665 
PLAYHOUSE. 
No fooner were' dramatic performances permitted at 
two theatres, than the manager of the weaker company 
was obliged to have recourfe to foreign aid, and to 
oppofe his antagonift with other weapons than the merits 
of his aftors, or the excellence of the pieces reprefented 
by them. The performers who were under Mr. Rich’s 
direftion were fo much inferior to thofe at Drury-lane, 
that the latter carried away all the applaufe and favour 
of the town. In this diltrefs, the genius of the new 
manager fuggefted to .him a fpecies of entertainment, 
which has always been confidered as contemptible, but 
which has ever been followed and encouraged. Panto¬ 
mimes were now brought forward ; and, as found and 
fhow had in the laft century obtained a victory overfenfe 
and reafon, the fame event would have followed again, 
if the company at Drury-lane had not, from the experi¬ 
ence of part times, thought if advifable to adopt the fame 
meafures. The fertility of Mr. Rich’s invention in thefe 
exotic entertainments, and the excellence of his own per¬ 
formance in them, muft be ever acknowledged. The 
pantomime is indeed an exhibition of very great anti¬ 
quity ; (fee vol. xviii. p. 345, 6.) The firft we read of 
in England was produced at Drury-lane in 1702, in an 
entertainment called the “ Tavern Bilkers.” It lingered 
only five nights. Its author, however, (Weaver, a 
dancing-mafter at Shrewfbury,) brought out another in 
1716, called the “ Loves of Mars and Venus,” which met 
with great fuccefs. On this occafion Steele wrote the 
following lines on the back of one of the playbills at 
Button’s coffee-houfe: 
Weaver, corrupter of this prefent age, 
Who firrt taught filent fins upon the ftage. 
In the year 1720, a new playhoufe was erefted in the 
Haymarket, over-againft the opera-houfe, by one Potter, 
a carpenter. Potter had no patent, nor did he appear 
to have expefted a licence. The ground of {peculation 
-(if any) upon which he might have depended, was the 
chance of letting the houfe to the French players. On 
fome occafions we find a French play tolerated at the 
patent theatres, and generally once in a feafon a benefit 
for the French players; but we believe the opening of 
this theatre was the firft attempt to form a permanent 
company for afting regularly pieces in that language, 
and which afterwards met with a iignal and abfolute 
defeat within the fame walls. 
The announcement of the opening of the houfe ap¬ 
peared in a daily paper of Dec. 15, 1720, as follows: 
“ At the New Theatre in the Haymarket (between 
Little Suffolk-ftreet and James-ftreet), which is now com¬ 
pletely finilhed, will be a fled French Comedies, as foon 
as the reft of the aftors arrive from Paris, who are daily 
expefted.” 
The firrt performance was thus advertifed: “Never 
acted before. By the Company of French Comedians. 
At the New Theatre, over again ft the Opera-houfe, in 
the Haymarket, this prefent Thurfday, being the 29th 
day of December, will be prefented for the firft time a 
new Comedy, called La Fille a la mode; ou le Badaut de 
Paris. The Pit and Boxes to be put together ; and no 
perfon to be admitted without tickets, which will be 
delivered out this day at Mr. Slaughter’s Coffee-houfe in 
St. Martin’s-lane, and at the above Theatre, at 5s. each. 
With a new Prologue, and feveral Entertainments of 
Dancing. Gallery ss. To begin at Six o’Clock. On 
Jan. 2, 1721, the prices were fixed : Boxes 4s. Pit 2s. fid. 
Gall. is.6d. During part of the following feafon, 1721-2, 
the bills announced : “ By his Grace the Duke of Mon¬ 
tague’s Company of French Comedians.” 
This theatre w 3 s not occupied by an Englifli Com¬ 
pany until near three years after it was built; and a new 
play then was introduced to the public, on the night of 
the firft opening for the feafon, by a ftill greater novelty, 
an entire new company. “ On Thurfday, Dec. 12, 1723, 
(lays the Univerfal Journal,) a new playhoufe was opened 
Vol. XX. No. 1399. 
in the Haymarket. The company, we are informed, 
confifts of perfons who never appeared in public before, 
The firft play they entertained the town with was a Co¬ 
medy, intituled, The Female Fop, or the falfe one fitted.” 
At firft the bills were printed without the names of the 
aftors, but they were afterwards inferted. 
In 1724 we find the French Comedians there again, 
who announced “ No perfon to be admitted into the 
boxes but by printed tickets, which will be delivered at 
the door.” 
On April 11, 1726, “The Company of Italian Come¬ 
dians, juft arrived,” commenced performing by fubfcrip- 
tion; and, as the feafon advanced, Signora Violante with 
rope-dancers and tumblers alfo performed, and conti¬ 
nued there during the following feafon, and again in 
1732, when the boxes were raifed to 5s. pit 3s. gallery 2s. 
Oft. 9, 1738, the “French players” appeared again, 
but were completely hifled off, and driven away. See 
Viftor, vol. i. p. 53. and Gent. Mag. 1738. p. 532. 
Previous to and after that time, the Little Theatre in 
the Haymarket was occupied by various perfons, as oc¬ 
cafion offered ; till at length, in the year 1747, it came 
into the hands of Mr. Foote; and in 1766 it was ad¬ 
vanced to the dignity of a theatre royal; a patent being 
then made out to Mr. Foote authorizing him to exhibit dra¬ 
matic performances, &c. from the 14th day of May to the 
14th day of September, during his life. On this grant being 
parted, he purchafed the old playhoufe of the executors of 
Potter, which he very much enlarged and improved, indeed 
nearly rebuilt. The infide was decorated after the Chi- 
nefe ftyle. Previous to this period there was only one 
gallery, and a fingle entrance for the front of the houfe 
and to the ftage. Two (hops in front were removed, the 
portico built, and feparate entrances made to the audience 
art of the houfe, for the convenience of the public. A 
oufe in Suffolk-ftreet was alfo taken in for the purpofe 
of enlarging the ftage, and formed a new entrance thereto; 
and the whole, when finiflied, was a compaft, neat, and 
convenient, if not an elegant, Theatre. Mr. Foote opened 
it, in May 1767, with an appropriate prologue or prelude ; 
and from that period he very fuccefsfully managed it 
until the year 1777, when he transferred the whole of his 
right and property to the late George Colman, efq. for a 
life-annuity of ifiool. but Foote died the fame year. See 
vol. vii. p. 549. A ihort defcription of this theatre, as 
built by Foote, will be feen under the article London, 
vol.xiii. p. 570. referring alfo to the account of a dread¬ 
ful accident that occurred there in 1794. This theatre 
clofed on the 14th of Oftober, 1820; and the prefent one 
was erefted at a diftance of about fix or feven feet from 
the old foundation. It opened on the 4th of July, 1821. 
The number of theatres in London was increafed, in the 
year 1729, by the addition of one in Goodman’s Fields, 
which met with great oppofition from many refpeftable 
merchants and grave citizens, who apprehended much 
mifchief from the introduftion of thefe kinds of diverfions 
fo near to their own habitations. Some of the clergy alfo 
took the alarm, and preached with vehemence again ft it. 
Mr. Odell, however, the proprietor, was not deterred 
from purfuing his defign; he completed the building, and, 
having collefted a company, began to perform in it. It 
is afl'erted, that for fome time he got not lei's than iool. 
a-week by this undertaking ; but, the clamour again!!: it 
continuing, he was obliged to abandon the future profe- 
cution of his fcheme 5 by which means he fuftained a 
confiderable lofs. 
The ill fortune of Mr. Odell had not extinguiftied the 
expeftations of another Ichemer, Mr. William Giffard, 
who folicited and obtained a fubfcription for building a 
magnificent playhoufe in that part of the town ; and, in 
fpite of all oppofition, opened, on the fecond day of Ofto¬ 
ber, 1732, “ the new theatre in Goodman’s Fields, with the 
play of Henry IV. In a large oval over the pit, is painted 
the figure of his majefty, attended by Peace, Liberty, and 
Juftice, trampling Tyranny and Oppreflion under his 
8 G feet: 
