Event Comment: Great Applause to the Farce (Hopkins Diary).Benefit for Mrs Abington. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Tickets delivered for The Tender Husband will be taken. Send Servants by Four to prevent Confusion. [Sir Joshua Reynolds had procured forty places in the front boxes this night. Boswell and Dr Johnson were among his guests. Johnson could see and hear little, but sat out the performance, commenting on Garrick's excellence as a writer of Prologues. See Boswell's Life of Johnson, ed. G. B. Hill, II, 324ff.] Receipts: #287 9s. 6d. Charges: #64 4s. Profits to Mrs Abington: #223, 5s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Under the direction of Dr Arne. Being desired again by several persons of Quality. Tickets delivered out for 27 April by Miss Donadieu and Mrs Farrel will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Mr and Mrs Davies. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Receipts: #159 13s. 6d. Charges: #67 3s. Profits to Mrs Davies: #92 10s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Quick. Afterpiece: By Desire

Event Comment: A new Musical Entertainment of Two Acts never performed before by Thomas Brydges?. Music by Hook

Event Comment: By Desire. Mainpiece: Not acted these 4 years

Event Comment: Mrs Jewel from the Haymarket Theatre made her first appearance upon this stage in Lucinda and was receiv'd with great applause (Hopkins Diary). Paid 3 days salary list #134 15s. 6d.; Lampmen #2 12s.; Bill stickets #3 12s.; Handbills 8s.; Candlemen Bill #2 15s. 6d.; Taylor's Bill #13 16s. 3d.; Mantua Maker's Bill #8 12s.; Mr French #12 12s.; Painter's Bill #3 6s.; Heath andWife #2; Roye #4 1Os. (Treasurer's Book). [The following items among those listed in the Treasurer's Book were constant weekly expenditures. Their averages and totals appear in the following table and will not again be mentioned]: @Week's Average Total expense for season@Lampmen #4 5s. #171@Billstickers #2 14s. #92 12s.@Handbills 12s. #22 16s.@Tailors #8 10s. #323@Mant. Makers #2 5s. #85 2s.@Candlemen #12 #456@Mr French #10 10s. #388@Painters #7 #266@Mr Heath and Wife #2 #76 [A spectator writes to the Public Advertiser (to inform the country readers) about the changes in the interior of Drury Lane Theatre resulting from the remodeling by the Adams@brothers. They had managed to give the impression of greater magnitude to the house. They removed the old heavy square pillars at the side of the stage, raised the sounding board on the side next to the stage, greatly improving the sound of the music and the actors' voices. Much new decoration went into the boxes making them more light and gay. Much panel glass, ornamentation, and ceiling decoration, giving it the effect of a dome. The author believes the crimson drapery over the stage is too dark for the objects around it, and the gold fringe lacks the brilliant effect. The lobby behind the front boxes was remodeled and kept clear of servants, by means of an adjoining room prepared for the servants. New arches lead into the entrance from Brydges St. toward the boxes.] Receipts: #235 6s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid 3 day's salary at #100 12s. 6d. per diem #301 17s. 6d. Salaries short-paid last week #168 8s. 6d.; Tabor and Pipe #3 13s. 6d. Louchre [Lauchery] #8 8s. Mr Abington #2; Mr King #3; (Treasurer's Book). [The payment to King was the first of 37 similar ones for extra salary amounting to #111. That to Mrs Abington was the first of weekly payments for her clothes account, amounting to #60 for the season. No further mention will be made of these items.] Receipts: #265 9s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). [From the Middlesex Journal (7-9 Oct.) quoted by Hampden, Eighteenth Century Journal: "The Way of the World, though confessedly replete with wit and character, is not the most entertaining play in representation. It is so full of plot and intrigue, that it demands an Unusual degree of attention in the performers and audience to excite admiration. On Saturday they seemed averse to assist the author. Mr King in Witwou'd was as entertaining and full of spirits as usual. Mr Jefferson in the gay admired Mirabel (independent of the antique mode of his wig, and formal cut of his clothes, which surely were both uncharacteristic) seemed in attempting to be quite natural, to keep the entire plot of the play in his own bosom, looked more like the father than the Mirabel of Congreve. Mr Reddish was a contrast to his friend Mirabel; he seemed attentive nervous, and played the latter part of his character well....Mrs Abington's person, manner and dress were fashionable and elegant; but though the character was certainly a fine one, there was a want of that spirit best calculated to call her powers into action: her delivery was tediously formal; and had the audience been deprived of their sight they would conclude that Capt. Bobadill had got into petticoats. Her dress was no more decent than Madam Hidou's was on her first appearance last year; stays so low cut before puts modesty to the blush; and will not be countenanced by an English audience, though made after the French fashion....Mrs Greville, to convince the town that she could keep a secret, whispered it to only a few friends in the Pit....her indifference is intolerable, and should be noticed by her employer."

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A New Musical Entertainment in 2 Acts [by Theodosius Forrest] never pebformed. With a New Overture by Dr Arnold. The Airs chiefly selected from the most eminent masters. [Larpent MS 392 confirms the character names and adds a Country Lad and a Country Lass. The Westminster Magazine for Oct. condemned the Weathercock: "To speak of this piece as a literary compostiion, it was throughout a dull, uninteresting narrative, told in duller numbers. Considered in a dramatic light, it was still less defensible....The overture by Dr Arnold was trite, except the last movement, which had great merit, and was universally admired....We expected in spite of the numerous Orders sent in by the Author and Managers, that it would have met with its deserved fate on the first representation, it was, however, somehow carried through that and a second night's hearing-on the third evening, however, it received a formal damnation."