the [Haymarket] Theatre has requested the use of the Opera-House for this Evening, that the largest number of persons who wish to patronize the undertaking may be accomodated with places. The Proprietor of the Opera-House has, with the utmost readiness, granted the request. Tickets to be had of the Miss Palmers, at Dixon's, Upholsterer, the corner of Bedford-Court, Bedford-Street, Covent-Garden; of Messrs Ransom, Morland and Co., Bankers, Pall-Mall; of Jewell, No. 26, Suffolk-Street, Charing-Cross, of whom, and of Rice, at the Box-Office, Places for the Boxes may be taken. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. "[His brother] R. Palmer attempted to deliver an address at the end of the play, but he was so much overpowered that he...left the address unrecited, and [his] part in the farce was given up to another performer" (Monthly Mirror, Aug. 1798, p. 117, which also records that the receipts were approximately #700)

Event Comment: Benefit for the London Hospital. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. 2nd Gallery 1s. Places for the Boxes to be taken at the Stage Door of the Theatre; the Doors of which will be opened at 5:30, and the Performance to begin precisely at 6:30. No Money to be returned after the Curtain is drawn up, nor will any Person be admitted behind the Scenes. [Master Braham is identified in Grove. Address by Arthur Murphy (Town and Country Magazine, July 1787, p. 324).] This was the opening night of this theatre, which had been built by and was under the management of John Palmer. Following the afterpiece he explained to the audience the objections of the proprietors of dl, cg and hay to his opening the theatre. He said that he had from the Lieutenant of the Tower of London what he considered to be sufficient permission, but that he would nevertheless close the theatre temporarily. Palmer's difficulty was that he had no really legal permission from anybody for the performance of actual plays. See 3 July, and for further details the head-note to this season. World, 18 July, prints an official accoudting for this night from the theatre's treasurer: Receipts were #273 12s.; paid for music, advertisements, servants, &c. #37 10s.; lost in bad silver #1 19s.; paid the London Hospital #234 4s.; the players acted without salary

Event Comment: See Herbert, Dramatic Records, p. 116. The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Mr Shepley and I to the new Play-house near Lincoln's-Inn-Fields (which was formerly Gibbon's tennis-court), where the play of Beggar's Bush was newly begun; and so we went in and saw it, it was well acted: and here I saw the first time one Moone [Mohun], who is said to be the best actor in the world, lately come over with the King, and indeed it is the finest play-house, I believe, that ever was in England

Event Comment: See Herbert, Dramatic Records, p. 116. The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: I to the new playhouse and saw part of the Traitor, a very good Tragedy; Mr Moon [Mohun] did act the Traitor very well

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: I away before to White Hall and into the new play-house there, the first time I ever was there, and the first play I have seen since before the great plague. By and by Mr Pierce comes, bringing my wife and his, and Knipp. By and by the King and Queene, Duke and Duchesse, and all the great ladies of the Court; which, indeed, was a fine sight. But the play being Love in a Tub, a silly play, and though done by the Duke's people, yet having neither Betterton nor his wife, and the whole thing done ill, and being ill also, I had no manner of pleasure in the play. Besides, the House, though very fine, yet bad for the voice, for hearing. The sight of the ladies, indeed, was exceeding noble; and above all, my Lady Castlemayne. The play done by ten o'clock. I carried them all home, and then home myself, and well satisfied with the sight, but not the play