Event Comment: The last time of performing this Season

Event Comment: [Extra night] By Authority of the Marquess of Salisbury [the Lord Chamberlain]. Benefit for Waldron, prompter

Event Comment: Today, will be reviv'd an Opera. The Musick compos'd by Mr Handel. With Dances and other Decorations entirely new. Pit and Boxes to be put together; and no Person to be admitted without Tickets, which will be deliver'd this Day at the Office in the Haymarket, at Half a Guinea each. Gallery 5s. 6 p.m. Note. The Subscribers to the Opera are desir'd to send for their Silver Tickets to the Opera-Office in the Hay-Market. [This customary notice will not be included further. According to Loewenberg, Annals of Opera, I, 102, this is the new opera Rossane, Lampugnani's first composition, at the house for which he was the new resident composer. Musicologists have not arrived at the identity of this piece, Burney and Loewenburg attributing it to Lampugnani, Schoelcher and Deutsch to Handel. See Deutsch, Handel, p. 572, where he reviews the evidence.

Event Comment: long letter published in the Public Advertiser by Delectante specifying a six point program for eliminating the confusion and the "riots that regularly follow the breaking up of a full house at the Opera": I) exclude servants from the lobby; 2) all chairs to come down Market Lane from Charles Street to take up and go off by Pall Mall; 3) no chairs to be allowed at other doors and passages; 4) a pent house to be built to protect those waiting from the rain; 5) all carriages to come to the door in the Haymarket, with horses heads towards Cockspur street; 6) constables to attend and assert themselves in regulating the traffic.

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Company. At the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket [repeated in all bills] will be performed, by particular Desire, a Comedy...Places to be taken of Mr Jewel, at the Theatre. 7 p.m. [Repeated in the bills.] The house has been altered, as there was formerly but one gallery. [Miss Ogilvie was the young gentlewoman.] Went at 5:30 (before ye doors were open) to Foote's new Theatre in ye Haymarket which was open for ye first time tonight, and is very neatly fitted up. Got a good place in ye Pit...a very humorous Prologue in Prose by J. Palmer as Snarl a writer of Political Letters for the newspapers. Weston as Laconic a newspaper poet--Foote as Manager and Scaffold ye Builder (ye real one of ye house as some said)...in Smirk (Foote) took off Langford to a hair, not forgetting his son's affair with Dr Chauncey. Shift and ye Epilogue as Dr Squintum by Bannister, who took off Holland, Dodd, Moody, and Champneys surprisingly well...The house pretty full. York there awhile (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: A Tragedy for Warm Weather. Written after the manner of the Worst, as well as the Best of the English Poets, containing amongst a Variety of Particulars, curious, entertaining, and pathetic, the Rebellion of the Journeymen Taylors on the Score of Wages, etc. Neville MS Diary: Half past Six went to ye Haymarket Theatre but could not get into ye Pit or first Gallery, so stood on ye last row of the shilling Gallery, tho' I could see little, to see how ye Taylors, a new tragedy for warm weather, would go off, being the first night of its performance. 3rd Act hiss'd-ye Gods in ye shilling Gallery called for ye Builder's Prologue-hissed off ye part of ye Old Maid twice and Davies who came to make an excuse. The Gentlemen, many of whom were there, cried No Prologue" but to no purpose. At last Foote said if he knew their demands he would be ready to comply with them. The noise ceasing, after some time he was told the Builder's Prologue was desired. He said he had done all in his power to get the performers, having seen them. After some time he came and informed them he had got the performers together, and if the House would be pleased to accept of ye Prologue in our dresses as we are you shall have it." This was followed by great clapping which shows the Genius of our English mobility ever generous after victory. Left ye House after ye Farce began. [Flints were journeymen tailors who refused to comply with the masters' terms and the regulations of the magistrate, in contradistinction to those who submitted and were in derision stiled Dungs. The term dates from 1764-OED. An extract from the Occasional Prologue (the Builder's Prologue) in prose on the opening of the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket, by Foote published in the London Magazine July 1767, p. 351. Foote, Scaffold, and Prompter are the three participants. Foote tells Scaffold he will be paid by the audience. Scaffold notes that the audience must in that case be pleased at all times. Foote promises no long processions [will] crowd my narrow scenes." He assumes that any of the reforms he plans will but echo the public voice. The Prompter then calls the actors on.

Event Comment: Benefit for the Widow Jona and her Five Children. Tickets to be had at Arthur's Chocolate House, St James's St.; Prince of Orange's Coffee House, Haymarket; Forrest's Coffee House, Charing Cross; the Rainbow Coffee House in Cornhill; and Places for Boxes to be taken of Mrs Jona in Little Warwick St., Charing Cross, and of Mr Crudge at the stage Door

Event Comment: The Profits of this Performance will be given to a Public Charity. Pit and Boxes 10s. 6d. First Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. The Ladies are desired for their own conveniency to come without Hoops, and to send servants by 3 o'clock to keep places. Tickets to be had at Arthur's Chocolate House and the St James Coffee House in St James's Street; The Mount Coffee-House in Grosvenor St.; the Cocoa-Tree in Pall Mall; George's facing the Haymarket; Tom's and the Bedford Coffee Houses in Covent Garden; and of Varney at the Stage Door, where Places may be taken

Event Comment: We hear that some Gentlemen and Ladies who intended to act a private play for their own amusement, at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket; but having been much importuned by their friends and acquaintances for tickets, they found a larger house would be necessary. They applied therefore to the Author of the Masque now performing at Drury Lane, who, without hesitation, agreed that the run of Alfred should be interrupted for one night to oblige them. The tragedy of Othello, we are told is the play the Gentlemen have pitched on. The theatre being engaged to some Gentlemen and ladies for a private play tomorrow, the Masque of Alfred is oblig'd to be deferr'd till Saturday next. Some Persons, it seems, continue still under a Mistake that this Masque [Alfred] is the same with the first draught of one formerly written under the same title: they need only, to be undeceived, look into the advertisement prefixed to that performance just now printed for A. Miller, in the Strand. The Ladies and Gentlemen who distributed Tickets for the Play Othello which was to have been acted in the Haymarket, intend to perform it tomorrow at Drury Lane: No person will be admitted without a ticket, and no tickets will be taken at the stage door (General Advertiser)

Event Comment: To be seen a Person who performs the most surprizing Things...he presents you with a common Wine bottle, which any of the Spectators may first examine; this Bottle is plac'd on a Table in the Middle of the Stage, and he (without any Equivocation) goes into it in Sight of all the Spectators, and sings in it; during his Stay in the Bottle, any Person may handle it, and see plainly that it does not exceed a common Tavern Bottle. The Performance continues about Two Hours and a Half. These Performances have been seen by most of the Crowned Heads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, and never appear'd anywhere Public but once. Stage 7s. 6d. where Masks may be worn. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. [The famous Bottle Conjurer hoax.] Theatre was crowded...by five o'clock; at seven the house was lighted up [but not music]...a Person came before the Curtain, and, bowing, promis'd if Mr Conjurer did not arrive in half an Hour, their Money should be return'd...after near an Hour...a Gentleman in the Box snatch'd a Candle lighted, and in Violence threw it on the Stage; this was the Signal for the Onset of Battle...the Boxes, Seats, Glasses, Scenes, Chairs, Machinery, and all the Furniture of the Play House, were in less than ten Minutes carried into the Street...an excellent Bonfire was made of Mr Foote's Auction Room...it may put a [pe]riod to the Auction, till the Theatre can be refitted.--Charles Adams to John Gilbert-Cooper, Theatre Notebook, XI (1957) p. 139. [Potter was still owner of this theatre.] Those opposed to a recent late book would have been gratified had the Conjurer jumped into the bottle and proved that miracles had not yet ceased."--Daily Advertiser, 17 Jan. Last Night a numerous Audience, among whom were several Persons of Quality, was at the New Theatre in the Haymarket, in wonderful Expectation of seeing the Miraculous Man creep into a Bottle, and do several other Miracles; but the only one he perform'd was, that he render'd himself invisible (without any Equivocation) to the no small Disappointment of the gaping Multitude; who, being told from behind the Curtain that the Performer had not yet appear'd, but that if they would stay until the next Night, instead of a Quart Bottle he should creep into a Pint, immediately grew outrageous, and in a Quarter of an Hour's Time broke to Pieces all the Boxes, Benches, Scenes, and everything that was in their power to destroy, leaving only the Shell of the House remaining. Surely this will deter anyone from venturing to impose on the public in the like manner for the future.--General Advertiser, 17 Jan. [See also dl Comment 18, 19, 20, 27 Jan.

Event Comment: Letter from John Potter, Proprietor of the New Theatre in the Haymarket, to the author of the General Advertiser: As the resentment of the Town for the disappointment of the performance advertised to be exhibited at my theatre on Monday last, shall fall entirely upon me, I hope I may be allowed to acquaint the public with the nature of my case. [Suggests he should not be to blame for misbehavior of any person who hired his house, that he had some apprehensions in this case, but that the Bottle Conjurer paid the rent in advance and agreed to have a House officer in the box office to return the money if the audience was displeased.] All the caution above mentioned was taken, and the money locked up in the office, guarded by persons of reputation, who would have returned it, and publicly on the stage told them, that if the person did not appear, their money should be return'd. But instead of complying with that offer, my House was pulled down, the Office broken open, the money taken out, and the servants oblig'd to fly to save their lives. I hope therefore this may be deem'd a sufficient justification in my behalf, and all that could be reasonably expected from me; and that those gentlemen who are conscious of having injured me, will be so generous as to make me a reasonable Satisfaction, considering the damage I have suffer'd, which in a moderate computation will amount to upwards of four thousand pounds. This day is Publish'd, at 1s. Lethe, a Dramatic Satire, by David Garrick as it is perform'd at Drury Lane. By Paul Vaillant, facing Southampton Street in the Strand. [A letter from Samuel Foote to the Author of the General Advertiser clears himself from any imputation of confederacy in the Bottle Conjuror fraud. See also my Introduction, note 103.] Receipts: #100 (Cross); #119 2s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: The Twenty-Third Day. Daily Advertiser, 18 Aug.: Last Saturday John Sterne was committed to Newgate by Justice Welch, for the Murder of Mr Matthews, an eminent Surgeon in Brook St., Holborn. [Sterne had been an usher in Mathews' Academy, was discharged, but Matthews let Sterne live in Matthews' house for a long time, then expelled him and put his belongings on the stairs. On Friday 15 Aug. Sterne got two pistols and came back to Owen's Coffee House. Here] he waited three Hours for Mr Matthews, who was gone with a Friend to the little Theatre in the Haymarket and afterwards into Company at the Pewter Platter, a publick house in Cross St. [There Sterne shot Matthews.

Event Comment: The Subscribers to the Opera are desired to take notice, that upon Saturday Morning Next, there will be a general Rehearsal of the New Opera call'd Anibale in Capua, upon the stage of the king's Theatre in the Hay Market, agreeable to the printed proposals. The Doors will be open'd at Ten, and the Rehearsal will begin at eleven precisely. No person whatever to be admitted without a subscriber's ticket. Attendance will be given this and every Day 'till the Operas begin, at the Office in the Haymarket, from ten in the Morning, till three in the Afternoon, in order to take in Subscriptions, and deliver out tickets.--General Advertiser