Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 16. Whether this is the premiere is not known. A song, Amintas that true-hearted swain, with music by John Bannister, is in Choice Ayres, Songs, and Dialogues, 2d. Ed., 1675. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 34: The Jealous Bridegroom, Wrote by Mrs Bhen, a good Play and lasted six Days; but this made its Exit too, to give Room for a greater. The Tempest. Note, In this Play, Mr Otway the Poet having an Inclination to turn Actor; Mrs Bhen gave him the King in the Play, for a Probation Part, but he being not us'd to the Stage; the full House put him to such a Sweat and Tremendous, Agony, being dash't, spoilt him for an Actor

Event Comment: The Duke's Theatre. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", pp. 12, 16

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard, but the entry does not specify the day. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 16. The play was not published until 1706, and the cast in an edition of that year represents one for performances nearer the date of publication. There is no indication of the date of the premiere

Event Comment: [The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", pp. 16-17. This performance may have been the premiere. Shadwell, in his Preface, implies that it was acted six days. As Saturday was a day frequently chosen for a first showing and as the play was certainly given again on 14 Dec. 1670, the sequence of performaces which follow in this Calendar is based on the assumption that Saturday 10 Dec. 1670 was the first day, Wednesday 14 Dec. 1670 the fourth day of acting. The Preface: This Play...came upon the Stage with all the disadvantages imaginable: First, I was forced, after I had finish'd it, to blot out the main design of it; finding, that, contrary to my intention, it had given offence. The second disadvantage was, that notwithstanding I had (to the great prejudice of the Play) given satisfaction to all the exceptions made against it, it met with the clamorous opposition of a numerous party, bandied against it, and resolved, as much as they could, to damn it, right or wrong, before they had heard or seen a word on't. The last, and not the least, was, that the Actors (though since they have done me some right) at first were extreamly imperfect in the Action of it.... This of mine, after all these blows, had fall'n beyond Redemption, had it not been revived, after the second day, by her [Mrs Johnson's (?)] kindness (which I can never enough acknowledge) who, for four days together, beautified it with the most excellent Dancings that ever has been seen upon the Stage. This drew my enemies, as well as friends, till it was something better acted, understood, and liked, than at first

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 17

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 17

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", pp. 17-18: The Schoole of Complements

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 18. It should be noted that this performance falls on a Friday in Lent; there is no indication as to whether this is the premiere

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 18: The New Utopia. There is no indication as to whether this performance was the premiere. The Preface refers to malice against the plays, and the edition of 1671 has a poem: To the Author of the New Utopia. On the Miscarriage of his Play in Acting

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage", p. 17. There is no indication as to whether this is the premiere. The play was licensed 6 March 1670 [1671]. Downes (Roscius Anglicanus, p. 27) refers to it as being the first "new Play" acted at Dorset Garden in 1666, an error as to both place and time of presentation. Downes adds: All the other Parts, being perfectly well Acted, Succeeded six Days with a full Audience. It seems unlikely that Cambyses was given six days consecutively at this time. A performance of The Forc'd Marriage on Monday 9 Jan. 1670@1 and one of The Humorists on Saturday 14 Jan. 1670@1 do not permit six uninterrupted days for Cambyses at this time

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, "Plays on the English Stage," p. 18: Love in a Tubb. Downes, Roscius Anglicanus, p. 32: [After Sir Martin Marall] Next was Acted Love in a Tub, it was perform'd 2 Days together to a full Audience

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This play is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 2. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 347. It is uncertain, however, just when this performance occurred. The L. C. lists at Harvard (see VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19) suggest that the three performances at the head of this list belong to the spring of 1672 rather than the spring of 1671. If this is correct, this performance of Sir Solomon is out of place in the list, for it can hardly be placed at 14 Nov. 1672, yet it is surprising that, so soon after the opening of dg, the Duke's Company should act at court, especially when the King and Queen attended dg on the following day, 15 Nov. 1671. This performance of Sir Solomon should be judged as an uncertain one

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard: the King and Queen &c Two Boxes. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage," p. 18. See also Tuesday 14 Nov. 1671

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 18. British Museum Add. Mss. 36916, folio 233: 18 Nov. 1671: The new playhouse in Salisbury Court opened on the 9th instant, since which his Majesty hath been often there, and likes it so well that he hath given the players #1000 towards the building of it

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard: The Villain. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, pp. 18-19

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 19

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, pp. 12, 19

Event Comment: Thomas Isham, Diary: It is reported that Harris has killed his associate actor, in a scene on the stage, by accident. It was the tragedy called Macbeth, in which Harris performed the part of Macduff, and ought to have slain his fellow-actor, Macbeth; but during the fence it happened that Macduff pierced Macbeth in the eye, by which thrust he fell lifeless, and could not bring out the last words of his part, 'Farewell vane world, and farewell, which is worse, ambition' (Walter Rye, The Journal of Thomas Isham of Lamport [1875], p. 102). VanLennep--See 9 Aug. 1673--doubts that Cademan ever played Macbeth and thinks that Downes's version is the more probable. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, pp. 367-68

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. lists at Harvard. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 12

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 216, the original being in the Harvard Theatre Collection. See VanLennep, Plays on the English Stage, p. 12, and Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 348

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Nell Gwyn attended a performance of this play in September or October. See VanLennep, Nell Gwyn's Playgoing, p. 406

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. Nell Gwyn attended this performance. See VanLennep, Nell Gwyn's Playgoing, p. 406. There is no certainty that this performance is the premiere, but the fact that it was entered in the Stationers' Register, 29 Nov. 1674, suggests that it was probably first produced in the autumn

Event Comment: The Duke's Company. This performance is on the L. C. list, 5@141, p. 216: K: & Q:. See also Nicoll, Restoration Drama, p. 348. Nell Gwyn also attended this performance. See VanLennep, Nell Gwyn's Playgoing, p. 406. BM Add. Mss. 27, 962v, f. 312 (a transcript of a newsletter by Salvetti), 14 Dec. 1674 (translation): On last Wednesday all the royal family were present at the theatre to hear the tragedy of Hamlet, which, for their greater entertainment, was adorned and embellished with very curious dances between the acts. [I am indebted to Professor George Hilton Jones, Kansas State University, for this item.