Event Comment: Afterpiece: With a Procession of the Inhabitants of Otaheite, New Zealand, Tanna, Marquesas, the Friendly, Sandwich, and Easter Islands, Tschutzki, Siberia, Kamtschatka, Nootka Sound, Onalashka, Prince William's Sound, and the other Countries visited by Captain Cook, exactly representing their Dresses and Weapons. Receipts: #237 19s. (231/16; 6/3)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; MF 2, by Edward Neville]: The Overture and Music composed by Dibdin. Books of the Entertainment to be had at the Theatre. Public Advertiser, 20 Oct.: This Afternon at Three is published Plymouth In An Uproar (1s.). Receipts: #242 16s. 6d. (241.5.0; 1.11.6)

Event Comment: 3rd piece [1st time; past 2, by Matthew Feilde. MS: Larpent 585; not published; synopsis of plot in Public Advertiser, 22 Feb.]: With New Overture and Music, composed by [Michael] Arne. New Dresses, Scenes and Decorations. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #247 12s. (243/19/6; 3/12/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by John O'Keeffe, altered from his The Banditti (see 28 Nov. 1781). Text in his Dramatic Works, Vol. 1 (T. Woodfall, 1798)]: With new Scenes [by Carver (O'Keeffe, u, 38)], Dresses, and a new Overture. The Selected Airs by Handel, Vento, Giordani, Giardini, Bertoni, Dr Arne, and Carolan, the Irish Bard. The Overture and New Airs composed by Dr Arnold. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. [This was Sga Sestini's 1st appearance on the English-speaking stage. For several preceding seasons she had been a member of the Italian opera company performing at the King's.] "Sestini . . . was handsome, sprightly, and a good actress, if great exuberance of gesticulation, activity of motion, and affected Italian smorfie could make her one; but her voice was gritty and sharp (something like singing through a comb), and she was nothing of a singer, except for lively comic airs. Yet she was . . . long a favourite with the mass of the public, though not with the connoisseurs" (Mount-Edgcumbe, p. 33). Account-Book, 30 June 1783: Paid O'Keeffe in full for The Castle of Andalusia #368 18s. 6d. Receipts: #166 2s. 6d. (165/9/0; 0/13/6)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Mrs Wells, but she "was so ill last night that she could not perform the part of Jane Shore. It was undertaken by Mrs T. Kennedy" (Public Advertiser, 21 Dec.).] Afterpiece [1st time; P 2, by John O'Keeffe]: The Pantomime, and the whole of the Scenery, Machinery, Dresses, &c. designed and invented by Loutherbourg, and executed under his superintendance and direction by Richards, Carver, Hodgins, Catton Jun., Turner, assisted by two other celebrated artists [all subsequent playbills have "a celebrated artist"; he was the Rev. Matthew William Peters (Public Advertiser, 16 Dec.)]. The Music entirely new, composed by Shield. Books containing a short account of the Pantomime, as well as the Recitatives, Airs, Duets, Trios and Chorusses, and a Description of the Procession, to be had at the Theatre. Nothing under Full Price will be taken. [This was the last theatrical piece for which De Loutherbourg designed the scenery. For a detailed account of it see "De Loutherbourg and Captain Cook", by Ralph G. Allen, Theatre Research, IV, 195-211.] Account-Book, 17 Oct.: Paid De Loutherbourg on acct. #120; 20 Dec.: Paid Goodwin for copying Music #10 14s.; 14 Feb. 1786: Paid O'Keeffe in full for Omai #40. Receipts: #309 19s. (302/7; 7/12)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: 51st [recte 50th] Time [i.e. in continuation of the reckoning for the previous season]. With a Processionv exactly representing the Dresses, Weapons, and Manners of the Inhabitants of Otaheite, New Zealand, Tanna, Marquesas, the Friendly Islands, Sandwich Islands, and Easter Islands, Tschutzki, Siberia, Kamtschatka, Nootka Sound, Onalashka, Prince William's Sound, and the other Countries visited by Captain Cook. Receipts: #263 15s. 6d. (260.5.0; 3.10.6)

Event Comment: [The Farce A Fairy Tale in 2 acts by Dr Hawkesworth never acted before. Epilogue by Garrick. Spoken by Mrs Yates. The Fairy announced as Miss Marten in advance bills (Winston MS 9).

Event Comment: Prelude [1st time;PREL I, probably by Richard Cumberland. Larpent MS 472; not published]. Mainpiece [1st time; M 3, by Richard Cumberland, based on Calypso and Telemachus, by John Hughes]: The Overture and all the Music entirely new, and composed by Butler. With new Scenery painted by Richards and Carver, and new Dresses. Books of the Masque to be had at the Theatre. Public Advertiser, 27 Mar. 1779: This Day is published Calypso (1s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; T 5]: Written by the Author of Percy [Hannah More. Prologue by the author; Epilogue by Richard Brinsley Sheridan (see text)]. Public Advertiser, 1 Dec. 1779: This Day is published The Fatal Falsehood [sic] (1s. 6d.). Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2, by Charles Dibdin]: The Overture and all the Music composed by Dibdin. With new Scenes, Dresses, and Decorations to both Pieces. Books of the Entertainment to be had at the Theatre. Public Advertiser, 6 May 1779: This Afternoon at three is published The Chelsea Pensioner (1s.). The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [same for rest of season]

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Kennedy. Public Advertiser, 16 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Kennedy at her house, No. 36, Great Queen-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields. Receipts: #231 12s. 6d. (150.16.6; tickets: 80.17.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Kennedy. [For Mrs Kennedy as Carlos in 1st piece, see 20 Sept. 1780] Receipts: #267 2s. 6d. (141.4.6; tickets: 125.18.0) (charge: #105)

Event Comment: [The playbill retains Miss Younge as Juliet, but "In consequence of Miss Younge's having been suddenly taken ill, Juliet was taken at a very short notice and played by Mrs T. Kennedy" (Morning Chronicle, 27 Nov.).]

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Lord Trinket to Dodd, but he "having been taken ill, Kennedy of Covent Garden Theatre performed Lord Trinket, and was favourably received" (Public Advertiser, 28 Sept.).] Receipts: #170 18s. (120/7/0; 49/11/6; 0/19/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Now 1st performed under the title of The Lady's Opera, with a new Introduction. [Miss Catley had acted Macheath at the Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, in the season 1764-65. MS of Introduction (consisting of a dialogue between A and B): Larpent MS 572.] Receipts: #171 18s. 6d. (170/9/0; 1/9/6)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Peachum to Wilson, and Lockit to Booth, but on the Kemble playbill MS annotations substitute Booth and Thompson.] Receipts: #140 6s. (139/2; 1/4)