Event Comment: fterpiece probably Mercury Harlequin, according to published advertisements.] Receipts: #140 (Cross)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Author. [Last time of performing it this season, according to the advance notice for 27 April.

Event Comment: Benefit for Holland. [The additions, according to the Larpent MS 146, consist of a Scene between Master and a Beauv , wherein the Master's reflections are sound and moral, whilst the Beau's are frivolous and fatuous.] Receipts: #200 (Cross)

Event Comment: This is a farce of Macklin's Writing, it went off very greatly-he play'd Shylock too (Cross). Receipts: #190 (Cross). [Garrick and Lacy had contracted with Macklin for this Farce two weeks before this performance, according to the following document (BM Add. MS 27925): Memorandum of an Agreement relating to Mr Macklin's Farce and his Playing & performing in the said Farce, with such plays as shall be performed on which the said Farce shall be acted as aforesaid as follows: Imprimis: The said Farce to be publicly performed before Christmas, otherwise not this season on account of the Managers other engagements. Item: Mr Macklin to have for his performing in the said plays and Farce a Fifth part of the profits of the first five nights after deducting sixty-three pounds for the charges of each night during the said five nights-and the sixth night to be for the Benefit of Mr Macklin, he paying the usual charges of sixty-three pounds. Item: The Managers to have it in their power to stop the performances of the said Farce at the end of Six nights on account of their other engagements,-and in case the Receipt of any one night of the said nights on which the said Farce shall be performed as aforesaid shall fall short of One Hundred pounds. Then the Managers to have it in their power to stop the performance of said Farce as the Receipt does not amount to One Hundred pounds. Item: The said Six nights for the said Farce & plays in which Mr Macklin shall perform as aforesaid not to be played immediately succeeding one another, but alternately with such plays as the Managers shall think Convenient. Lastly: That if the said Farce shall meet with the disapprobation of the Publick, that then it shall be in the Power of Discretion of the Managers to stop the performance thereof. Dated this 28th day of November, 1759. S@ James Lacy, D. Garrick. Witness: R. Cross, Geo. Garrick.

Event Comment: Benefit for Vaughan, Condell, Green (boxkeepers). Receipts: #18 18s. in cash. Charges #64 5s. Deficit to each #17 0s. 8d. covered by tickets: Condell #74 12s. (Boxes 132; Pit 212; Gallery 98); Vaughan #71 2s. (Boxes 151; Pit 147; Gallery 113); Green #73 13s. (Boxes 206; Pit 119; Gallery 456). Total income #238 9s. Paid Kemp #8 6s.; Paid Pattinson (Tallow chandler) 6 bills to 8 May #100 14s. 6d.; Advanced to Barrington #21. [The house is now, according to the books, showing a deficit of #634 14s. 6d.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted this season. [The Ode, by Robert Lloyd and A. Murphy (according to J. P. Kemble's note on the playbill), combines an Elegy on the death of George II with a compliment on the accession of George III.

Event Comment: Benefit of Mattocks and Hull. Tickets deliver'd for The Busy Body will be taken. No Building on Stage. [Playbill suggests Beard and Mattocks took the parts of Sailor and Squire for the 1st time this night. According to Genest they had performed them since 28 Nov. 1760, i.e., for 23 times this season. Possibly their parts were originally reversed.] Receipts: #79 17s. 6d. plus income from tickets: Mattocks #40 6s. (Box 37; Pit 159; Gallery 72); Hull #42 1s. (Box 80; Pit 111; Gallery 54) (Account Book). Charges: #64 6s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Full Prices. [Young Gentleman-Bridges according to Genest, IV, 634.]

Event Comment: [H$Hogan and MacMillan list Mrs Bradshaw. Mrs Havard according to the Public Advertiser.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted this season. Afterpiece: A New Pantomime (2 scenes excepted). Paid one Year's assurance at the Royal Exchange for #3000 to 15 Dec. 1767, #6. Paid Duke of Bedford's half year's ground rent for theatre due Mich. last #50 minus half year's land tax of #8 6s. 8d.; total #41 13s. 4d. Paid ditto for the New Buildings adjoining the theatre #15 minus half year's land tax of #2 10s. Total #12 10s. (Account Book). [The newness of the pantomime seems, according to the Larpent MS 259, to have consisted in three new songs.] Receipts: #191 7s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [T+Theatrical Monitor, No VI appeared this day with a blast, in the form of an occasional Epilogue, at the morals, language and plan of the Oxonian in Town. This was the first performance of Macklin's afterpiece in London. It had been played in Dublin. "Its curious idiom, half-brogue, and half Cockney, puzzled the audience, as did its highly topical Irish allusions. With his usual candor, Macklin observed: 'I believe the audience are right. (The play was withdrawn after this single performance.) There's a geography in humor as well as in morals, which I had not previously considered--'" Cooke, Macklin, p. 270. According to Kirkman, in his curtain speech Macklin "courageously admitted: 'Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very sensible tha there are several passages in this play which deserve to be probated and I assure you that they shall never offend your ears again!' As soon as Mr Macklin had finished this address, the audience testified their approbation of his determination, by loud and reiterated plaudits" (Kirkman, Memoirs of the Life of Macklin, II, 3). See Also Charles Macklin: An Actor's Life by William W. Appleton (Cambridge, Mass., 1960), p. 141.

Event Comment: Mainpiece: A tragedy by Hall Hartson, never performed here before. [According to The Theatrical Monitor, No IX (19 Dec. 1767), the mainpiece was at that time in rehearsal. The Monitor requested that every expense possible be laid ott upon it, and puffed the abilities of Barry and Mrs Dancer highly.

Event Comment: HHopkins Diary: This morning a printed paper was handed about requesting the lovers of theatrical Performances to meet this evening at the theatre to insist upon the doors not being opened till five o'clock.--As soon as the curtain was up, they called for Mr Garrick, and would not suffer the play to begin. Mr King went on and told the audience, "that he was desired by the managers to tell them the doors for the future should not be opened till Five," A great Clap,--He added, "that the managers was always willing to oblige the publick in everything that was in their power; but they thought that on very full nights it would be attended with some inconvenience." They would not hear of any alteration,--he then told them, "the doors should always for the future be opened at five, unless the public applyed to have it altered." All then was quiet and the play began. Mr Weston, whose name was in the Bills for Jerry, was taken suddenly ill, and Mr W. Palmer went on for it without an apology.--called out, "Mr Holland, what is the reason we have not Mr Weston according to your publication in the Bills?" They then were told he was taken suddenly ill--"then pray make an apology for him" they said.--Another gentleman called out "Don't answer him, Mr Holland, you do him too much honor by deigning to answer him."--then all was quiet, and the play went on

Event Comment: Paid Three days Salary at #80 12s. 3d. per diem--#241 16s. 9d. Paid Mrs W. Barry (half salary) 17s. 6d. [Mr Carver (presumably Robert Carver the scene painter) received, according to the treasurer's book, one pound daily throughout the season. This payment is listed separately each Saturday, and will not be mentioned hereafter.] Paid Lampmen #2; Bill-stickers #3 12s.; Handbills 8s.; Candlemen #1 8s.; Carpenters #7 5s. 2d.; Taylors #16 11s. 10d.; Mantua Maker #3 12s.; Stevens (Porter) 18s.; Supers & Kettle Drum #3 4s. (Treasurer's Book). [As these were constant weekly items in the Treasurer's Book their averages and season totals will be given in the following table, after which no further itemization will be made.] Receipts: #197 9s. (Treasurer's Book). Item Weekly Average Season Total@Lampmen #3 4s. #115 4s.@Bill Stickers #2 14s. #97 4s.@Handbills 12s. #21 12s.@ Candlemen #8 #288@ Carpenters #5 #180@ Tailor #6 #216@Mantua Maker #2 #72@ Stevens (porter) 18s. #32 8s.

Event Comment: Bills for Every Man in his Humour were posted to day--but Mr G. being taken very ill the Play was oblig'd to be chang'd & fresh Bills put up about Twelve o'clock (Hopkins Diary). [Also, according to Winston MS 10 the afterpiece was to have been Miss in Her Teens. See 8 Nov.] Paid Tallow Chandler's 1st bill #63 8s. 4d.; Mr Evans one year on Wardrobe Acct #10 10s.; half year Land and Window Tax for St Martin's to Michelmas last #46 8s. 7d.; Rec'd Stopages #12 17s. (Treasurer's Book). [Cast listed on playbill for afterpiece: Fribble (with song in character)-Dodd; Flash-$Palmer; Loveit-$J. Aickin; Puff-$Moody; Jasper-$Ackman; Tag-$Mrs Love; Miss Biddy-$Miss Pope.] Receipts: #165 7s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: [Mainpiece seems, according to the Public Advertiser, to have had in it entertainments of dancing.] Benefit for Westminster New Lying-In-Hospital near Westminster Bridge (playbill). Charges #86 18s. 6d. Profit to Hospital #19 10s. 6d., plus #79 7s. from tickets (Box 172; Pit 161; Gallery 122) (Account Book). Receipts: #106 9s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [The scenes are of the Stockwell Witchcraftv, according to Theatrical Review, II, 103. See 31 Jan. and 8 Feb.] Paid Patrick (tinman) #33 4s.; Paid Tinsdale (haberdasher) #3 5s. (Account Book). Receipts: #236 15s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [This New Comedy (by Mrs Elizabeth Griffith) seems not to have been performed this night, according to the author's Preface to her Edition of 1772. Shuter had been unattentive and absent from many rehearsals]: At length though late [in the season] a day was appointed for the representation, and on that morning Mr Shuter appeared at rehearsal, pretty much in the same state as before, and confessed himself incapable of performing his part, that night. Upon which the play was oblig'd to be further postponed, and handbills were sent about at noon, to advertise town of the disappointment....A further final day was afterwards determined on, but the audience being out of humour at their former disappointment, called Mr Shuter to account for it, on his first appearance; which threw him into such confusion, that he was not able to get the better of it, throughtout the whole performance...in the hurry of his spirits the actor not only forgot his part, the deficiency of which he endeavoured to supply with his own dialect, but also seemed to lose all idea of the character he was to perform; and made the Governor appear in a light which the author never intended: that of a mean, ridiculous buffoon. [Mrs Griffith concluded her preface by relating how her friends stood by the piece, but two or three in the gallery, when it was given out again objected and threw an apple at the chandeliers, which so perturbed the management that the play was withdrawn. She therefore published it by subscription, prefixing the names of about 440 subscribers, persons of the first quality, including James Boswell, Edmund Burke, Col. Burgoyne, the Duke of Devonshire, David Garrick, Mrs Montague, William Richardson, and a host of writers, players, and people of fashion. This list provides a pretty good roster of those who filled the boxes and part of the pit of both theatres at the time.] Paid Younger #2 2s. for the license for A Wife in the Right (Account Book). Receipts: #218 12s. (Account Book)

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: The Characters [of the mainpiece] New Dressed according to the habits of the times. [At foot of the bill first appears the customary notice: Places for the Boxes to be taken only of Mr Sarjant at the Stage Door. The Doors to be opened at 5 o'clock. To begin at 6 o'clock. Vivant Rex & Regina."] Paid Church & Militia tax for theatre #8 15s. and for House in Bow Passage 6s. 3d. (Account Book). Receipts: #232 14s. 6d

Event Comment: Paid Tallow Chandler's 4th Bill #41 6s. 5d.; Spermacetti Candles, #132 18s. Mr Tomlinson for Men's cloaths #11 11s.; Mr J. French on acct #20; Miss Hopkins, 15 nights (19th Dec. incl.) #3 15s. (Treasurer's Book). [The sixth edition of Wm. Law's Absolute Unlawfulness of Stage Representations was published this year (1st. edn. 1726) This day was published the Preliminary Number of the Westminster Magazine, which, monthly, included a section called The English Theatre, which observed generally on the state of the Stage, and commented specifically on new plays. Its view of the stage in general was not as sanguine as had been that of the writer for the Town and Country Magazine (1 April 1772). "We are of opinion, that the English Theatre is now in its decline. Whether it is that the stores of Dramatic Subjects or of Dramatic Genius are exhausted, is not immediately obvious; but there is a fault somewhere....We have seen the Morning star of Wit--the Noon too is past; we have now arriv'd at its evening...There is in Arts, as in Empires, a progress which leads to Refinement; and this refinement leads to Ruin." According to the writer the meridian glory of the English stage was during the reign of Queen Anne. Reviewer damns the Irish Widow, refuses to discuss the Gamesters (revived), damns the Rose and praises the Garrick alteration of Hamlet. This year also appeard Granny's Prediction, a 53-page pamphlet attack on Mrs Barry, condemning her on moral grounds (polygamy) and on aesthetic grounds, commenting on each of her characters. By a spiteful female relative Elizabeth Franchetti.] Receipts: #142 10s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Author's Night. Charges #64 10S. Profit to author #47 16s. (Account Book). [Yet according to note in Account Book for 11 March 1773 the managers gave Mr O'Hara the clear receipts of this night: #112 6s.] Receipts: #112 6s