Event Comment: For the Benefit and Increase of a Fund established for the support of Decayed Musicians, or their Families. Boxes and Pit put together at Half a Guinea. Gallery 5s. To begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets delivered to Subscribers to this Charity will admit one Person to any part of the House. Subscribers tickets may be had of Richard Dawson, near Henry the Seventh's Chapel, Westminster, who is empower'd by the Society to deliver them and receive Subscriptions. Tickets for the Performance are delivered by Mr Rash at the Prince of Orange Coffee-House, in the Haymarket. The tickets delivered for the 17th will be taken. (General Advertiser, 28 April, advance notice)

Event Comment: Benefit for Barry. [Afterpiece a Comedy in two Acts by MacNamara Morgan from Shakespeare.] Shuter did fine in the farce (Cross). Music composed by Arne. Part of Pit will be laid into the boxes, where and upon stage servants will be allowed to keep Places

Event Comment: By Mr Handel. Benefit for Sga Frasi.To begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to be had of Sga Frasi, at her House in Gerrard St., Soho. All the Tickets delivered out for Samson will be taken. [See 2 April, King's.

Event Comment: At the Large Commodious Room at the lower end of the Swan Inn Yard, West Smithfield, during the short time of Bartholemew Fair, which begins this day. The Characters dressed in the Italian manner. Scenes, Cloaths, Machinery, and other Decorations entirely New. To began each day at 12:00 noon. A very extraordinary band of musick is provided, and the Room decorated in an elegant Manner, for the better reception of the Nobility and Gentry. There is a back door to Hosier Lane for the conveniency of those who don't chose to be crowded...The passages will be elegantly illuminated

Event Comment: Compos'd by Sg Pergolesi. Benefit of the Managers of the Italian Company who played the Burlettas at Covent Garden Theatre this Season. Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Gallery 2s. To begin at 7 p.m. Will be presented the Second Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Musick...Between the first and second part of the Concert will be given, gratis, an Italian Interlude, called, La Serva Padrona

Event Comment: A New Opera. [The first performance in England; text by Metastasio. The Musick composed by Sg Hasse (by Perez according to the Public Advertiser of 26 April).

Event Comment: [For the King (Cross). With New Music, Scenes, Machines, Habits, and other Decorations. Compos'd by Mr Noverre. All our Dancers appear. A good deal of hissing & Clapping & some Cries of No french Dancers; a great clapping too-the Dance is fine-(Mr Delaistre is a good Dancer) (Cross). [See for details of preparation, importation of dancers, especially of M Delaistre, The Chevalier Noverre, Father of Modern Ballet, Deryck Lynham (London, 1950), pp. 26-40. See also advertisement in Public Advertiser: 'Mr Noverre, whose entertainments of Dancing have been celebrated in almost all the courts of Europe, exhibits this evening his Chinese Festival at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, in pursuance of a contract made above a year ago with the managers of the said theatre: The Insinuation that at this time, an extraordinary number of French dancers are engaged, is groundless, there being at Drury Lane at present as few of that nation, as any other theatre now has, or perhaps ever had. Mr Noverre and his brothers are Swiss, of a protestant family in the Canton of Berne, his wife and her sisters Germans; there are above sixty performers concerned in the entertainment; more than forty of which are English, assisted only be a few French (five men and four women) to complete the Ballet as usual. As the intention of the Managers on this occasion is to give Variety to Entertainments of the town, it is not doubted it will meet with public approbation.'] Receipts: #210 (Cross)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: By Desire. A great Noise, the whole House against us-When Garrick appear'd one from the Slips cry'd out Monsieur, & great Numbers Hiss'd-the play went on-wch done, the Mutiny began, amazing noise-no plating, except one Apple; ye pit to ye Boxes cry'd-now draw yr Swords, wch makes us think, the Riot was occasion'd by the Box people being so busy & turning some out of the pit & Gall: before. Some benches were pull'd up, & Mr Lacy gave up the Dance to appease 'em-being Sat: our friends were at ye Opera, & the common people had leisure to do Mischief (Cross). [Lynham in The Chevalier Noverre, quotes from the Journal Etranger of 25 Nov. 1775: 'The blackguards...tore up the benches and threw them into the Pit on the opposing party; they broke all the mirrors, the chandeliers, &c., and tried to climb onto the stage to masacre everybody; but, as there is a magnificent organization in this theatre, in three minutes all the decor had been removed, all the traps were ready to come into play to swallow up those who might venture up, all the wings were filled with men armed with sticks, swords, halberds, &c., and behind the scenes the great reservoir was ready to be opened to drown those who might fall on the stage itself."Cross lists no Receipts.

Event Comment: [Music] compos'd by Mr Arne went of with Great Applause (Cross). With Proper Dances and Decorations. Books of the Opera will be sold at the Theatre price 1s. [The cast is first listed 17 Jan. 1757.] Receipts: #130 (Cross)

Event Comment: As Written by Shakespear. The Words of the songs will be printed and deliver'd Gratis at the Door of the Theatre. [These notes appear on all subsequent announcements of the play this season and will not be recorded further.] Receipts: #150 (Cross)