Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Violante's Daughter and Mr LaFevre, being the only Reward allow'd them for Performing the whole Season

Event Comment: At Mr Gibbin's and Mrs Violante's Great Booth

Event Comment: A Dramatick Entertainment of Dancing in Grotesque Characters, the whole entirely new. [In previous weeks Mrs Violante had been offering miscellaneous entertainments at the hay, but this is the first piece which begins to resemble a dramatic production.

Event Comment: [Mainpiece in place of NOTORIETY, advertised on playbill of 23 Oct.] Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2 , by Mrs Burke. MS: Larpent 992; not published]: With new Music [by Tommaso Giordani (Morning Herald, 25 Oct.)). Scenery, Dresses and Decorations. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Receipts: #228 0s. 6d. (206/10/6; 21/10/0)

Event Comment: 3rd piece [Ist time; MF 2, attributed to Mrs Rainsford, for whom see Morning Herald, 9 May; London Chronicle, 23 May, states that it was written by "A Lady," but gives no name. MS: Larpent 1025; not published]: The Music composed by Webbe. Receipts: #118 4s. (109/3; 9/1)

Event Comment: [By Mrs Aubert.] Never Acted before. In Daily Courant, 26 May: Never acted before, being unfortunately prevented on Friday last, by the unexpected Arrest of the Person who was to have played the Doctor

Event Comment: [Mrs Bridgman is identified in European Magazine, Oct. 1794, p. 285.] Receipts: #212 14s. 6d. (188.9.6; 24.5.0)

Event Comment: Benefit Short and Mrs Willis

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Tickets deliver'd by Mrs Lampe, and Mrs Jones, Mrs Masters (formerly Miss Lalauze), Besford, Miss Cranfield, Bates, Widow Wise, Widow Emery, and Ledger, and those deliver'd for She Stoops to Conquer will be taken. Doors open half past 5. To begin at half past 6 o'clock

Event Comment: Mrs Barry's first appearance this season in Rosalind. Mrs Hunt Daughter of Mr Dunstall made her first appearance in Leonora a tolerable Voice figure & face, So, So, --pretty well receiv'd (Hopkins Diary). Paid 2 Housekeeper's Bills #17 6s. 9d.; Black Lyon Bill #1 16s. 11d. (Treasurer's Book). [These were constant weekly items. The housekeeper's bills averaged #3 6s. per week or #122 for the season. The Black Lyon Tavern bill averaged #3 per week or #108 for the season. No further itemizing of these items will be made.] Receipts: #249 11s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mrs Mills, a Drury Lane actress, died on this day

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Thomas Holcroft, based partly on The Fashionable Lover, by Richard Cumberland. Authors of Prologue and Epilogue unknown]. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30, for the remainder of the Season. Morning Chronicle, 13 May 1795: This Day is published The Deserted Daughter (2s.). Receipts: #210 2s. (205.12.6; 4.9.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. [Authors of Epilogue and Address unknown.] Morning Chronicle, 30 Apr.: Tickeps to be had of Mrs Mattocks, No. 16, Soho-square. Receipts: #322 2s. (125.2.0; 6.15.6; tickets: 190.4.6)

Event Comment: "When Euphrasia stabs Dionysius, she exclaims, 'A daughter's arm, fell monster, strikes the blow, Yes, first she strikes...' All, or at least the greatest part of this seems to be intended to precede the blow; and yet probability requires that the blow of a woman that kills an armed warrior should be unforeseen and sudden. Mrs Siddons felt the force of this. She strikes Dionysius without speaking a word, and repeats the passage over him as he lies on the ground" (Monthly Mirror, July 1800, p. 41). Receipts: #154 11s. 6d. (90.17.6; 62.8.0; 1.6.0)

Event Comment: "We have been frequently displeased at [Palmer's] noisy extravagance of acting in many of his tragic parts, but in none more than in the character of Dionysius in that patched-up pantomimic drama entitled The Grecian Daughter" (Candid Strictures, pp. 6-7). Receipts: #279 16s. (249/8/0; 28/0/6; 1/12/6; tickets not come in: 0/15/0)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Yates. Mainpiece: Altered from Corneille [by Colley Cibber?]. Never Performed There. Pit and Boxes laid together (playbill). Charges #66 7s. 6d. Profit to Mrs Yates #39 7s. 6d., plus #179 from tickets (Box and Pit 716). Paid Younger a Bill for writing parts #5 19s. 9d. Paid John Smith for a Blue cloth suit lac'd with gold #9 9s. (Account Book). Receipts: #105 15s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [For Cross' comment, see dl.] Receipts: #203 8s. 6d. Paid Barry one third of the surplus of this night's receipt over and above #80 allow'd for the charges:-#41 2s. 10s. Paid Lambert (Scene Painter) 3 month's salary to 16 Nov. last:-#25 (Account Book). [Lee, who seems to have entered earlier on a percentage-of-Box-Receipts: basis for his salary, received only one-third of receipts above a house charge of #100.] The Tragedy of King Lear was presented on this stage; King Lear by Mr Barry, and Cordelia by Mrs Bellamy; The latter was received with universal satisfaction; but on the former's appearance, after a thundering Peal of Applause, a few misguided persons made it necessary for Mr Barry to inform the audience that it ever had been his study to contribute his utmost to the entertainment of the town, and that all reports of his having been exorbitant in his demands were injurious and totally groundless. Upon this he was desired with one general acclamation to proceed in the play. The disturbers of the public were ordered to be silent or to be turned out of the house; and this great actor proved, by the improvement he has made in this character, that excellent as he is, he is still capable of reaching new strokes of perfection; and in the conclusion of the play the applause he met with was the tribute of hearts gratefully agitated through the whole performance with a variety of passions thrown into a ferment by powers most wonderfully suited to tenderness and compassion (London Chronicle, 3-6 Dec.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A New Tragedy never performed before. This Tragedy was written by Mr Murphy & has great Merit, it is very carefully got up & well perform'd, & receiv'd uncommon Applause Mrs Barry Display great Tragick powers & receiv'd the vast Applause She merited--She will gain great Reputation in the part (Hopkins Diary). New Scenes, Dresses, Decorations. Theatrical Review, 26 Feb.: Mrs Barry rose beyond herself, if we may be allowed the expression, in the laborious Character of Euphrasia....The scenes and decorations were well adapted to the importance of the piece. The representation of the city of Syracusev, with a view of the sea; and the Temple scene, with the mausoleum, in particular are extremely well executed, and do credit to the theatre, and honor to the artists who designed and painted them. Paid two notes for Mr J. Aickin, per order #12 1s. 8d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #251 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Ward. The Country Mad-Cap [announced on playbill of 5 May] is obliged to be set aside on account of Mrs Pitt's indisposition. Tickets delivered for Alexander the Great, for Saturday, May 3, will be admitted. Public Advertiser, 22 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mr and Mrs Ward at Stacy's, No. 76, the Corner of Long-acre, Drury-lane. Receipts: #197 18s. (82.10; tickets: 115.8) (charge: #66 1s.)

Event Comment: "Nothing could be more affecting than [Mrs Crawford's] expression of the sorrows in the character; nor anything more languid and undecorous than her level recitation . . . Discharge the fire, and she sinks into a tasteless disregard of the business, which injures, if it does not destroy the illusion. It is in this that Mrs Siddons triumphs over her... But she cannot, so powerfully as Mrs Crawford, assail at intervals the heart" (Gazetteer, 30 Nov.)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Packer as Melanthon and Mrs Siddon as Euphrasia , but "Mrs Powell was the substitute for Mrs Siddons, and acquitted herself very ably. Melanthon was read by Maddocks [which part can be doubled with Greek Herald ]" (Thespian Magazine, June 1793, p. 3).] Receipts: #109 5s. (101.0; 8.5)

Event Comment: Benefit Pelling, Mrs Knap, Mrs Elsam. Receipts: money #6 17s.; tickets #140 8s

Event Comment: Benefit Milward, Mrs Moffett, and Mrs Smithies. Receipts: money #7 9s. 6d.; tickets #98 3s

Event Comment: Mr Aickin, Evander well receiv'd (Hopkins Diary). Benefit for Mrs Barry. Pit and Boxes laid together. Send servants by 4 o'clock. Othello and Irish Widow deferr'd, for Barry's Illness. Paid salary list (4 days) #348 5s.; Mr Lutherberg on Acct, #80; Mr J. French's Draft on the managers, #50 (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #281 18s. 6d. Charges: #65 19s. Profits to Mrs Barry: #215 19s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit Paget and Mrs Forrester. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Alter'd from Shakespear. Receipts: money #29 8s.; tickets #106. Tickets at Paget's House, next the Castle Tavern, Fleet Street