Event Comment: Benefit for Pritchard (treasurer). Farce went well Jane Shore was to have been Play, but chang'd on Sunday--Bellamy ill (Cross). Tickets of Pritchard, in Great Queen St. Lincoln's Inn-Fields, and at the Stage Door. Tickets deliver'd for Jane Shore will be taken. Afterpiece: Alter'd from Otway, with several additions never perform'd before. Receipts: #130 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard (Cross). Mainpiece: Not acted these 30 years. This day publish'd. Price 1s. Reflections upon Theatrical Expression in Tragedy. [By Roger Pickering. This is a defense of the theatrical profession, "which in all countries is considered low and contemptible." Author's thesis: "A master of theatrical expression in all its extensive significancy must be possess'd of such accomplishments, as to set the profession above all contempt." Garrick is mentioned as best example. True tragic expression "requires Genius, Education, Reading, Experience...and a solidity of thought which never accompanies abject morals" (p. 11). Includes an interesting treatise on acting-sections on figure, voice, ear, memory, management of feet and legs. Comments on costume: "Taste in dress demands that an actor be conversant in the mode of dress ancient and modern, in other countries as well as in our own...Alexander and Cato were not masters of the snuff box, nor Greek women of French heels." The appendix asks why all our plays are not dressed in character in point of time and place, and why they do not contain at least one "scene" proper to the country. The author (p. 61) sees need for variety in acting same role, especially when a play has a continuous run of several nights. He calls (p. 77) for creation of appropriate mood for the play by selection of proper music between the acts. Wants a softening of the prompter's bell. Concludes by damning contemporary audience manners, especially those of the stage loungers (pp. 79-81).] Receipts: #314 (Cross)

Event Comment: Last time of performing Mainpiece this season. Benefit for Pritchard, treasurer. Tickets at his house in York St., and at Pritchard's Warehouse, Tavistock St. Mrs Cibber went sick to Bath in Passion Week, & plays no more this season (Cross). Receipts: #190 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMiss Pritchard did Lady Betty, & had great applause (Cross). Receipts: #190 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard (Cross). Part of pit laid into Boxes. Receipts: #230 (Cross); Charges #60 (Winston MS 8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Pritchard. Part of Pit laid into Boxes. Farce for last time this season. Tickets of Miss Pritchard in Great Queen St., lif; and at stage door. Receipts: #260 (Cross); charges #63 (Winston MS 8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Pritchard, Treasurer. Afterpiece: By Particular Desire, a Comdey not acted these 4 years [see 2 May 1757]

Event Comment: I Went With Mallet to breakfast with Garrick; and from thence to Drury-Lane house, where I assisted at a very Private rehearsal, in the Green-room, of a new tragedy of Mallet's, called Elvira. As I have since seen it acted, I shall defer my opinion of it till then; but I can't help mentioning here the surprising versatility of Mrs Pritchard's talents, who rehearsed, almost at the same time, the part of a furious Queen in the Green-room, and that of a Coquette on the stage; and passed several times from one to the other with the utmost ease and happiness. I dined with Darrel, saw The Way of the World afterward (Edward Gibbon's Journal, ed. D. M. Lowe (New York, n.d.) pp. 185-86). [Apparently Mrs Pritchard rehearsed Millamant in the morning.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard, being her last time of appearing on the stage. [Prices first announced: Pit and Boxes 10s. 6d. Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 2s. 6d. but acted to usual prices. Garrick wrote farewell adress.] N.B. As all the places are taken, there will be no admittance into the Pit and Boxes, but with tickets; Mrs Pritchard entreats the Ladies and Gentlemen to avoid confusion, and for their own convenience to be at the theatre a little earlier than usual, and to send their servants at 3 o'clock

Event Comment: Benefit Berry, Mrs Pelling, Mrs Pritchard

Event Comment: Benefit Pritchard. At the Desire of several Persons of Distinction. Afterpiece: A New Ballad Opera. [By Henry Ward.] Plays are like Mirrours, made for Men to see, How bad they are, how good they ought to be

Event Comment: [The Public Advertiser for 15 Feb. noted the following concerning this night's performance: Whereas several complaints, by letter and otherwise, have been lately made to the Managers of Drury Lane Theatre, of the ill Behavior of some persons in the Upper Gallery, who throw down Apples, Potatoes, and other things into the Pit.: This is therefore to assure the Ladies and Gentlemen that the Managers will take all imaginable care to discover and prosecute any person or persons, who shall, disturb, or insult them for the future. If any person will discover who it was that flung a hard piece of cheese, of near half a Pound Weight, from one of the Galleries last Tuesday Night [11 Feb.] and greatly hurt a young Lady in the Pit, shall receive Ten Guineas from Mr Pritchard, the Treasurer of the Theatre."] Receipts: #190 (Cross)

Event Comment: The good sense of the audience condemned this piece to oblivion, after, we think, two representations (Biographia Dramatica). [Contrived by Guerini (Nicoll, Eighteenth Century Drama, p. 355). Victor says Guerini played Pantaloon (History of Theatre, III, 48.] Sunday 2 January, Mr Pritchard Died (Cross Diary)

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Pritchard and Miss Mann

Event Comment: Benefit Walker, Pritchard, Stevens, Bishop, Saunders

Event Comment: Benefit Berkley, Bride, Pritchard, Saunders, and Keisher. Tickets for Lawley, Lathbury, George will be taken

Event Comment: The Farce of Miss in Her Teens Anatomiz'd (Gentlemen's Magazine, Feb., pp. 71-72, from The Anatomist and News Regulator, 31 Jan.) [A critical analysis of the thin plot, thinner chcharacters, lack of moral, but excellent acting of Garrick, Woodward, and Mrs Pritchard, even in parts of nonsense, stupidity and bawdry. Deplores taste of the town which welcomed it for 18 nights.] Receipts: #187 14s. 6d

Event Comment: Being the last time of acting the Mainpiece this season. Mrs Cibber Sick. Mrs Pritchard play'd Sullen (Cross). Receipts. #180 (Cross); #149 2s. (Powel)

Event Comment: The Play of Hamlet is oblig'd to be deferr'd. [An extra notice appeared in the General Advertiser: This evening the Play of the Provok'd Wife will be perform'd at Drury Lane, the parts of Sir John and Lady Brute to be performed by Garrick and Mrs Pritchard."] Receipts: #140 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMrs Elmy ill--Pritchard did Indiana (Cross). Paid salary list #305 5s. 6d.; Norton 3 chorus 15s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #150 (Cross); #175 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Went off well--Dexter Hip :--Mossop-Ths ; Pritchard Phaedra ; Bellamy Ismena (Cross). Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: MMiss Pritchard did Beatrice (Cross). Mainpiece: By Desire. Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: Not performed for 12 years. [See 5 Nov. 1746.] Mossop, Palmer, Miss Macklin, Mrs Davies, Miss Pritchard played parts for first time. Receipts: #100 (Cross).; #114 10s (Winston MS 8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Pritchard. Tickets delviered out for The Way to Keep Him and Catherine and Petruchio will be taken. Mainpiece At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Part of Pit will be railed into the Boxes