Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never performed here. [Digges's 1st recorded appearance as Sir John Brute was at Edinburgh in 1757.

Event Comment: Benefit for Henderson. Ode: With the Songs, Chorusses, &c. The Music by Dr Arne. "When I recited Mr Garrick's Ode in a private room, I felt what I said, and I believe gave it some effect. Very different was it upon the stage. My feelings were weakened and confounded by the band, my voice lost its scale, and was overpowered by the music in the orchestra" (Ireland, p. 47). Public Advertiser, 26 Feb.: Tickets to be had of Henderson at his house, Great Buckingham-street, York Buildings. [His 1st appearance as Sir John Brute was at Bath, 1 Jan. 1774.] Receipts: #234 13s. 6d. (charge:#105). Account-Book notes that Henderson sold 319 tickets for the boxes and 85 for the pit, together worth #92 10s., and that tickets sold at the doors were worth #142 3s. 6d

Event Comment: "The great powers of Mrs Jordan cannot be better displayed than in the wonderful contrast of her Country Girl and Viola. In one all archness and vivacity; in the other serious, gentle, tender and sentimental" (Public Advertiser, 16 Nov.). [In afterpiece the playbill retains Parsons as Sir Anthony Halfwit, but on the Kemble playbill his name is deleted and a MS annotation substitutes Wilson's. "Parsons was taken suddenly ill & J. Wilson read his part" (MS annotation on British Museum playbill, in Harris, 11).] Receipts: #108 12s. (79/11/0; 28/13/6; 0/7/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Burton, Miss Heard, Miss Tidswell, & Mrs Bramwell. [2nd piece: With alterations by John Philip Kemble.] 3rd piece: Not acted these 6 years. "Of [Wroughton's] comedy something favourably must be said. His personations are usually natural, easy, and spirited; he is perhaps too locomotive: he cannot bear to stand still...To this peculiar bustle of his motion may be attributed much of his success in Sir John Restless [in All in the Wrong]...For the same reason, no man can play Ford with half the effect Wroughton does" (Monthly Mirror, Mar. 1796, p. 304). Morning Herald, 30 May: Tickets to be had of Miss Heard, No. 43, Haymarket [others not listed]. Receipts: #337 6s. 6d. (30.13.0; 40.16.6; 3.4.6; tickets: 260.10.0; odd money: 2.2.6) (charge: #202 11s.)

Event Comment: [Miss Humphries, who was from the Private Theatre, Tottenham Court Road, is identified by MS annotation on Kemble playbill. In afterpiece the playbill retains Barrymore as Sir Rowland, and Bannister Jun. as Walter, but "The Public are respectfully informed that Bannister being suddenly afflicted with a Hoarseness, and Barrymore having met with an unfortunate Accident, are both rendered incapable of the honour of appearing before them this Evening. To prevent a disappointment of The Children in the Wood Dowton will perform...Walter, and C. Kemble Sir Rowland, presuming humbly upon the usual kind indulgence experienced upon such emergencies" (printed slip attached to Kemble playbill).] Receipts: #259 18s. (160.0.6; 98.12.6; 1.5.0)

Event Comment: At Mr Penkethman's and Mr Miller's Booth, at the Horns-Inn at Pye Corner, entering into Smithfield. A Celebrated Droll, Shewing the Pomp and Grandeur she lived in King Edward the IVth's Time, and the Misery she fell into upon Richard Duke of Gloucester's being made Protector. How she was oblig'd to do Penance in a white Sheet, carrying a lighted Torch bare Foot thro' the City, and then turn'd out to Starve; as also how she wandering met with her Husband, and the Tragick End of them Both. With the comical and diverting Humours of Sir Anthony Noodle, a foolish Courtier, and his Man Weezel

Event Comment: DDaily Journal, 22 Dec,: As the Author, in Compliment to that excellent Comedian Mr Wilks, had declared, that whenever he should leave off playing the Character of Sir Harry Wildair, the Comedy might e'en trip to the Jubilee; so the Curiosity of the better Sort was a good deal raised, to see how it would fare in the Hands of a new Company, and were as agreeably surprized to see it play'd to a fine Audience, with universal Applause; and particularly to the Parts of Wildair and Lurewell

Event Comment: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: The extravagant Attempt of Sir F. Wronghead gives me painful Apprehensions; but as the Town has given me repeated Instances of their Indulgence. [Prologue is in London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 17 July.]

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Written by the late Sir John Vanbrugh

Event Comment: To the Author of the General Advertiser: Sir: Several Parodies on the favourite Soliloquy in Hamlet having appear'd lately, and all of the serious and grave Kind; the following Attempt in Burlesque, if you think it will be agreeable to the Publick, is at their and your Service: Yours, Rigdum Funnidos. @To drink, or not to Drink? that is the Question--@Whether 'tis easier for a Man, to suffer@The Pangs and Horrors of Outrageous Thirst;@Or boldly venture on a Sea of Liquor.... Receipts: #140 (Cross); #111 19s. 6d. (Powel)

Event Comment: Benefit for Miss Macklin. Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [See 27 Jan. 1770.] Afterpiece: For this night only this season (playbill). Charges #64 5s. Profit to Miss Macklin #19 4s., plus #43 from 172 Box tickets. Paid Whitefield one fourth year's salary due Lady Day last #25. Paid Mr Barber for a suit of regimentals embroider'd with gold, #12 12s. Paid Lowe and Lucas (linnen drapers) #13 19s.; Paid Evans for Spermecita candles as per bill #12. Paid Barrett (wax chandler) #3 4s. (Account Book). [Miss Macklin considered this a poor benefit, and on 6 May 1772 wrote to her father about the troubles she met in getting it underway. Woodward would not play in the farce since it did not belong to the theatre and since he had not be asked before she put his name in the bills. Kniveton labored hard and did quite well as Sir Archy. Ann Pitt so ill she could not do Lady Wrangle, but Mrs Hull sat up two nights, learned the part and acted it creditably (Harvard, Memoirs of Charles Macklin, Vol. II, pt. 2, after p. 55).] Receipts: #83 9s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: "The only fault we observed was [Miss Biggs's] mode of turning away at the close of every speech, and retiring towards the back of the stage, as if the character was of no consequence when the speech was ended" (True Briton, 18 Oct.). MS annotation on Kemble playbill: Rehearsals--Cheap Living at 10; Sir Benjamin Backbite's scenes at 11; Irish Widow at 12; Adela'rs scenes, Haunted Tower at 1. Receipts: #247 16s. 6d. (162.0.0; 82.12.6; 3.4.0)

Event Comment: [Mrs Johnson was from the Park Theatre NewYork.] Afterpiece: Compressed into Two Acts. "Munden's Sir Francis Wronghead was a very pleasing display of comicality; but he should have contented himself with what was set down by the author, without introducing his own common place allusions to the fashions of the present day" (Morning Herald, 29 Sept.). Receipts: #200 17s. 6d. (195.19.6; 4.18.0)

Event Comment: Mainpiece written by the late Sir Richard Steele

Event Comment: [By Thomas Baker. Premiere.

Event Comment: [By Thomas Baker. Date of premiere uncertain, but this day has generally been accepted by Nicoll, Genest, Winston, and Latreille. Published 29 Jan.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A Rehearsal of a New Ballad-Opera, burlesqued [By Richard Baker]

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr Giffard and Mrs Giffard. Mainpiece [by Thomas Baker]: Not acted these 15 years. [See 11 July 1738.] At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Afterpiece: A Farce of Two Acts never performed before, taken from a Comedy of the Celebrated Mr Otway. Tickets to be had of Giffard at No. 11 in Craven's Buildings, Drury Lane, and at the stage door

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Kemble. Afterpiece [1st time: F 2, by Stephen George Kemble, altered from The Fair Maid of the West, by Thomas Heywood. Larpent MS 914; not published. Author of Prologue unknown]. Morning Chronicle, 15 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Mrs Kemble, next door to the Old Slaughter's Coffee-house, St. Martin's Lane. "Miss Kemble, though only four years of age, drew forth much applause" (Diary, 17 Aug.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time; C 5, by Joseph George Holman. Prologue by William Thomas Fitzgerald; Epilogue by John Taylor (see text)]: With new Dresses, Scenery, &c. [Afterpiece in place of The Farmer, advertised on playbill of 11 Jan.] Morning Chronicle, 26 Mar. 1799: This Day is published The Votary of Wealth (2s.). Receipts: #326 10s. 6d. (321.2.6; 5.8.0)

Event Comment: 2nd piece [1st time; MD 5, by George Holman, based on Die Rauber, by Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller. Prologue by John Taylor (Poems, I, 65)]: With new Scenery, Dresses and Decorations. The Musick composed by Attwood, and selected from Dr Arnold, Callcott, and Mozart. Books of the Songs to be had at the Theatre. Morning Chronicle, 4 Sept. 1799;: This day is published The Red Cross Knights (2s.). Ibid, 22 Aug.: It was remarked from its extreme length and the frequent fall of the drop scene that it was a play in ten acts instead of five--indeed this method of preparing for a new scene disjoints the business, and of course tends greatly to injure the effect