Event Comment: Rich's Company. Lady Morley attended this performance: Lady Morley and one in the Box at the Grove an Opera. 10s. See Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Drama, p. 378. It is not known whether this performance was the premiere, but the publication of this work on 16 March 1699@1700 (Post Man, 14-16 March 1699@1700) suggests that if the usual month between premiere and publication intervened for this work, the premiere may have been in mid-February. On the other hand, a letter-see 20 Jan. 1699@1700-may refer to this work. The music was composed by Daniel Purcell. In Songs in the New Opera Called The Grove or Love's Paradice (1700) the following singers are listed: Mrs Irwin, Freeman, The Boy, Hughes, Mrs Lindsey, Pate, and Mrs Shaw. The Preface implies that the opera was a failure: As for the Persons who were not so generous...who thought the Catastrophe was not enough prepar'd, and that the discovery in the last Act was huddled and in confusion, they will now see if what he had writ had been spoken, every thing would have appear's clear and natural, which, to shorten the Entertainment had been before broken and disorder'd

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Mills and Mrs Shaw. Written by the late Great Poet Mr Dryden

Event Comment: Benefit Shaw and Mannington. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality

Event Comment: Benefit Shaw. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. The Boxes are to be laid open to the Pit, and Tickets delivered for The Plain Dealer taken. Receipts: money #9 4s. and tickets #103 1s

Event Comment: Benefit Shaw and Thurmond Jr. Afterpiece: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Receipts: money #17; tickets #34 5s

Event Comment: Benefit Shaw. Written by Mr Congreve. Pit and Front Boxes put together at 5s

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Written by Shakespear. Mist's 11 Dec.: Mr Shaw, a famous Dancer in Drury-Lane Play-House, and Son-in-Law to Mr Wilks, died last Wednesday

Event Comment: Benefit Shaw. By Their Royal Highnesses' Command. Three Rows of the Pit (at the particular Desire of several Ladies and Gentlemen) will be Rail'd in, at the Price of the Boxes

Event Comment: Income from Boxes #15 17s. 6d. Given to Mr Shaw by Mr Rich for performing Osmyn 19 Oct. #10 10s. Receipts: #67 6s. (Winston Theatrical Record)

Event Comment: Paid for licensing English Merchant #2 2s.; Paid Mr Florio 20 nights in Cymon, #21; and Mr Shaw for Ditto at half a Guinea, #10 10s.; Chorus singers 2 nights #5 1s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #211 19s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for J. Palmer, Kear, Keen. House charges #66 12s. 6d. [Deficit to actors #36 12s.] Paid Shaw 7 nights in Cymon #3 13s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #30 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: By Authority of the Lord Chamberlain. At the request of several of the Scotch Nobility. Benefit for Raeburn. Mainpiece: In its original state, as it was written by Allan Ramsay in 1724 [recte 1725]. The Characters to be entirely new dressed. The Doors to be opened at 5:00. To begin at 6:00. No persons to be admitted behind the scenes, nor any money returned after the curtain is drawn up. Ladies are requested to send their servants by Five to keep places. Tickets to be had of Raeburn, No. 4, Gloucester-court, St. James's; of Walker, the Globe, Pall-mall; of Mackintosh, the George, East Harding-street, Shoe-lane; of Watson, the Fleece, Little Windmill-street (being the original Scotch house); of Mrs Shaw, the St. Andrew, near the Armitage-bridge, Wapping

Event Comment: Tickets delivered by Jones, Stageldoir, Newbold, Powell, Shaw, Pemberton, Dale, Smith [Account-Book adds: Mills], Miss Hale, Mrs Heard, Miss Tidswell will be admitted. Receipts: #229 17s. (18/11; 7/16; 0/15; tickets: 202/15)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. Tickets delivered by the young D'Egvilles, Jones, Newbold, Shaw, Dale, Purser Sen., Smith, Aberdein, Mills, Miss Tidswell, Mrs Heard, Miss Dancer, Miss Bradshaw, Mrs Haskey, will be admitted. Receipts: #241 8s. 6d. (23.4.0; 15.3.6; 0.15.0; tickets: 202.6.0)

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time; P 2(?), by John O'Keeffe. Synopsis of action in Public Advertiser, 27 Dec.]: With new Music, Scenery, Machinery, and Decorations. The Scenes designed and executed by Richards, Carver, Hodgins, Pugh, &c. The Music selected from the Works of the most eminent Masters, by A. Shaw. The new Airs composed by Shield, and the Overture by Richardson. Books of the Songs, Recitative, &c. to be had at the Theatre. Nothing under Full Price will be taken. Receipts: #315 16s. (301.6; 14.10)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: In 5 Acts, altered from the Dramatic Romance by David Garrick, Esq. With a new Overture and new additional Musick by Storace [on 2 Jan. 1792 and thereafter, added: Shaw] and other Eminent Masters. Entirely new Scenery by Greenwood, and new Dresses, Decorations and Machinery. To conclude with a Grand Procession of the Hundred Knights of Chivalry, and the Representation of an Ancient Tournament. [These were included in all subsequent performances.] Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Morning Post, 3 Jan. 1792, prints a full description of the Procession of over 100 persons: 1st, Anglo-Saxon Knights and banners; then ancient British knights, Norman knights, Indians, Turks, Scythians, Romans, a dwarf, a giant; at end, "soldiers drawing a superb picture of St. George, knights in chain mail, a cupid leading a knight covered with a silver net, Hymen, piping fauns, bands of cupids drawing an altar--flame burning, cupids hovering over it, and others feeding doves below, a troop of Arcadian shepherds drawing the car of Cymon and Sylvia, characters of the drama, and chorus." "At the conclusion of the procession, a tournament took place of both horse and foot, between several combatants in armour, who fought with lances, swords and battle-axes: three of Hughes' horses [from the Royal Circus] were introduced, and managed with much dexterity; the Prince of Wales' Highlander made one of the procession, and entered the lists as a champion, fighting with an enormous club; against him a small female warrior was opposed, by whom he was subdued. It was by far the grandest spectacle ever seen upon the stage. Many of the characters were taken from Sir Philip Sydney's Arcadia, in which the scene of the piece was laid; and the dresses of the knights, armour, &c. from the drawings and descriptions of the best antiquarians" (Oulton, 1796, II, 215). [This was Edmund Kean's 1st appearance on the stage; he was about four years old. He personated a cupid lying in Cymon and Sylvia's car (Kelly, Reminiscences, II, 21-22).] Account-Book, 13 Jan. 1792: Paid Hughes for his Horses #16 19s. 10d.; 23 Jan.: Paid Gough for his Greyhounds in Cymon #5 19s. 6d. Receipts: #420 6s. (385.0; 35.5; 0.1)