Event Comment: By Their Royal Highnesses' Command. At Penkethman's Theatre. Mainpiece: Written by Shakespear. Afterpiece: a diverting Droll. Box Tickets at Penkethman's House in Richmond. Daily Post, 5 Sept.: Mr Penkethman...had the Honour to divert their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales, with Entertainments of Acting and Tumbling perform'd to Admiration; Likewise with his Picture of the Royal Family, down from the King of Bohemia to the young Princesses, in which is seen the Nine Muses playing on their several Instruments, in Honour of that August Family. There were present Nobility, Gentry and Ladies upwards of 200

Event Comment: No Performance. Theatre clos'd for royal death of the Duke of Cumberland. Love for Love & The Royal Chace listed next day. [Opened again 11 Nov.]*c1765 11 01 cg No Performance. Theatre clos'd for royal death of the Duke of Cumberland. Love for Love & The Royal Chace listed next day. [Opened again 11 Nov.

Event Comment: Mainpiece [C 5, by the Hon. Henry Seymour Conway, adapted from Les Dehors Trompeurs; ou, L'Homme du Jour, by Louis de Boissy; incidental music by Michael Kelly. Prologue by the author. Epilogue by John Burgoyne (see text)]: 1st time at a public theatre. With new Scenes and Dresses. [This was 1st acted on 31 May 1788 at the private theatre in the town house of the Duke of Richmond, which was situated on what is now Richmond Terrace, Whitehall. It was demolished in 1819.] Diary, 16 June 1789: This Day is published False Appearances (1s. 6d.). Receipts: #138 3s. (114.15.0; 22.5.6; 1.2.6)

Event Comment: We hear the famous Mr Pinkethman is building a handsome Playhouse at Richmond, for the Diversion of the Nobility and Quality that attend the Court of their Royal Highnesses; and will begin to play there soon after Whitsuntide, and shew the fine musical Picture he has prepar'd of the Royal Family, the like of which has never been seen in England.-Read's Weekly Journal, 31 May. Mr Prince the famous Dancing-Master is lately Deceas'd.-Original Weekly Journal, 31 May

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Command. [The Royal Family present.] Daily Post, 23 Nov.: We hear the King and all the Royal Family remove from Richmond...and are to be at ...Drury Lane [Friday] Evening; a List of Plays, &c. having been sent to Richmond by his Majesty's Command

Event Comment: A playbill [PRO, State Papers 29, Vol. 317, No. 187): At the Booth at Charing-Cross, every day in the Week will be presented variety of Farces Drolls, and Comical Entertainments by Mr Anthony Devo, His Majesties Servant. And this present Monday being the Eleventh of November, will be presented the Dutch cruelties at Amboyna, with the humours of the Valiant Welch-Man. Acted by Men and Women. Beginning exactly at Two of the Clock in the Afternoon, and at Four. Vivat Rex. [This playbill is reproduced in Theatre Notebook, VI (1952), opposite page 36.] L. C. 5@140, p. 129 (Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 250): That Antonio diVoto Doe sett forth Exercise & Play all Drolls and Interludes, He not receiuing into his Company any person belonging to his Mates or Royal Highnesse Theatres Nor Act any Play usually acted at any of ye said Theatres Nor takes peeces or Sceenes out of ye Playes Acted at ye said Theatres

Event Comment: By Command of Her Majesty. [This was the first time that members of the royal family had appeared in public since the beginning of the King's illness (his first attack of insanity) in November 1788. See also 21, 24 Apr.] The drop curtain with the King's arms on it shown when the front curtain first rose was the "original curtain exhibited on the opening of Lincoln's Inn Fields theatre [in 1714]...It has lain by in the scene-room of Covent-Garden theatre nearly seventy years, but was rescued from oblivion, retouched, and the appropriate ornaments added for the occasion" (Public Advertiser, 16 Apr.). On the Queen's entrance "the house called for God save the King, and the theatre being prepared, the song was immediately sung by Bannister, Johnstone, and Darley, the house joining in the chorus. It was encored...At the end of the play [it] was again called for, and again sung twice. At the end of the pantomime it was again called for; and the theatre not sending forward the performers, the audience cheerfully sung it for themselves; and having sung, they encored themselves; so that altogether it was sung six times in the course of the evening. Her Majesty had a bandeau of black velvet, on which were set in diamonds the words 'Long live the king.' The princesses had bandeaus of white satin, and 'Long live the king' in gold" (Universal Magazine, Apr. 1789, p. 218). Receipts: #388 16s. 6d. (385.12.0; 3.4.6)

Event Comment: Oratorio composed by Handel. Tickets to be had and places for the Boxes to be taken of Mr Johnston at the Stage Door of the Theatre, at Half a Guinea each. Pit 5s. First Gallery 3s. 6d. Second Gallery 2s. The Doors to be opened at Five o'Clock. To Begin at Half past Six. N.B. Those ladies who had Side Boxes last year, are humbly requested if they intend to continue them the ensuing season, to give immediate notice to Mr Johnston to have them secured. [The Westminster Magazine (March) commented: "One of those whims by which the public are continually influenced, has made it the ton to resort to this theatre to hear and see Miss Linley, the syren of Bath. This young lady who is greatly indebted to nature for the eclat with which she is followed, and not a little to the fortuitous concurrence of remarkable incidents in her life has drawn crowded houses incessantly; and this success has been insured by the constant attendance of his Majesty and the Royal family at this theatre."

Event Comment: Afterpiece [1st time at a public theatre; C 3, by Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven, afterwards Margravine of Anspach, 1st acted privately at the Town-Hall, Newbury, 6 Apr. 1780. Text (G. Riley, 1781) assigns no parts. Prologue by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Epilogue by Joseph Jekyll (see text)]: With new Dresses, &c. "The Prologue [the first 30 lines and the concluding couplet of which were used by Sheridan as the Prologue to Pizarro (see dl, 24 May 1799)] was so much admired that at the request of the Duchess of Devonshire and several other of the nobility it was respoken after the piece; but as King was absent from the theatre, it was delivered by Palmer" (Town and Country Magazine, May 1780, p. 23 ). "The chief singularity was that [Lady Craven] went to it herself the second night, in form; sat in the middle of the front row of the stage-box, much dressed, with a profusion of white bugles and plumes, to receive the public homage due to her sex and loveliness. The Duchess of Richmond, Lady Harcourt,...Mrs Damer, Lord Craven,...and I were with her. It was amazing to see so young a woman entirely possess herself-but there is such an integrity and frankness in her consciousness of her own beauty and talents, that she speaks of them with a naivete as if she had no property in them, but only wore them as gifts of the gods. Lord Craven on the contrary was quite agitated by his fondness for her and with impatience at the bad performance of the actors, which was wretched indeed, yet the address of the plot, which is the chief merit of the piece, and some lively pencilling carried it off very well, though Parsons murdered the Scotch lord, and Mrs Robinson (who is supposed to be the favourite of the Prince of Wales) thought on nothing but her own charms, or him. There is a very good though endless prologue written by Sheridan and spoken in perfection by King, which was encored (an entire novelty) the first night: and an epilogue that I liked still better and which was full as well delivered by Mrs Abington, written by Mr. Jekyl. The audience, though very civil, missed a fair opportunity of being gallant, for in one of those ----logues, I forget which, the noble authoress was mentioned, and they did not applaud as they ought to have done, especially when she condescended to avow her pretty child and was there looking so very pretty...Yet Lady Craven's tranquillity had nothing displeasing;...and it was tempered by her infinite good nature, which made her make excuses for the actors instead of being provoked at them" (Walpole [28 May 1780], XI, 178-80). Public Advertiser, 14 July 1781: This Day at Noon will be published The Miniature Picture (price not listed). Receipts: #144 9s. (94.9; 48.3; 1.17)

Event Comment: [Browne was from the Richmond theatre; Mrs Kemble from the Edinburgh theatre.

Event Comment: By His Royal Highness's Command. The Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 8 Dec.: Last Thursday Night his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales was at the Theatre in Drury-Lane, when one Mr Freeman, a mad Gentleman of 2000l. per Ann. offering to go into the Boxes, and being stopt by one of the Centries in the Passage, he shot him above the Shoulder; however the Centry knockt him down, and securing him, 2 or 3 more loaded Pistols were found in his Pockets....The sudden Discharge of Mr Freeman's Pistol put the Ladies and others withinside the Playhouse into some Consternation at first....The Gentlemen about the Prince, and almost throughout the House, drew their Swords upon the Occasion of this Disorder, which was soon over

Event Comment: DDaily Advertiser, 14 June: The Managers of...Drury-Lane, have Orders to get Things in Readiness for the Royal Theatre at Hampton-Court, where Plays are to be acted for the Diversion of the Royal Family

Event Comment: By Command of Her Royal Highness, the Princess Royal. Benefit Mills. Daily Post, 5 March: Colley Cibber...is so ill of a Cold he is not able to Act. Daily Advertiser, 7 March: On Monday Night last a great Disorder happen'd amongst the Footmen at [dl], occasion'd by one of the Orange Women, who meeting with some Affront, as she was passing from the Theatre to the Coffeehouse, drew out her Penknife, and stabb'd a Chairman and two Gentlemen's Servants therewith, before it could be wrench'd from her, and then took Sanctuary in the Coffee-house; but the same was immediately beset, and the People refusing either to produce the Woman, or acquaint the Footmen who she was, they forc'd themselves into the Room, broke all the Glasses and China

Event Comment: Written by the late Mr Dryden. Set to Musick by Mr Handel. Pit and Boxes half a Guinea. Galleries 4s. and 2s. 6d. London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 20 Feb.: Last Night his Royal Highness the Duke, and her Royal Highness the Princess Amelia were at. . . Mr Dryden's Ode, set to Musick by Mr Handel. Never was upon the like Occasion so numerous and splendid an Audience at any Theatre in London, there being at least 1300 Persons present; and it is judg'd that the Receipt of the House could not amount to less than 450l. It met with general Applause, tho attended with the Inconvenience of having the Performers placed at too great a distance from the Audience, which we hear will be rectified the next Time of Performance. [Egmont also present.]

Event Comment: By Command of their Royal Highnesses the Duke, and the Princesses Amelia, Caroline, and Louisa. Daily Advertiser: This evening their Royal Highnesses...will go to the theatre...to see the Comedy of the Committee, or the Faithful Irishman, and Dancing by Signior Brunoro, &c, being the first time of his appearing at that theatre