Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5]: Altered from Beaumont and Fletcher, by Dryden [by Thomas King. The original alteration, 1700, was by Sir John Vanbrugh, not by Dryden. The present alteration has been attributed to John Philip Kemble, but in his copy of the play, now in the Huntington Library (K-D 95), he has written "by Thomas King"]. Public Advertiser, 22 Nov. 1787: This Day is published, as now revived with material Additions, The Pilgrim (1s.). Receipts: #85 9s. 6d. (72.5.0; 13.4.6; 0.0.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; CO 3, by James Cobb. Text 1st published (unauthorized), Dublin [1790]. Sga Storace had 1st appeared in concerts from 1774 to 1778, and at king's on 24 Apr. 1787 and thereafter]: With new Scenes, Dresses and Decorations. The new Music composed by Storace, the rest compiled from Linley? Sen., Purcell, Sarti, Paisiello, Martin y Soler?, Pleyel, &c. The Scenes designed and executed by Greenwood. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. "In her own particular line on the stage [Sga Storace] was unrivalled, being an excellent actress, as well as a masterly singer. She settled entirely in England, and after quitting the opera (to which she was frequently recalled in times of distress, as was too often the case), she engaged at Drury Lane, where the English opera was raised to an excellence not known before, by her singing, with that of Mrs Crouch, Mrs Bland, Kelly, and Bannister, and under the direction of her brother Stephen Storace, who composed, or rather compiled, several very pretty operas, of which the Haunted Tower, and the Siege of Belgrade still remain favorites, and are frequently performed" (Mount-Edgcumbe, 65). Account-Book, 4 Jan. 1790: Paid Cobb on Acct. of the Purchase of the Copyright of the Haunted Tower #157 10s.; 27 Feb. 1790: Paid Cobb in full for Copyright #52 10s. Receipts: #219 9s. 6d. (200.13.0; 17.14.6; 1.2.0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece: Never [previously] performed at this Theatre [1st acted by the dl Company at king's, 18 Oct. 1792]. The new Scenes by Greenwood. The Musick composed principally by Attwood; rest from Mozart and Sarti. Receipts: #363 9s. (262.10; 99.2; 1.17)

Event Comment: Benefit R. Williams. Mainpiece: Not Acted these Twenty Years. On this day the Lord Mayor and the Court of Aldermen of the City presented a petition to the King seeking the suppression of the theatre in Goodman's Fields. Thomas Odell, Master of the Theatre, also appeared before His Majesty and sought royal leave to continue acting.--See Grub St. Journal, 7 May, for a summary of the events, but see also Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer and London Journal, 2 May

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A New Comedy of 3 Acts [by George Colman] never performed. [In the Shakespearean Pageant, with figures from seventeen of his plays, the chief effectiveness lay with the Musicians who ushered in each group with appropriate music: Martial Music-The Roman Characters of Coriolanus and Julius Caesar; Soft Music-Antony and Cleopatra; Grand Music, Old English Characters-King John, Richard III, Henry VIII: Magical Music, "above, about, underneath" for Prospero; Macbeth's Music; Fairy Music-Oberon and Titania; Solemn Music for Tragic Muse accompanied by Othello, Hamlet, the Ghost, Mad Ophelia and Lear with Cordelia; Dead March in Saul-Juliet's Bier with attendants; Allegro for the Comic Muse-Falstaff, Touchstone, Launcelot, Malvolio; Andante-Florizel and Perdita, Portia Antonio and Bassanio; Flourish-for Car drawn by the muses carrying Shakespeare's Bust; Final Song by Mrs Mattocks, "Sweetest Bard that Ever Sung, Nature's glory, Fancy's Child--." The Prelude is, in print, entirely favorable to Garrick's effort at Stratford. But it could be rendered in a mercilessly ironical manner if the three participating actors so chose. Mainpiece reviewed in the Freeholder's Magazine, Oct.] Receipts: #224 10s

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time in London; T 5, by Hannah Brand, 1st acted at Norwich, 7 Apr. 1791. Again acted at king's on 2 Feb. as Agmunda; text 1st published in Miss Brand's@Plays@and@Poems (Norwich: Beatniffe and Payne, 1798) as Huniades; or, The Siege of Belgrade. Prologue and Epilogue by the author (London Chronicle, 19 Jan. 1792)]: The Dresses, Decorations, &c. entirely new. Receipts: #367 1s. 6d. (314.2.6; 51.8.0; 1.11.0)

Event Comment: Mr Reddish who has to perform the part of Alonzo was not come to begin the 3d Act, which put us in great Confusion, at Length Mr J. Aickin consented to read the part, & we Cut Mr Aickins part quite out-An Apology was made to the Audience that Mr Reddish was not come, nor had he sent any Message-The Play went on;-before the play was finish'd Mr Reddish came to the House when the Play was over Mr King & Mr Reddish went on the Stage Mr King apologis'd the Audience in behalf of Mr Reddish & told them that Mr R. was ready to make oath that he had entirely forgot that it was a play Night, & that it was by meer chance he came to the House at all-his looks were so truely pitiable, the Audience had Compassion & excus'd him (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly. Genest, V, 353, notes that the rebellion of the audience was quelled by an offer of return of entrance money to those wished to leave. He also notes that Reddish on the eleventh published an affidavit in confirmation of his statement, begging Pardon for disappointing the public.] Paid Mr Wright per order Mr G. G. #13 5s. 2d. Receipts: #143 7s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: By Their Majesties' Command. Afterpiece: a new Dramatic Masque. [By Roger.] The Habits, Scenes, Machines, and the other Decorations entirely new. King, Queen, Prince of Wales, Princess Amelia and Princess Mary present

Event Comment: Benefit for Cushing, Redman, Madam DeHenney. Tickets deliver'd for King Lear will be taken

Event Comment: [The preliminary number of The Westminster Magazine this date heartily condemned Colman's Comus "picked down into a skeleton," his production of King Henry VIII, and the new play Cross Purposes.] Receipts: #172 10s

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Younge. Mainpiece: With the grand Triumphal Entryv. [Public Advertiser, I Apr., identifies the Epilogue as an alteration by Garrick of his epilogue to Alfred.] Afterpiece [1st time; CO 2, by J Hough]: The Music composed by William? Bates. Tickets delivered for The Brothers will be taken. Books of the Performances to be had at the Theatre. Public Advertiser, 7 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Miss Younge at Thelwall's, Silk Mercer, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #285 13s. 6d. (141.9.0; 11.15.0; 0.2.6; tickets: 132.7.0) (charge: #76 19s. 6d.)

Event Comment: 1st piece [1st time; PREL I, by George Colman elder; also ascribed to George Keate. Larpent MS 565; not published]: In Three Scenes of Dialogue. 2nd piece: The Music compiled by Dr Pepusch. 3rd piece [1st time; B. BALL I (see king's, 29 Mar.)]: Ballet Tragi-Comique by Signior Novestris [i.e. George Colman, the elder]. The Music by Signior Gluck. With New Scenes, Dresses and Decorations. Machinist and Painter-Signior Rookereschi. Tailor-Signior Walkerino. Morning Chronicle, 9 Aug.: Bannister with great good sense played chastely, and suffered the burlesque to arise out of his serious performance of Polly, not attempting to render the character ridiculous by making it more outre than it was rendered by his voice and figure

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; ENT 2]: Consisting of Dialogue, Music [chiefly by Henry Purcell and Thomas Linley Sen. (Boaden, Kemble, I, 225)], and Machinery. Altered from [David Garrick's alteration of] King Arthur, by Dryden. With great Variety of very capital Scenery, new Dresses, and Decorations. [The alteration was probably made by John Philip Kemble.] Receipts: #148 11s. (107/13/0; 39/17/6; 1/0/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by half past Four o'clock. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years [acted 15 May 1782]. Afterpiece: Not acted these 5 years [not acted since 25 Mar. 1775]. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Banquo to Bensley, but "Poor Bensley's illness last night took him off; but on another night he will give and take in the triumph" {Public Advertiser, 4 Feb.). In afterpiece he is assigned to The Guardian. On the Kemble playbill in both cases his name is deleted and MS annotations substitute Hull's.] "Macbeth at Drury-lane will. . . gag the drivellers who, on the failure of Constance [in King John], ventured a sweeping prophecy of condemnation that 'the Siddons never could play Shakespeare.' Would it not have been better to have borrowed Farren, rather than Hull, for Banquo?" (Public Advertiser, 4 Feb.). "'Why,'say some of the critics, 'should Mrs Siddons wear a white dress in her last scene of Lady Macbeth? She is supposed to be asleep, not mad.' What reason except custom can be given for a mad heroine appearing in white we know not [and see DL, 20 Dec. 1782]. Yet there is an obvious reason why a person walking in their sleep should wear a white dress of the loose kind worn by Mrs Siddons ... It [is] the nearest resemblance which theatrical effect will admit, to the common sort of night-dresses" (Public Advertiser, 7 Feb.). Receipts: #346 16s. (198/10/0; 7/2/6; 0/8/6; tickets: 140/15/0) (charge: free)

Event Comment: Benefit for Baddeley. Public Advertiser, 2 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Baddeley, No. 2, Little Russel-street, Covent-garden. [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Ogle to King, but on the Kemble playbill a MS annotation substitutes Barrymore.] 2nd piece [1st time: INT I, probably by Robert Baddeley. MS: Larpent 692; not published]. Receipts: #226 3s. 6d. (105/18/0; 30/11/6; 0/16/0; tickets: 88/18/0) (charge: #111 17s. 7d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Wilson. Public Advertiser, 1 May: Tickets to be had of Mrs Wilson, No. 13, King-street, Covent Garden. Receipts: #196 4s. 6d. (30.13.0; 22.10.6; 1.5.0; tickets: 141.16.0) (charge: #106 6s. 11d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Browne. [Miss Eccles, who was from the York theatre, is identified in European Magazine, July 1787, p. 64.] Public Advertiser, 16 July: Tickets to be had of Browne, No. 13, King-street, Covent Garden

Event Comment: "When Priuli was relating to the Senators the impending and immediate destruction of their wives and families, the Senators, without discovering any emotion, were very pleasantly surveying the house, and laughing with their friends in the Upper Gallery. These gross enormities, that yet hang about our stage and are its disgrace, call aloud for the correcting hand of an intelligent Manager, to weed them out. Thanks to their own genius the Principals take care of themselves-the Subalterns are a disgrace. Is not King responsible for this part at one house, and Lewis at the other?" (World, 8 Oct.). Receipts: #302 2s. 6d. (274.4.0; 27.3.0; 0.15.6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Edwin. Afterpiece: With the Triumphal Entryv of King Chrononhotonthologos into Queerumania attended with Drums, Trumpets, Fiddles, Flutes, Fifes, Flagellets, Lutes, Bagpipes, Tabours and Pipes, Marrow-Bones and Cleavers, Post-Horns, French Horns, Cows Horns, Salt-Boxes, Broom-stickado's. The different Instruments will be played after the Manner of the Queen's Band at Queerum. The most comical Tragedy that ever was Tragedized by any comical Company of Tragedians. Public Advertiser, 23 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Edwin, No. 19, Piazza, Covent-Garden

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Siddons (the last Night of her Engagement). [She had 1st acted Juliet at Birmingham, 6 Sept. 1776, and 1st recited the Ode, written by Robert Merry (European Magazine, Apr. 1789, pp. 335-38), at the King's on 21 Apr.] Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes, To prevent Confusion, Ladies are desired to send their Servants by Half past Four o'Clock. Public Advertiser, 29 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Siddons, Gower-street, Bedford Square. "The pouting Scene with the old Nurse was the cleverest thing I ever saw--so pretty, so Babyish, so charming" (Thraliana, II, 748). On this and every Evening for the Remainder of the Season the Doors will not be opened till 5:30, and the Performance will commence exactly at 6:30. Receipts: #320 6s. 6d. (112.12.0; 11.12.0; 1.7.6; tickets: 194.15.0) (charge: #112 13s. 7d.)