Event Comment: Betterton's Company. The date of the first performance is not certain, but contemporary sources refer to the fact that William Smith, who died in the last week of December, fell ill on the fourth day of its run; hence, it probably was first presented in mid-December. One song, O take him gently from the pile, set by John Eccles and sung by Mrs Bracegirdle, is in Deliciae Musicae, The Fourth Book, 1696. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 44: The Grand Cyrus, wrote by Mr Banks; it was a good Play; but Mr Smith, having a long part in it, fell Sick upon the Fourth Day and Dy'd, upon that it lay by, and ne'er have bin Acted since. Gildon, English Dramatick Poets, p. 6: Tho' this Play had been formerly refus'd the Action, yet it held up its Head about Six Days together, and has been since Acted several Times. A Comparison Between the Two Stages: Sullen, p. 16: Banks's, which the Players damn'd and wou'd not Act of a great while, but at length it was acted, and damn'd then in manner and form

Event Comment: Benefit Kennedy and Miss Smith. [Prices 3s., 2s., 1s.] Tickets at Kennedy's, No. 2 Lambeth St.; at Miss Smith's, next door but One to the Old Playhouse in Ayliffe St.; King Harry's Head, Red Lyon St., and at the Taphouse of the Wells

Event Comment: Play never acted before. [This new tragedy by MacNamara Morgan is mercilessly scourged by Paul Hiffernan in Tuner No 1, (21 Jan.), pp. 41-61]: To Tune it in Lilliputian Score : @Such sighing@Such Billing@Such Flashing@Such Heeling@And Dying@And Killing@And Dashing@And Kneeling@Such Rizing@Surprizing!@Such Falling@And Bawling@Such Attitudes@And Flattitudes@Were ne'er exhibited before.@ In the representation Mr Barry spared no pains; Miss Nossiter and Mr Smith strained hard-Mrs Bland, as far as her part exposed itself, did it with alacrity, but vanished abruptly in a storm of Lust. Mrs Vincent put as good a face on wanton barbarity as possible-and Mr Sparks who can do justice to a more spirited character, supported his Arcadian Kingship with becoming equanimity...It is a Romance crush'd together without choice, unconnected and full of Exidents not Incidents. Musidorus and Pamela , are duplicates to Pyrocles and Philoclea , which lengthen by so much the play, with repetition of the same dull nauseous tale of love, stirr'd up now and then by a bounce and a cracker-many persons come on we know not why, and disappear we know not wherefore....This new piece is an outlaw from all rules of Criticism; the Unities of Time, Place, and Action are unobserv'd; Plot, Moral, Verisimilitude, or even Probability unknown: many scenes bid defiance to possibility....Mr Rich stopp'd at no expence as to the Dresses and Decorations, and reprieving the play's duration to the utmost extent of Managerian clemency

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith. No building on stage. Tickets sold at the doors will not be admitted. Ladies send servants by Three. Tickets to be had and places to be taken of Smith in Duke St., York Buildings, and of Crudge at the Stage Door

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Part of Pit will be laid into the Boxes. No building on Stage. Tickets sold at the Doors will not be admitted. Afterpiece: A Ballad Farce Reviv'd. Receipts: #82 5s. 6d. in cash, plus #187 1s. from tickets (Boxes 399; Pit 492; GGalllery 135). Total #269 6s. 6d. Charges #63. [Mr Smith found his own candles.

Event Comment: Benefit for Marten, Anderson, R. Smith. Receipts: #32 7s. 6d. in cash. Charges #64 5s. Deficit to each #10 4s. 2d. covered by income from tickets: Marten #80 1s. (Boxes 55; Pit 306; Gallery 204); Anderson #56 12s. (Boxes 21; Pit 280; Gallery 92); R. Smith #57 15s. (Boxes 30; Pit 208; Gallery 192). Total income #226 15s. 6d

Event Comment: Tickets deliver'd out for a Clergyman in distress and Mr Boval, will be taken this night. The Rev. Mr Smith sold 21 Box tickets, for which he receiv'd half value: #2 12s. 6d.; Mr Boval sold (Boxes 54; Pit 89; Gallery 47) #31 11s. His half value came to #15 15s. 6d. (Account Book). Bot by Ledley 20 Doz. Wax Candles at 31s. per: #31. (Account Book). Receipts: #128 19s. plus half value of tickets #18 8s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Marten, Anderson, R. Smith. Receipts: #27 2s. plus income from tickets: Marten #83 7s. (Box 59; Pit 326; Gallery 197); Anderson #64 3s. (Box 14; Pit 343; Gallery 92); Richard Smith #50 3s. (Box 13; Pit 206; Gallery 160) (Account Book). Charges: #63 (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Marten, Anderson, R. Smith. Mainp1ece: Not acted this Season

Event Comment: Benefit for T. Smith, Parsons, Arnauld, Miss Madden, Miss Cockayne, and others. Tickets deliver'd by Wild, Mrs Hitchcock, Francis, Widow Trott, Mrs Paddick, and for the fourteenth will be taken. [The Mourning Bride and Orpheus had been planned for the 14th. See foot of playbill 13 May.] @Tickets Pit Box Gallery Value 1!2 Value@T. Smith 67 61 #16 3s. #8 1s. 6d.@ Maddan 10 30 49 #11 18s. #5 19s.@19 183 58 38 19@Cockayne 7 23 48 #10 5@Wilde 2 27 33 #7 17s. #3 18s. 6d.@Francis 4 25 31 #7 17s. #3 18s. 6d.@Arnd Fishar 14 8 #2 18s. #1 9s.@Hitchcock 31 41 14 #15 6s. #7 3s.@ Trott 16 8 4 #5 12s. #2 16s.@Paddick 16 7 #3 2s. #1 11s.@Total #118 13s. #59 6s. 6d. (Account Book).@ [No charges were listed. The house took, instead one-half value of the tickets, leaving the other half as profit to the ten beneficiaries. House also took the cash receipts.] Receipts: #27 19s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Gardner and R. Smith. Charges #66 10s. Deficit to actors #15 7s. covered by income from tickets: Gardner #39 13s. (Box 44; Pit 105; Gallery 129); R. Smith #67 8s. (Box 28; Pit 268; Gallery 202). Rec'd from Mrs Trott and Symmonds their 1!2 value of tickets 6th Inst. (Account Book). Receipts: #51 3s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 3 years. [See 27 Nov. 1765. Hogan noted the following additions from the 1770 edn.: Mortimer-Lewes; Glendower-Morris; Prince John-Miss Cockayne; Northumberland-Redman; Gadshill-P. Smith; Peto-Wild.] Receipts: #149 17s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Gardner and R. Smith. Mrs Gardner's Indisposition preventing her from performing this evening, she hopes she shall be excused by her friends. [She was to have played Catherine in Afterpiece according to advance notice of 4 May.] Charges #64 10s. Deficit to each benefiticiary #15 6s. 6d., cover'd by income from tickets: Gardner, #61 1s. (Box 118; Pit 101; Gallery 164); Smith, #64 19s. (Box 35; Pit 264; Gallery 166). Paid half year's Land Tax for the Theatre due Lady day last, #61 5s.; paid ditto for window lights, #6 10s. 6d.; Paid ditto for House in Bow Passage #2 3s. 9d. and for its window lights 15s. Receipts: #33 17s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Smith. Paid one year's Watch Rate, St Martin's to 14 Feb. last #10 13s.; Chorus 2 nights (this incl.) #5 1s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #217 19s.6d. Charges: #70 9s. Profits to Mrs Smith: #147 10s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith. Mainpiece: Not acted these 16 years. Part of Pit will be laid into the Boxes. Tragedy by Samuel Pordage. Charges #64 12s. Profit to Smith #62 19s. 6d., plus #110 from tickets (Box 380; Pit 68; Gallery 48) Receipts: #127 11s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Mr Smith from Covent Garden Theatre made his first appearance upon this Stage in K. Richd the 3d & was receiv'd with great Applause (Hopkins Diary). [MacMillan's note from Kemble differs slightly in wording. Kemble also refers to borrowing Smith from cg 29 May 1759, which was actually his first appearance at dl.] Paid a Tow Bill 10s. (Treasurer's Book). [This is the customary monthly charge for tow for wicks. It came to #4 10s. for the whole season. No further itemizing of it will be made.] Receipts: #239 8s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Mr Smith Leon very la! la! (Hopkins Diary). [Macmillan's note from Kemble: Mr Smith Leon-So-So-."] Given to 2 Fire Engines #1 1s. Receipts: #163 19s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Hamlet -Smith as usual (Hopkins Diary). Paid half year's Watch, St Martins #32 9s. 6d.; Housekeeper's 4 Bills #50 7s. 10d.; Music Books to Mr Stayner, #6 18s. (Treasurer's Book). [The housekeeper's weekly bill averaged #10, for a total of #380 the season. No further itemization of it will be made.] Receipts: #183 3s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: The Provoked Husband and Rival Candidates was given out for Tuesday. On Sunday Morning Mrs Yates sent word she was ill and could not play--sent to Miss Younge, and she sent word that she was ill in bed--King sent word he had a sore Throat, and could not play--so that we could do no Play but the Committee and Rival Candidates. On Monday the Managers met, but nothing was settled. At twelve o'clock Mrs Baddeley sent word she had a sore Throat, and could not play in the Riv[al] Can[didates] (Hopkins Diary). The Hypocrite and The Christmas Tale are obliged to be deferred. "[Smith] has a good figure, is gentlemanlike, and decent in everything he undertakes. When we allow that, we have said all; he wants both feeling to be affected, and powers to convey his feelings, if he had them. In fine, in spite of all the partiality of his friends, or the ignorant prejudices of those who never judge but at second hand, his performance of Richard was little more than a strong union of judgement and industry, unaided by nature. He should woo genteel Comedy oftener; and not that coy sister of hers, who certainly holds Smith at the point of her lance" (London Magazine, Oct. 1776, p. 511). Receipts: #186 18s. 6d

Event Comment: Benefit for Lewis, Dancer & J. Smith. Tickets to be had of Lewis at the Europa; of Smith at the Ship, Seven Houses

Event Comment: According to Sir Edward Smith's bill--see Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 308-the regular company at Drury Lane resumed acting (after the summer vacation) on 11 Oct. 1696 and acted 200 times to 7 July 1697, after which the young actors played 58 days to 7 Oct. 1697

Event Comment: According to Sir Edward Smith's bill--see Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 308--Rich's Company acted 161 days from 6 Oct. 1697 to 19 May 1698, 41 days from that date to 10 July 1698, and the young actors played 24 days from 10 July 1698 to 10 Oct. 1698

Event Comment: According to Sir Edward Smith's bill (see Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 308) Rich's Company acted 209 times from 9 Oct. 1698 to 9 July 1699, after which the young actors performed 27 times from 9 July 1699 to 10 Oct. 1699

Event Comment: According to Sir Edward Smith's bill (see Hotson, Commonwealth and Restoration Stage, p. 308) Rich's company acted 218 times between 6 Oct. 1699 and 26 July 1700, and the young actors played 15 times from 26 July 1700 to 12 Oct. 1700