Event Comment: A new Comic Opera. The Music composed by several celebrated Composers. All Boxes put together, and no Persons admitted without Tickets, which will be delivered this Day at the Office at Half a Guinea each; First Gallery 5s. Second Gallery 3s. By His Majesties Command no Person whatsoever to be admitted behind the Scenes or into the Orchestra. 6:30 p.m. Vivant Rex et Regina. [Repeated in all bills.] [A pasticchio similar to La Schiava (The Humorists). See Nicoll, III, 361. Advertisement for the company of performers at the Opera had been given in the Public Advertiser three months earlier, 6 August: 'Drummond, Vincent and Gordon,Proprietors and Managers of the Opera at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket beg leave to announce that they have engaged the best Company that could be got in Italy...and are expected in London this month. The company are as follows: Serious-the celebrated Guarducci, first man; Signora Aunuciati, first woman; Savoi, second man; Miss Young, second woman; Grassi, Signora Piatti, third woman. Comic-Lovattini, first man, tenor; Signora Zamperini, first woman; Savoi, first man, serious; Miss Young, first woman; Signor Moriggi (the old man) bass; Signora Piatti, second woman; Zamperini second man; Signora Gibbetti [Gibelli in the Gazetteer] third woman."

Event Comment: king's "On 28th March 1795, I saw the Opera Aci & Galathea by Bianchi. The music is very rich in parts for the wind instruments, and I rather think one would hear the principal melody better if it were not so richly scored. The Opera is too long, especially since Banti has to keep everything going all by herself; for Brida is a good youngster with a beautiful voice but very little musical feeling; and Rovedino, and the good old Braghetti, and the wretched Seconda Donna-they all deserved, and received, not the least applause. The orchestra is larger this year, but just as mechanical and badly placed as it was before, and indiscreet in its accompaniments; in short, it was the 3rd time that this Opera was performed, and everyone was dissatisfied. It happened that, when the 2nd Ballet began, the whole public suddenly became dissatisfied and yelled 'off-off-off,' because they wanted to see the new Ballet which Madam Hilligsberg had given at her Benefice 2 days earlier. Everyone was embarrassed-there was an interval lasting half an hour-until at last a dancer came forward and said, very submissively: 'Ladies and Gentlemen: since the performer [sic, instead of proprietor] Mr Taylor cannot be found, the whole Ballet Company promises to perform the desired ballet next week, for which, however, the Impresario must pay Madam Hilligsberg #300.'That satisfied them, and they then yelled, 'go on-go on;' and thus the old Ballet was performed' (Haydn, 293)

Event Comment: "The Theatre was extremely crowded on Saturday night. Again the cruel practice of sticking up sentinels on the stage produced an accident. One of the poor fellows, exhausted the position [of] continuing so long motionless, fell down apparently dead, and was carried off. He fell almost at the foot of Mme Banti, on whom the shock was so instantaneous as to disable her for some minutes from proceeding. For this she was very becomingly hissed by some persons, who, if they knew the reason, did not betray much humanity on the occasion...We trust that this degrading and cruel practice of turning men into figures will be discontinued" (Morning Chronicle, 18 Jan.)

Event Comment: True Briton, 20 Feb.: On Saturday Mme Banti "received that day an account of the death of her mother." She sang throughout Act I, but "was unable to appear in the second, and the audience concurred in the suppression, for the evening, of the Second Act.

Event Comment: Medonte announced, but Morning Chronicle, 17 Dec.: By the sudden indisposition of Madame Banti, there was no opera on Saturday night. Ibid, 18 Dec.: Bills were posted up all over London in the forenoon, and a respectful card sent to the house of each subscriber. Morning Herald, 18 Dec., carries a statement signed by Pere Elisee saying that "about two o'clock, Saturday morning last, I was called out of my bed by a message that Mrs Banti was taken dangerously ill," that she so continues, and that as her physician he is "of opinion it will not be safe for her to quit her sick bed for several days yet to come.