Event Comment: [By Colley Cibber.] With new Scenes and new Habits. Victor, History of the Theatres, II, 164: But alas! I can remember being of the merry Party in the Pit the first Night of Cibber's Caesar in Egypt, in which he performed the Part of Achoreus ; and we then laught at his quavering Tragedy Tones, as much as we did at his Pasteboard Swans which the Carpenters pulled along the Nile. [See also Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 12 Dec.

Event Comment: For a satiric poem on this night's performance, see Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 19 Dec., or Poem No. 334 in A Collection of Epigrams (1727)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: [By Lewis Theobald.] The Cloaths, Scenes, Machines, Flyings, and otehr Decorations, Being entirely new. N.B. Tis desir'd that no Persons will take it ill, that they are refus'd Admittance behind the Scenes, it being impossible to perform the necessary Decorations, unless the Passages are kept entirely clear. Receipts: #174 8s. Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 23 Jan.: In which was shewn the boldest Piece of Machinery that ever yet was seen upon the Stage

Event Comment: Benefit John Rich. Receipts: #167 10s. 6d. For a long essay on the stage, see Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 23 Jan

Event Comment: Receipts: #158 18s. 6d. For another essay on the stage, see Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 30 Jan

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Weekly. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Written by Beaumont and Fletcher

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. By the Italian Company of Comedians newly arriv'd. Pit and Boxes together by tickets only at 4s. Gallery 2s. N.B. Whereas the Number of Subscribers for this Company that are in Town, is very little, some of the first Representations will not be on thair Account. Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 1 Oct.: Last Wednesday Night his Majesty and their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, together with great Numbers of the Nobility and Persons of Distinction...saw the Comedy...The Faithful Wife

Event Comment: For a letter on opera, see Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 25 Feb

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Younger. Receipts: #42 9s.; tickets #123 5s. Probable attendance: boxes, 42 by money and 226 by tickets; stage, 12 by money; pit, 75 by money and 255 by tickets; slips, 5 by money; first gallery, 92 by money and 285 by tickets; second gallery, 40 by money. [For a letter on pantomime, chiefly at lif, see Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 11 March.

Event Comment: For a letter concerning dl, see Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 10 Feb

Event Comment: Receipts: #179 4s. Probable attendance: boxes, 214 paid and 1 order; stage, 51 paid; pit, 297 paid and 2 orders; slips, 66 paid; first gallery, 426 paid; second gallery, 198 paid. [For a letter on this play, see Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 30 March.

Event Comment: LL. Granom's Weekly Concerts of Musick. [To begin this day. Each subscriber may have two printed tickets for each night for ladies only at a half guinea for the two tickets. At 7 p.m. To be continued on Saturdays.

Event Comment: Written by Shakespear. [For a brief comment on this performance, see Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 27 Sept.

Event Comment: By Authority. At 6 P.M. Boxes 3s. Pit 2s. Gallery 1s. [The opening night of the new theatre in Goodman's Fields. The Prologue and Epilogue were printed in Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 8 Nov.

Event Comment: Benefit R. Williams. Mainpiece: Not Acted these Twenty Years. On this day the Lord Mayor and the Court of Aldermen of the City presented a petition to the King seeking the suppression of the theatre in Goodman's Fields. Thomas Odell, Master of the Theatre, also appeared before His Majesty and sought royal leave to continue acting.--See Grub St. Journal, 7 May, for a summary of the events, but see also Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer and London Journal, 2 May

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear. Afterpiece: Written by the Author of the Toy Shop. Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 26 Feb.: On Monday Night last a great Disturbance happened at Drury-lane Play-house, occasioned by a great Number of Footmen, who assembled themselves in a riotous and tumultuous Manner, with great Outcries of burning the House, unless they were immediately admitted into what they call their Gallery; and in order to strike a Terror, they began to hew down the Door of the Passage which leads to the said Gallery, of which Col. Deveil, who was then in the House, had immediate Notice, and thereupon came out where they were thus assembled, and notwithstanding they threatened to knock his Brains out, he read the Proclamation to them, admonish'd them to retire, and desist from so unlawful an undertaking. [The footmen soon withdrew.

Event Comment: Benefit for Havard. [Stage arranged as on 7 March.] Tickets and places at Havard's House in Broad Court the upper end of Bow St., and of Hobson at the stage door. The manager of the Smock Alley theatre Dublin in order to support decayed players, has resolved to apply the whole receipts of one night every year towards raising a fund for the purpose, which is to be increased by the players allowing a small portion of their salaries to be deducted weekly. A scheme worthy the imitation of the managers and players of our theatres. -Gentleman's Magazine, March 1749, p. 238

Event Comment: Paid Cross for paper & pens 1s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). [A constant weekly charge which will be noted no further, amounting to #1 10s. for the season.] Receipts: #130 (Cross); #120 4s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: [M$Mr Carata the Turk, 2nd Week's salary #26 5s. A Dancer on the slack rope. Met general approbation in London two years earlier. Engaged this season at the Haymarket, where he first perform'd "after the Turkish Manner with surprising execution on the slack wire" 31 Oct. 1749. Rich took him over in December and kept him on the payroll at #26 5s. weekly for thirteen weeks until 10 May 1750. His salary included pay for this equipment and apparently a small company of assistants, as the Account Book refers to him often as Carata the Turk & Co.] Receipts: #105 14s

Event Comment: On Saturday next will be publish'd in The Westminster Journal, (over and above the Essay as usual) No 1 of The Theatrical Kalander. In which not only will be kept an accurate register of all the plays, farces, and Entertainments exhibited as both Theatres Royal, but the respective merits of the performances, as well as performers, will be critically and impartially considered. To be continued weekly during the season. Note This is the first thing of its kind attempted in England, and it is humbly presumed, that it will have something still more than Novelty to recommend it (Public Advertiser). [See numbers 4 May 1754 and 17 Oct. 1755 of this magazine.

Event Comment: Receipts: #115 3s. [The Weekly Magazine; or, Gentleman and Lady's Polite Companion (1760), pp. 61-63, deplores the lack of new plays and lack of competition for the Patent houses. "Our theatres seem now to aim at glorious opposition: Harlequin is set against Harlequin, one dancing master opposes another; the scene shifters, the singers, and even the drummers figure at each house by turns, and it is to be hoped soon that the mere actor will become useless....The Fair has scarce even pantomime probability...for instance Harlequin should never exercise his magical power without reason, and should never make escapes without being pursued, but here he conjures, leaps, runs and waggles without any apparent design; and the whole seems destitute of plot, a if contrived by a dancing master. Harlequin's Invasion at the other House is still rather more absurd." The author expected a speaking Harlequin, Pantaloon, Pierot, Mezzetin, &c. but found the customary figures banished for the substitution of a "stupid Taylor and his more stupid wife." Regrets the sinking of stage performance to such absurdity.

Event Comment: ctually no play. Death of George II closed theatres three weeks.] Mainpiece: Not acted in 2 years. [See 28 April 1759. There was no income this night, but the play list had to be met. The house carried a profitable balance of #318 16s. 5d. The payroll plus other expenses came to #284 12s. 9d., leaving a thin balance of #34 3s. 8d. (Account Book). Other bills included #14 17s. to Luppino for making dancing dresses; Robertson 10s. for attendance four nights in The Rape; Miss Ibbott #5 5s. for performing the part of Queen Elizabeth in the Earl of Essex; Marenesi and wife advanced weekly #2 2s. till the Theatre opened again (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Ballard, Treasurer. [For Entertainment, see 26 March] Receipts. #39 8s. 6d. plus #211 6s. from tickets (Box 282; Pit 782; Gallery 235). [Ballard deliver'd 1,299 tickets, nearly the record fbr any recipient of a benefit, actor or nonactor. His profit of #187 14s. 6d. seems to have been equivalent to more than 3 years' salary, since he is set down for a weekly salary of #1 in the Account Book for this year.] Charges: #63 (Account Book)

Event Comment: Pit and Boxes laid together. No admittance to Pit but through the boxes and with tickets. Towards raising a fund for the relief of those who from their infirmities shall be oblig'd to retire from the stage. This fund having been begun by a voluntary contribution among the performers improved by a proportionable weekly deduction on their salaries and intended as a reciprocal provision for them, their widows and children in sickness and infirmity, it is humbly hoped an appeal to the generosity of the public will not be taken amiss &c. (Winston MS 9)