Event Comment: Benefit for Berry. Tickets at Pope's Peruke Maker Russell St. Rec'd Cash #93 3s., plus #92 11s. from tickets. Total #185 14s.; Paid Salary List #203 7s.; Norton 5 chorus #1 5s. (Treasurer's Book). To the Public, Gentlemen and Ladies, I am very sorry that a long, sharp, and severe fit of Illness prevents me the satisfaction of making my personal application to my friends as usual, against my Benefit; but finding myself every day rather worse than better, I hope you will be so kind as to take this notice, that the Stratagem, will be performed on Saturday the 21st of April; the part of Archer by Mr Garrick, for the benefit of Mr and Mrs Mills; with a Farce and all other usual Entertainments. From your most oblig'd Servant, William Mills. Mr Mills hopes his friends who intend to honour him with their company, will be so kind as to send to him for Places, Tickets, &c., or call upon him at Mr Gardner's Printing Office in Russel St., Covent Garden; or at Hobson's at the stage door (General Advertiser). Receipts: #180 (Cross); charges, #60 (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Howard, Mrs Chambers, Miss Pitt

Event Comment: Taken from a Midsummer Night's Dream written by Shakespear. The Songs from Shakespear, Milton, Waller, Dryden, Lansdown, Hammond. Music-Smith. [First edition Text by John Christopher Smith; see Garrick to James Murphey French, Dec. 1756; H. Walpole to R. Bentley 23 Feb. 1755.] Besides our own Singers, we had Sg Guadagni, Sga Passerini, Miss Potier [i.e., Mrs Vernon], and Savage's Boys. Very great Applause; Sabatini danced after it and fell down, not hurt (Cross). [See A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Hands of Garrick and Colman, G. W. Stone Jr, PMLA (June 1939).] Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: DDrury Lane Theatre open'd Sat: Sept 13th. The House new Gilt, Painted & ornamented wth Festoons &c. Mr Mossop left us. Mr Wilder discharg'd. Mrs Mills is gone to end her Days in Wales, wth an Allowance of #20 per An: from the Managers (Cross). Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. No money returned after the Curtain is up. No Persons to be admitted behind the Scenes. Places for Boxes to be had of Mr Varney at the Stage Door. [Notice customarily repeated and will not be further noted.] Receipts: #109 (Cross)

Event Comment: LLittle Pietro & Miss Noverre, from France now perform, with a figure of Children & meet with great Applause-were encor'd the first Night-(Cross). Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear. Receipts: #180 (Cross)

Event Comment: Last time of performing the afterpiece this Season. Benefit for Miss Minors & Mrs Cowper (Cross). [See note, 27 March 1756.] Receipts: #190 (Cross)

Event Comment: For the Benefit of the Wid. Kraus & her children whose Husband was murder'd by Robbers near Chelsea (Cross). Tickets to be had at White's Chocolate House, and the St James Coffee House, St James St.; at Allmack's Coffee House, Halfmoon St.; The Mount Coffee House, Grosvenor St.; Sam's Coffee House and The Jerusalem Coffee House, Exchange Alley; of Mrs Kraus, at her house in Halfmoon St., Picadilly, and of Mr Varney at the stage Door, where places may be taken. Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Receipts: #170 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for Redman, Buck, Lucas, Dumay, Mrs Granier, and Miss Cokayne. Tickets deliver'd out by Martin, Letsam, Mrs Jarvis, and Mrs Gold will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Obrien. Afterpiece: By particualr Desire, being the last Time of Performing in this Season. No Building on the Stage. Receipts: #180 (Cross)

Event Comment: N.B. We have engag'd Mr King; & Miss Baker from Ireland, one Mr Moody, a Stroler,-Mr Beard is gone to Covent Garden, 'tis said to be manager Mr Mossop to Ireland. Receipts: #120 (Cross). Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s. Places from Mr Varney at the Stage Door. No admittance behind scenes. [The customary note about prices and admittance will not be noted further here.] [At the opening of the theatres this season appeared an essay in Goldsmith's Bee, giving close observations upon actors, and deploring the relative stiffness and formality of English actors in comparison with the French. Advised English actors to travel abroad. Yet (Vol. 1759, p. 12) commented on the magnificnece of "our theatres as far superior to any others in Europe where plays only are acted. The great care our performers take in painting for a part, their exactness in all minutiae of dress, and other little scenical proprieties has been taken notice of by Riccoboni." Complains of the convention of laying a rug before a dying scene and of the vacant expressions of mutes on stage.

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: Young Gentlewoman-Miss E. Miller, marryed since to Mr Thomas Baker, an actor of cg, and a singing master. Mrs Baker is at present separated from her husband (1792) and performs only at Sadler's Wells in Pantomimes &c! Qu: Count Haslang and Mrs Baker (Hopkins MS Notes). Income from Boxes #27 2s. 6d. Nightly expense as usual #32 16s. 11d. Receipts: #74 7s. 6d. (Winston Theatrical Record)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Green, Miles, and Sga Maranesi. Tickets deliver'd for The Pilgrim, as also those by Miss Sledge, will be taken. Mainpiece for last time this season

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Macklin. No Building on stage. Afterpiece: Only time of performing it this season

Event Comment: TThe Beggar's Opera, was advertis'd for this Night, but Miss Williams being Hoarse it was oblig'd to be deferr'd (Hopkins). Receipts: #170 14s. 6d. (MacMillan)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Paid printer's 3 bills...#20 9s.; Mrs Hillman for women's cloathes #23 2s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #116 15s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: [G$Genest, V, 119, suggests The Deuce is in Him for afterpiece with King as Prattle and Miss Reynolds as Bell. Treasurer's Book, however, states Queen Mab. Cunning Man-deferred. Mrs Arne Ill. Wonder reviv'd after two years. See 13 May 1765.] Receipts: #103 9s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Parsons, Real, Miss Cokayne, Mas. Besford, Francis. Both pieces By Particular Desire. Tickets deliver'd by Wild, Bassan, Pullin, Mrs Griffiths, Mrs Paddick, Mrs Walters, and Widow Trott will be taken. [House took half value of tickets in addition to ready money.] @Tickets Box Pit Gallery Value Half Value@Parsons 17 76 73 #22 19s. #11 9s. 6d.@Real 19 9 12 #7 6s. #3 13s.@Miss Cokayne 10 25 42 #10 9s. #5 4s. 6d.@Mas. Besford 1 32 49 #9 19s. #4 19s. 6d.@Francis - 41 18 #7 19s. #3 19s. 6d.@Wylde 5 18 29 #6 17s. #3 8s. 6d.@Bassan 14 53 56 #17 1s. #18 10s. 6d.@Pullin - 34 83 #13 8s. #6 14s.@Mrs Griffiths - 32 46 #9 8s. #4 14s.@Mrs Paddick 6 26 26 #8 #4@Mrs Walters 2 13 31 #5 11s. #2 15s. 6d.@Widow Trott 28 4 17 #9 6s. #4 13s.@Total 102 363 482 #128 3s. #64 1s. 6d.@ Receipts: #80 17s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mortimer, Tomlinson, West, Lings. House charges #84. [Deficit to actors #60 4s.] Received Mr Evans and Miss Roger's deficiency #28 18s. 6d. Paid Ann Collett for a gold brocaided silk #10 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #23 16s. (Treasurer's Book). Went into ye Pit...Vernon is an excellent MacHeath. I don't like Yates as Peachum so well as Shuter, and Parsons is not so good a Filch as Holborn. Bransby ye Lockit and Mrs Abington Lucy pretty well...Polly-$Mrs Vincent, who is now too old for ye character, and I think wants feeling...One Tomlinson, who had a 4th of the Benefit, spoke an Epilogue in the character of a Beggar, but by one party hissing and a greater clapping, could not hear it.--At Covent Garden a Hurdy-Gurdy man and girl play in the whore's scene, and as the Highwaymen march out, one returns and kisses MacHeath, and Shuter says some things Yates did not, but perhaps they are additions of his own (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Benefit for Champness and Miss Young

Event Comment: [Duke of York-$Miss Besford in Public Advertiser.] Afterpiece: By Particular Desire

Event Comment: [Review of Miss Catley's performance in Town and Country Magazine this month, from Theatre No XXI.