Event Comment: At 5 went into the Pit at Covent Garden to see Mrs Yates do Lady Townly. Yates is an excellent Sir Francis, but Powell does not shine in Lord Townly....The Entertainment was the new comedy in two acts called the Oxonian in Town, with a prologue by Woodward in the character of a student....It being suspected that a number of sharpers whose characters and practices are laid open in this piece, would attempt to damn it tonight (the 3rd of its being Performed) under pretence of its casting odium on the Irish, bills were dispersed in the House during the play vindicating it from any such intention. Woodward was allowed to speak the prologue, but as soon as the curtain drew up catcalls began. When the performers retired, Powell spoke several times, but was not heard. I was told that the author (Mr Colman) desires to know whom he has offended. The Pros were a very great majority, and at last after a contest of better than 1!2 an hour, the victory was over and the piece was performed. I think it contains many good sentiments, and excellent instruction to young men and is not unworthy of Mr Colman. If vice must not be exposed to hatred and contempt, the usefulness of our theatres is at an end. Only I think the Covent Garden pleasures are represented in too favourable a light. When all was over Powell came on the stage and thanked the audience for their generous protection (Neville MS Diary). Receipts: #212 12s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A New Comedy (by Hugh Kelly] of 2 Acts never perform'd. [Written, as the author states in his Advertisement to the Edition of 1774, at the instigation of and on the inspiration of Mrs Abington. The Larpent MS 379 lists a partial cast and the lengths for each part: 10 Hector Strangeways-Mrs Green; 7 1!2 Zelinda 1!2 Jenny-....(A Length was 42 lines of dialogue.)] [From the +Westminster Magazine, Dec: Though there is scarce anything new in the Plot, Characters, Dialogue of this piece; yet upon the whole we found it extremely entertaining. The Indian servant is well introduced to satirize the follies and vices of the metropolis; and Sir Hector and his son give us a good dish of sea terms, well served up by Messrs $Shuter">Shuter; 7 Brownlow-$Bensley; 5 Ormsby-$Clarke; 6 Bussora-...; 5 +Orson-...; 6 +Pillage-$Dunstall; 1!2 Servant-...; 5 +Lady Strangeways-$Mrs Green; 7 1!2 Zelinda 1!2 Jenny-....(A Length was 42 lines of dialogue.)] [From the +Westminster Magazine, Dec: Though there is scarce anything new in the Plot, Characters, Dialogue of this piece; yet upon the whole we found it extremely entertaining. The Indian servant is well introduced to satirize the follies and vices of the metropolis; and Sir Hector and his son give us a good dish of sea terms, well served up by Messrs $Shuter and Quick."

Event Comment: Benefit for Cooke. [The Devil to Pay was advertised in today's bill, but "Mrs Clive was taken ill, the Anatomist was Play'd" (Cross). Stage and Pit arranged as of 7 March.] Tickets and places to be had of Cooke at Mr Clarke's an Upholsterer in James St., Covent Garden. Receipts. #200 (Cross); charges, #60 (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for James Sturgis Adams (a Person in Distress) (Cross). Gave Xmas Box to Duke's Servts #1 1s. (Treasurer's Book). Tickets for Boxes to be had at the following Coffee Houses, St. James, St. James's St; Somerset in the Strand; Grigsby's behind the Royal Exchange; and the Union, Cornhill. Receipts: #205 (Cross); charges, #80 (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit Mr and Mrs Davenport. At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality and Distinction

Event Comment: By Permission [of the Lord Chamberlain]. Benefit for Mrs Jewell. The out-standing Tickets of Jewell's, for September the 2d, will be admitted

Event Comment: Benefit Mr and Mrs Hamilton. At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality

Event Comment: Benefit Dormer, Author of the Female Rake, &c. Afterpiece: a Ballad-Comedy of Two Acts never performed before. [By Joseph Dorman (?). Tickets at Mrs Talbot's Coffee House in the Passage in DL Playhouse and at the Author's House in Old Bailey.]

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Taken from Plautus, Moliere. Egerton 2320: Receipts: #82. Hamlet Posted for a week but put off upon Mrs Cibber's refusing to do Ophelia for which she was forfeited five pounds--the Miser play'd instead of it

Event Comment: Benefit Bridgwater (who has been ill). Tickets at Bridgwater's. over-against the Red-Lion in Brownlow Street. Tickets for Mr and Mrs Cross taken

Event Comment: Benefit Mr and Mrs Hale. Mainpiece not acted these 14 years [see 15 May 1734]

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Pritchard. Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear. Servants admitted to keep places on the stage, which will be fram'd into Front and side boxes, and entirely enclosed after the manner of an Oratorio. Ladies are desired to send servants to keep places to prevent mistakes. Tickets and places to be had at Mrs Pritchard's in Duke's late Earl's Court, Bow St.; At Mr Vaughan's, the Royal Exchange, Cornhill, and at the stage door

Event Comment: At the New Wells, London Spaw, Clerkenwell. Benefit for Mrs Yeates. By Desire of some Gentlemen and Ladies. Particular care is taken to have the House warm. To begin at half an hour after six

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Mainpiece: Written by the celebrated Mrs Eliza Haywood. Not acted these 6 years. Afterpiece [1st time; F 2 (?)]: Written by a Comedian [unidentified. not in Larpent MS; not published]. The above Pieces have been a long Time in Rehearsal, and as no Expense has been spared in procuring respectable Performers from capital Theatres, there is no doubt (as the Comedies have sterling Merit) of their giving Satisfaction to the Audience. The Doors to be opened at 5:15. To begin at 6:15

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain. Mainpiece: Written by Wycherly, with Alterations [from Love in a Wood; or, St. James's Park]. Not acted these 100 years [acted at DL, 15 Aug. 1718. Author of Prologue unknown]. Afterpiece: Taken from Mrs Centlivre's play of the same title. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:00

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Pepys, Diary: To the Opera, and there saw Romeo and Juliet, the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do, and I am resolved to go no more to see the first time of acting, for they were all of them out more or less. Downes (p. 22): Note, There being a Fight and Scuffle in this Play, between the House of Capulet, and House of Paris; Mrs Holden Acting his Wife, enter'd in a Hurry, Crying, O my Dear Count! She Inadvertently left out, O, in the pronuntiation of the Word Count! giving it a Vehement Accent, put the House into such a Laughter, that London Bridge at low-water was silence to it. This Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, was made some time after into a Tragi-comedy, by Mr James Howard, he preserving Romeo and Juliet alive; so that when the Tragedy was Reviv'd again, twas Play'd Alternately, Tragical one Day, and Tragicomical another; for several Days together. [No specific notices are known which would indicate when Howard's version appeared.

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Cantrell and Salle's Widow

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Hallam. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. [Tickets at Mrs Hallam's House, No. 6, Wild Court, in Wild Street, near lif.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Mrs Centlivre

Event Comment: Benefit Cibber. At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by George Duke of Buckingham. Afterpiece: With Additions, the Words and Musick by Mr Carey. 6:30 p.m. London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 6 June: Yesterday Morning died Mrs Hallam

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. Mainpiece: Written by the late Mrs Centlivre. 'Tis humbly hop'd no Person will take it ill their being refused Admittance to the Music Room; the Dances depending greatly on the same being kept entirely clear. Receipts: #173 (Account Book); #200 (Rylands MS.). [King, Duke, and Princesses Amelia, Caroline, and Louisa present.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Mrs Centlivre. Afterpiece: By Desire

Event Comment: Benefit Anderson, Dupre, Mrs Bland. Tickets delivered out for Goodall, Mrs Daniel, Miss Morrison will be taken. Mainpiece not acted these 5 years

Event Comment: Benefit for Bencraft and Mrs Hale. Mainpiece: Not acted these 9 years. [See 4 Dec. 1740.] N.B.: A parcel of tickets having been lost, none sold at the doors of the theatre will be admitted. Tickets to be had and places taken of Page at the Stage Door of the Theatre. [Inserted in the General Advertiser this day is Buskin's Apology]: @Enur'd to ills of various kinds,@By ancestors undone;@The Author has severely paid@For failings not his own.@From Disappointments Buskin writes,@Confesses 'tis for gain@Yet scorns all profits which arise@From giving others pain.@No private character he sneers,@No venom taints his mind;@His sole ambition is to please,@Not satyrise Mankind.@ On Wednesday last the Tragedy of Othello was acted at Covent Garden towards the relief of the unhappy sufferers by the late Fire; and on Saturday the sum of #218 12s. 4d. was paid into the hands of Messrs Ironside and Belchier; the company of comedians and the band of musick having generously given their performances (General Advertiser)

Event Comment: OOccasional Prologue call'd for. Mr Griffith (Son of Griffith an Actor in Ireland) play'd Barnwell: Toll: [erable] (Cross). This day at Noon will be publish'd and sold by the proprietor and the print shops, two portraits of those celebrated Comedians, Mr Woodward and Mrs Clive, in the characters of the Fine Gentleman and Lady in Lethe (as they are to perform them tonight, at Drury Lane) curiously engraved (in Miniature) from Original drawings of the same size. By J. Brooks, Engraver of Silver and Copper plate. N.B. The above prints may be had together or separate (General Advertiser).Receipts: #140 (Cross)