Event Comment: At 5:30 p.m. And not to dismiss tho' the Audience should be small

Event Comment: Benefit Tho. Dean Jr. At the Desire of several Ladies of Quality. At 7 p.m

Event Comment: Benefit Tho. Dean Jr. Tickets 5s. At 7 p.m. Note, That the Tickets that were return'd at York-Buildings [21 Jan.] will not be taken, there being a Number of fresh Tickets issu'd out for Stationers-Hall

Event Comment: Benefit Penkethman and Powell. Mainpiece: Written by the famous Authors Beaumont and Powell. Mainpiece: Written by the famous Authors Beaumont and Fletcher. Note, Tho' it be a Benefit Night, the Subscribers' Tickets will pass. It being Positively the last time of Acting at Greenwich this Season

Event Comment: Written by the late famous Poet Laureat John Dryden, Esq. Note, The Subscribers' Tickets Pass every Night there is Acting at Greenwich, tho' it be on a Benefit Night

Event Comment: [Opening night, under the management of John Rich.] By the Company of Comedians under Letters Patents granted by King Charles the Second. Beginning exactly at Six. No Persons are to be admitted behind the Scenes, nor any Money to be return'd after the Curtain is drawn up. Receipts: #143. Weekly Packet, 18 Dec.: This Day the New Play-House...is to be open'd...by the Company that act under the Patent; tho' it is said, that some of the Gentlemen who have left the Theatre in Drury-Lane for that Service, are order'd to return to their Colours, upon Pain of not exercising their Lungs anywhere; which may in Time prove of ill Service to the Patentee; that has been at vast Expence to make his Theatre as convenient for the Reception of an Audience as any one can possibly be

Event Comment: Benefit Mrs Knight. At the particular Desire of several Ladies of Quality. Receipts: money #27 17s. 6d. and tickets #23 13s. The Epilogue was printed in Weekly Journal or British Gazetteer, 7 April, with a note: The Author of the following Epilogue would never have thought of publishing such a Trifle, but to let the Town see that scandalous Piece (as some were pleas'd to call it) not fit to be spoken. Mrs Knight's Zeal to the Government (which she has always express'd at the Worst of Times) cannot be enough applauded....It was wrote with no other Design than to do her some Service on her Benefit-Day; but has had indeed a quite contrary Effect, and kept back that Part of her Audience whose Money is as good as other Peoples, tho' their Principles (as being Tories) are the worst in the World

Event Comment: A riot caused the acting of Cato to cease in Act IV. See The Weekly Packet 1 March, The Evening Post 22-25 Feb., The Post Boy 22-25 Feb. The most complete account appeared in Read's Original Weekly Journal, 1 March: The Night before had been the Third Night of a New Comedy, written by a young Gentleman of good Interest, and well respected, and the Boxes were bespoke for Monday Night, but a certain Ruler of that House, remarkable for Ill-Nature and Immorality, stop'd the Run of the Play, and caus'd the Tragedy of Cato to be given out...and tho' he was earnestly expostulated with on the Injustice of such a Proceeding, yet he obstinately persisted in his Resolution, which the Friends of the Author of the New Play very much resented: But this was not all, for when Cato came to be play'd, Mr Wilks, Mrs Oldfield, and Mrs Porter, who have principal Parts had given them to some of the inferior Players, which was look'd on as Riding the Audience, who would no longer Brook what they look'd on as an Insult, but with their hisses, Catcalls, &c. deafen'd the House, and drown'd the Shrill Pipes of the Actors; insomuch that the loudest Rant in Lee or Shakespear had been no more to be prefer'd to it, than the Noise of a Flagelot to the whistling of a Tempest; till the End the Players were obliged to retreat to their Fastnesses, unable any longer to Stand their Assaults; for they were storm'd with Orange-Peals, &c. as well as bombarded with Hisses Huzzas and Catcalls. Nor wou'd the Audience suffer them to Capitulate or receive any Offers of Submission, but calling for a Dance, put an End to the Play, in the middle of the 4th Act

Event Comment: Weekly Journal or Saturday's Post, 23 Sept.: Last Wednesday died the Celebrated Comedian, Mr Tho Dogget, formerly one of the Masters of the Play-House in Drury-Lane

Event Comment: Benefit Tho. Foster, late Mercer in Ludgate Street. Tickets 5s. Gallery 2s. 6d.At 7 p.m

Event Comment: DDaily Journal, 8 June: We hear that Part of the Company of Comedians from [lif] will open their Theatre at Richmond the latter End of this Week; and tho' they were well approved of last Season, yet have laid out considerable Sums in new Scenes and Cloaths; and...have strengthened their Company...particularly [with] the pleasant and facetious Mr Hippisley

Event Comment: Lady Bristol to Lord Bristol, 3 Nov.: I am just come home from a dull empty opera, tho' the second time; the first was full to hear the new man, who I can find out to be an extream good singer; the rest are all scrubbs except old Durastante, that sings as well as ever she did. Letter Books of John Hervey, III, 108

Event Comment: At the particular Desire of several Persons of Quality. Mainpiece: Written by Ben. Johnson. Afterpiece: A new Serenata, Compos'd on the present Joyous Occasion of the Royal Nuptials. The Words by Mr Tho. Phillips. The Musick by Mr Arne

Event Comment: As 5 March. old Whig, 20 March: In the flourishing State of this Opera [Artaxerxes], 'tis no Wonder that the other Theatres decline. Handel, whose excellent Compositions have often pleased our Ears, and touched our Hearts, has this Winter sometimes performed to an almost empty Pitt. He has lately reviv'd his fine Oratorio of Esther, in which he has introduced two Concerto's on the Organ that are inimitable. But so strong is the Disgust taken against him, that even this has been far from bringing him crowded Audiences; tho' there were no other publick Entertainments on those Evenings

Event Comment: The Tragedy of Zara, Made English [by Aaron Hill]. Applauded Thirty-Six Nights running at Paris. The Characters, by a Sett of Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, who never acted before. None will be admitted but by Tickets into the Room that Night, which (by Reason of the Smallness of the Place) will be all commodiously made into Boxes, for the easy Reception of those many Great Personages, who have read and perus'd this Play with Approbation, and desir'd a long Time to see it acted; and charitably agreed to favour and encourage this Design, for the Benefit of [Mr William Bond, the Proprietor], who brings it on at a great Expence (tho' all that act in it, are so good to appear Gratis for him) who has lain ill of the Gout, and Rheumatism, upwards of Four Years. [This bill, in the London Daily Post and General Advertiser, differs considerably in phraseology, though not in basic fact, from that in the Daily Advertiser.]

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Newly Revis'd and AlterM N.B. The Reviser begs leave to observe, that tho' he thinks the Chief Characters in this Play, are drawn with a great deal of Life and Spirit; Yet that even in this very sprightly Play there are several very obvious Faults. That as the Character of the French Count, and that of the Irish Priest, are in no sort conducive to the Plot of the Play; they may therefore be look'd upon as superfluous: That the Parting of Sullen and his Wife, is extreamly unnatural; and that the Ending of the Play (with respect to Archer) is abrupt to a Degree, &c. &c. In order therefore to amend these Errors [he has revised the play]

Event Comment: Benefit Arne, Composer to DL. At the Desire of several Persons of Quality. The Choruses will be perform'd by a great Number of Voices, the Stage illuminated, and the performers rang'd in a particular Manner. N.B. Tho' this Entertainment is perform'd at an extraordinary Expence, no more will be demanded than the common Price of a Benefit Play: Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. Galleries 2s. and 1s. 6:30 P.M. [Tickets at Arne's House in Great Queen Street.]

Event Comment: DDaily Post, 1 Nov.: Last Thursday Night four or five Persons (amongst whom two were known to belong to the Attorney of a neighbouring Manager) attended...Cato at [lif]: Their first Endeavour was to induce the Company in the Middle Gallery, where they were, to leave the House, insinuating there was nothing worth seeing could be play'd there, (tho' they had never seen the Gentleman who acted Cato,) and retiring towards the Door, as if to go out, in order to set others the Example: This Design failing, they thought fit to stay; and to make their Words good, resolv'd to interrupt the Performance, Their second Stratagem was to cry out Fire, making again to the Door to confirm the Reality of it: That miscarrying, the next was to hiss whenever the rest of the House applauded, no doubt, with the brutal Intention to confuse the Gentleman who play'd Cato in his first Attempt of that Kind, and might have effected their Purpose, if the whole House had not generously and vigorously oppos'd it, from a high Opinion of his Merit

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Never Acted before. [By John Hewitt.] Preface to edition of 1737: This Comedy made it's Appearance under many Disadvantages:...It was read for the first Time to the Performers, Tuesday the 15th, and acted Monday the 21st. Mrs Giffard, who had been Ill the Whole Season, undertook the Character of Lady Betty Manly, but finding herself indisposed, returned the Part on Thursday Evening. It was then given to Mrs Hamilton, who on Saturday about one in the Afternoon declared she could not do it unless it was cut, which the Nature of that Part not admitting, there was a Necessity to ask the Favour of Miss Hughes to undertake it, who with a great deal of good Nature, studied and played it perfect, tho' at so short a Warning

Event Comment: Benefit Tho. Woodbridge. 7 p.m. 3s

Event Comment: LLondon Daily Post and General Advertiser, 17 March: This is to inform the Publick, that the new Tragi-Comedy, intitled The Free-Thinker; or, The Fox uncas'd, which was last Summer rehearsed and was to have been play'd at [lif], but by Mr Rich's letting that House to Mr Giffard, for that Season, was prevented, will be acted on the 14th of April next [at yb], by Mr Hallam's Company of Comedians. The Play is writ much in the same Stile and Manner of George Barnwell....The Author hopes that the Generous and Judicious will encourage the Performance, tho' the Company of Players are not dropt down from the Clouds, nor does the Play libel the Government. [No further announcement of the performance has been noted before 28 April.

Event Comment: LLondon Daily Post and General Advertiser, 26 July: Hay-Market, July 25, 1738. Wheras the Operas for the ensuing Season at the King's-Theatre...cannot be carried on as was intended, by Reason of the Subscription not being full, and that I could not agree with the Singers, tho' I offer'd One Thousand Guineas to One of them, I therefore think myself oblig'd to declard, that I give up this Undertaking for next Year....J. J. Heidegger