Event Comment: Benefit for Fawcett, Mrs Cross and Mrs Millidge. Last time performing till the Holidays

Event Comment: The Bills were up this day for Phaedra and Hippolitus & the Wedding Ring for the Benefit of Mrs Barry-about Nine o'clock this Morning Rec'd Note that Mrs Barry was so ill She could not play: therefore fresh Bills were put up (Hopkins Diary). [See 21 April.] Paid Mr Bannister as per order #10 10s.; Mr Turner, extra trumpet 6 nights (14th incl.) #2 5s. Receipts: #225 7s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: WWalpole to Sir Horace Mann: We have operas but no company at them; the Prince and Lord Middlesex Impresarii. Plays only are in fashion; at one house the best company that perhaps ever were together, Quin, Garrick, Mrs Pritchard, Mrs Cibber: at the other Barry, a favorite young actor and the Violette, whose dancing our friends don't like: I scold them, but all the answer is "Lord! you are so English."-Horace Walpole's Correspondence with Sir Horace Mann, II, 42

Event Comment: CCross: An apology made for Mrs Cibber's being ill, tho she play'd her part. Receipts: #180 (Cross); #181 5s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Elmy. Tickets and Places of Mrs Elmy at the corner of Tavistock St. next Southampton St., Covent Garden; and of Hobson at the stage door. Being the last time of acting till the Holidays. Cash, #92 12s.; tickets, #56 8s.; total, #149 (Clay MS page reproduced in Oct. 1926 issue of Connoisseur, p. 93). A few days ago arriv'd in Town Mr Sheridan, Manager of the Theatre Royal in Dublin, and we hear as his stay is to be but short, he intends to perform only once, for the benefit of the poor sufferers by the late Fire (General Advertiser). [The fire happened the 25th in "Exchange alley (London) and in the space of 10 hours consumed a great number of houses occupied by persons in middling circumstances and with large families." Subscriptions were raised and distributed by a committee of ten bankers. See General Advertiser.] Receipts: #160 (Cross); house charges, #63 (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Cibber. Play By Command of Prince & Princess of Wales. Play taken from the French of M de Voltaire. Never acted there before.' Pit and boxes to be laid together, where the Ladies and Gentlemen will be admitted as at the Oratorios. And for the better accommodation of the Ladies the Stage will be form'd into an amphitheatre (with particular care to keep it warm) where servants will be allowed to keep places, as also in the Pit. Ladies send servants by three o'clock

Event Comment: On Friday the 22nd a Benefit for Mrs Allen, Daughter of the late Thomas Allen, Barrister at Law, and Niece to the late Col. James Allen, who has for many years lost the use of her limbs by Palsy,--The Suspicious Husband, with entertainment as will be express'd in the Bill of the Day. Tickets to be had at Searle's Coffee House, Lincoln's Inn; at the Rolls, Chancery Lane; at George's Temple Bar; at Grigsby's behind the Change; at the Southsea Coffee House, Bishopsgate St.; and at the stage door, where places may be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Cibber. No part of the Pit will be rail'd into the Boxes; but for the better accommodation of the Ladies, the Stage will be enclos'd in form of an Amphitheatre, where servants will be allowed to keep places. Ladies desired to send servants by 3 o'clock. Afterpiece: By Particular Desire. A letter from Paris informs us of a very singular entertainment exhibited at the Fair of St Germains, consisting of a Concert of Music executed by a band of Animal musicians. A number of Cats, clothed uniformly, were placed on stools, with music books before them, and a Monkey in the middle who beat time. On a signal given by the Monkey, the cast set up a mewing, and were accompanied by some violins; which form'd a very diverting dissonance. The whole Fair flock'd to it; and some of the gravest people of Paris could not forbear laughing heartily

Event Comment: [Concerning Mrs Elmy's acting of Desdemona, the Gentleman's Magazine (Oct., p. 493) quotes the Monitor: And no part has been better represented in our memory, and indeed we scarce knew what it was before she acted it."

Event Comment: NNossiter play'd Rutland (Cross). [Murphy in Gray's Inn Journal, 15 Dec., notes: It is universally agreed by all who have seen the play [Essex] that Mrs Bland performs the queen with great Spirit and with more resemblance to a personage of rank, than is commonly seen on the stage."

Event Comment: Benefit for Barry. Tickets to be had of Barry at his house in Bow St., Covent Garden

Event Comment: Benefit for Sparks. Receipts: #83 2s. 6d. plus Tickets #184 12s. (boxes 335; pit 551; gallery 182). Advanced Mrs Bellamy on her salary #105. Two new Renters came in at 1 share each: Sir Thomas Robinson and Robert Hassell (Account Book). Mr Smith takes this earliest opportunity to return thanks the Ladies and Gentlemen who honoured him with their presence at his Benefit on Tuesday Night, and is very sorry for any interruption that might happen in the performance. The indulgence of his friends that night far exceeded his most sanguine exceptations; otherwise he should have provided proper accomodations for them on the stage (Public Advertiser). [See Theatrical Review, 1757 and Beginning of 1758, for contemporary comment on mainpiece: "It is not paying it a very great, much less an underserved compliment to give it the preference over all the dramatic pieces that have been presented at either house these six or seven years...Tears were the first praises I gave it...no play except Lear ever make such a strong constant impression on my feelings."

Event Comment: Benefit for Barrington and Mrs Lampe. No building on stage. Receipts: by income from tickets: Barrington #90 16s. (boxes 142; pit 286; gallery 12); Mrs Lampe, #53 2s. (boxes 52; pit 180; gallery 131) (Account Book). [The original title of afterpiece, a burlesque opera by Henry Carey, was Margery; or, A Worse Plague than the Dragon a sequel to the Dragon of Wantley. The music was advertised as by the late Mr Lampe.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Elmy. Receipts: #46 7s. Charges: #63. Deficiency covered by #80 15s. from tickets (boxes 169; pit 162; gallery 142) (Account Book). Mainpiece: Not acted there these 4 years. [See 28 Jan. 1755.

Event Comment: By Permission. Benefit for Mrs Dancer. A new Tragedy altered from Southerne's Oroonoko

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Hopkins

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [Mrs Mills was from the Edinburgh theatre.] Receipts: #173 6s. 6d. (140/13/0; 32/11/0; 0/0/0; ticket not come in: 0/2/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Shuter and Palmer. Rec'd cash #50 14s., plus #82 15s. in tickets. Paid Duke of Bedford's Steward for leases #3 13s. 6d.; Mrs Swift 1s. 6d., omitted Wednesday; Mrs Roberts #1 omitted Wednesday [Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #150 (Cross); charges, #63 (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for one Barry a Jeweller (Cross). A Charity Play, recommended by the City of London for Barry, Jeweller in Salisbury Court (being in great distress). Tickets at Grigsby's, Shadwell's, Janeway's and Sam's Coffee Houses by the Royal Exchange; Peele's, Nando's Anderton's and Temple Exchange in Fleet St., Marsh's Coffee House in Silver St., and at the stage door. Stage will be form'd into an Amphitheatre (General Advertiser). Mr Reinhold dy'd (Cross). A man no less admired for his private character than his publick performance. He has left behind him a Wife and Four small children in great distress; for the relief of whom the Managers of Drury Lane, and the actors have agreed to perform a play Gratis, some time next week; when it is hop'd the good nature of the publick will favour the intention of the performers. Tickets to be had of Mr Beard, at his house in North St., Red Lion Square, and at the theatre (General Advertiser, 16 May). Receipts: #60 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Elmy

Event Comment: Whereas it has been industriously given out in order to prejudice Mr Barry, that he has frequently of late refused to act, when his health would have permitted; He takes this opportunity of assuring the publick, whose favour it is his highest ambition to deserve, that he scorns to make use of tricks or Evasions of this kind, and that nothing but real illness has, or shall ever oblige him to decline his duty as an actor (General Advertiser). Receipts: #130 (Cross); #144 12s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Receipts: #110 6s. 6d. Paid Barry his one third of surplus above the #80 House Charges: #10 2s. 2d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Paid Charlotte Lane for making a dress for Zanga for Mr Clarke, the Robe interlin'd with linen & the underdress lin'd with blue tammy's linnen, 18s.; 7 1!2 yds linnen at 10d.-7s. 6d.; 5 yds tammy at 2s.-10s.; silk, lace, and sewing silk, &c., 4s. (MS list in Davies, Life of Garrick, II, 322). [Also from same source]: paid to same for lengthening a coat sleeves & mending same for Mr Ridout, 1s. 3d.; for making a cloath coat lac'd with silver for Mrs Vincent, 10s. 6d., sewing silk, twist, buckram & stays, 4s. 6d.; hair cloth, wadding & linnen pockets, 5s.; 4 1!2 yds tammy at 2s.-9s

Event Comment: Benefit for Costollo and Ballard (Treasurer). Last time of performing the Mainpiece this season. Tickets sold at the doors will not be taken. [See T. Wilkinson Memoirs, I, 117-19 on Mrs Woffington's illness and inability to play Gertrude.

Event Comment: Benefit for Barry. By Permission. Last night but one of performing. [H. M. Company of Comedians omitted from heading.