Event Comment: The Lord Mayor's show. Evelyn, Diary: Was my L. Majors shew with a number of sumptuous pageantry, speeches & Verses: I was standing in an house in Cheape side, against the place prepared for their Majesties. The Prince & heire of Denmark was there, but not our King

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: And taking my wife up, carried her to Charing Cross, and there showed her the Italian motion, much after the nature of what I showed her a while since in Covent Garden. Their puppets here are somewhat better, but their motions not all

Event Comment: See Boswell (Restoration Court Stage, p. 280), who identifies the company as the King's Company. Evelyn, Diary: Saw the Young Admiral acted coram Rege &c

Event Comment: The King's Company. This is the first known performance of the comedy, but it may not be the premiere. Evelyn, Diary: At night saw acted the Committe, a ridiculous play of Sir R. Howards where that Mimic Lacy acted the Irish-footeman to admiration: a very Satyrus or Roscius. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 16: @For his Just Acting, all gave him due Praise,@His Part in the Cheats, Jony Thump, Teg and Bayes,@In these Four Excelling; The Court gave him the Bays.

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: I to the Cockpitt, with much crowding and waiting, where I saw The Valiant Cidd acted, a play I have read with great delight, but is a most dull thing acted, which I never understood before, there being no pleasure in it, though done by Betterton and by Ianthe [Mrs Saunderson], and another fine wench [Mrs Norton] that is come in the room of Roxalana [Mrs Davenport]; nor did the King or Queen once smile all the whole play, nor any of the company seem to take anyPleasure but what was in the greatness and gallantry of the company

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: I hearing what play it was that is to be acted before the King tonight, I would not stay

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Evelyn, Diary: I saw acted the Law against Lovers

Event Comment: See also 15 Dec. 1662. Evelyn, Diary: I went with Sir S. Tuke to heare the Comedians con, & repeate his new Comedy, the Adventures of 5 houres: a play whose plot was taken out of the famous Spanish Poet Calderon

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner with my wife to the Duke's Theatre, and saw the second part of Rhodes, done with the new Roxalana; which do it rather better in all respects for person, voice, and judgment, than the first Roxalana [Mrs Davenport]. Home with great content with my wife, not so well pleased with the company at the house to-day, which was full of citizens, there hardly being a gentleman or woman in the house; a couple of pretty ladies by us that made sport in it, being jostled and crowded by prentices

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Duke's House, where we saw The Villane again; and the more I see it, the more I am offended at my first undervaluing the play, it being very good and pleasant, and yet a true and allowable tragedy. The house was full of citizens, and so the less pleasant, but that I was willing to make an end of my gaddings, and to set to my business for all the year again to-morrow. Here we saw the old Roxalana [Mrs Davenport] in the chief box, in a velvet gown, as the fashion is, and very handsome, at which I was glad

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: Creed and I to my wife again, and...to the Cockpitt, where we saw Claracilla, a poor play, done by the King's house (but neither the King nor Queen were there, but only the Duke and Duchess, who did show some impertinent and, methought, unnaturall dalliances there, before the whole world, such as kissing, and leaning upon one another); but to my very little content, they not acting in any degree like the Duke's people

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: I took Creed by coach and to the Duke's playhouse, where we did see The Five Hours entertainment again, which indeed is a very fine play, though, through my being out of order, it did not seem so good as at first; but I could discern it was not any fault in the play

Event Comment: The Duke's Company, the receipts for #20 being signed by Richard Baddeley (A Calendar of the Middle Temple Records, ed. Hopwood, p. 170). W. J. Lawrence (Review of English Studies, IX (1933), 221) suggests The Adventures of Five Hours as a possibility. Pepys, Diary: I met Madam Turner...she and her daughter having been at the play to-day at the Temple, it being a revelling time with them

Event Comment: The King's Company. Apparently this was the premiere. Prologue: First Astrol. reads. A Figure of the heavenly Bodies in their several Apartments, Feb. the 5th half an hour after three after Noon, from whence you are to judge the success of a new Play call'd the Wild Gallant. Evelyn, Diary: I saw the Wild Gallant, a Comedy

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: Thence to Lincoln's Inn Fields; and it being too soon to go to dinner, I walked up and down, and looked upon the outside of the new theatre, now a-building in Covent Garden, which will be very fine

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the King's Playhouse, where we saw but part of Witt without mony, which I do not like much, but coming late put me out of tune, and it costing me four half-crowns for myself and company

Event Comment: The King's Company. This marks the opening of the new Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, Drury Lane, to which Killigrew moved his company from Vere Street. Downes erroneously gives the opening date as 8 April, a fact which led to the creation of the famous spurious playbill for Bridges Street, Thursday, 8 April 1663. See Montague Summers, The Restoration Theater (London, 1934), p. 15. Pepys, Diary: This day the new Theatre Royal begins to act with scenes the Humorous Lieutenant, but I have not time to see it, nor could stay to see my Lady Jemimah lately come to town, and who was here in the house. Downes (p. 3): Note, this Comedy was Acted Twelve Days Successively

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: And there took up my wife and Ashwell to the Theatre Royall, being the second day of its being opened. The house is made with extraordinary good contrivance, and yet hath some faults, as the narrowness of the passages in and out of the pitt, and the distance from the stage to the boxes, which I am confident cannot hear; but for all other things it is well, only, above all, the musique being below, and most of it sounding under the very stage, there is no hearing of the bases at all, nor very well of the trebles, which sure must be mended. The play was The Humerous Lieutenant, a play that hath little good in it, nor much in the very part which, by the King's command, Lacy now acts instead of Clun. In the dance, the tall devil's actions was very pretty....I am resolved to deny myself the liberty of two plays at court, which are in arreare to me for the months of March and April, which will more than countervail this excess, so that this month of May is the first that I must claim a liberty of going to a Court play according to my oath

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: After dinner by water to the Royall Theatre [Bridges St]; but that was so full they told us we could have no room. And so to the Duke's House; and there saw Hamlett done, giving us fresh reason never to think enough of Betterton. Who should come upon the stage but Gosnell, my wife's maid? but neither spoke, danced, nor sung; which I was sorry for. But she becomes the stage very well

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Royall Theatre [Bridges St], but they not acting today, then to the Duke's house, and there saw The Slighted Mayde, wherein Gosnell acted Pyramena, a great part, and did it very well, and I believe will do it better and better, and prove a good actor. The play is not very excellent, but is well acted, and in general the actors, in all particulars, are better than at the other house

Event Comment: Pepys, Diary: To the New Theatre [Vere St], which, since the King's players are gone to the Royal one [Bridges St], is this day begun to be employed by the fencers to play prizes at

Event Comment: The King's Company. For praise of Lacy, see Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 16, or 27 Nov. 1662. Pepys, Diary: To the Royal Theatre by water, and landing, met with Captain Ferrers his friend, the little man that used to be with him, and he with us, and sat by us while we saw Love in a Maze. The play is pretty good, but the life of the play is Lacy's part, the clown, which is most admirable; but for the rest, which are counted such old and excellent actors, in my life I never heard both men and women so ill pronounce their parts, even to my making myself sick therewith

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary: With my wife by water to the Royall Theatre; and there saw The Committee, a merry but indifferent play, only Lacey's part, an Irish footman, is beyond imagination. Here I saw my Lord Falconbridge, and his Lady, my Lady Mary Cromwell, who looks as well as I have known her and as well clad; but when the House began to fill she put on her vizard, and so kept it on all the play; which of late is become a great fashion among the ladies, which hides their whole face

Event Comment: The King's Company. Pepys, Diary To the Royall Theatre, where I resolved to bid farewell, as shall appear by my oaths to-morrow against all plays either at publique houses or Court till Christmas be over. Here we saw The Faithfull Sheepheardesse, a most simple thing, and yet much thronged after, and often shown, but it is only for the scenes' sake, which is very fine indeed and worth seeing; but I am quite out of opinion with any of their actings, but Lacy's, compared with the other house

Event Comment: Evelyn, Diary: I saw the greate Masque at court