[On a performance of Epicene by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Vere Street. Pepys saw Epicene again at the Vere Street theatre on 25 May: he noted that it 'pleased' him (Latham and Matthews, 2.106 ).]

To the office; and after that to dinner, where my brother Tom came and dined with me; and after dinner (leaveing 12d with my servants to buy a cake with at night, this day being kept as Twelfeday) Tom and I and my wife to the Theatre and there saw The Silent Woman, the first time that ever I did see it and it is an excellent play. Among other things here, Kinaston the boy hath the good turn to appear in three shapes: 1, as a poor woman in ordinary clothes to please Morose, then in fine clothes as a gallant, and in them was clearly the prettiest woman in the house -- and lastly, as a man; and then likewise did appear the handsomest man in the house.

(2.7)

[On a performance of Bartholomew Fair by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Vere Strbeet. This is the first record of a performance of the play after the Restoration. The entry for 12 November 1661, below, indicates that the present production omitted the puppet-show in Act V. Pepys saw the play at the Vere Street theatre again on 27 June (Latham and Matthews, 2.127).]

Then to the Cookes with Mr Shaply and Creed and dined together; and then I went to the Theatre and there saw Bartlemew faire, the first time it was acted nowadays. It is most[sic] admirable play and well acted; but too much profane and abusive.

(2.116-17)

[On a performance of Bartholomew Fair by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Vere Street.]

So I having appointed the young ladies at the Wardrobe   to go with them to a play today, I left ⎡William Joyce ⎤ and my brother Tom, who came along with him to dine; and my wife and I to them and took them to the Theatre, where we seated ourselfs close by the King and Madam Palmer (which was great content; and endeed, I can never enough admire her beauty); and here was Barthelmew fayre, with the Puppet Shewe, acted today, which had not been these forty years (it being so satyricall against puritanisme, they durst not till now; which it is strange they should already dare to do it, and the King to countenance it); but I do never a whit like it the better for the puppets, and the rather the worse.

(2.173-4)

[On a performance of Bartholomew Fair by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Vere Street.]

. . . So abroad with Sir W. Pen, my wife and I, to Barthelmew fayre, with puppets (which I have seen before, and the play without puppets often); but though I love the play as much as ever I did, yet I do not like the puppets at all, but think it be a lessening to it. Thence to the Grayhound in Fleetstreete, and there drank some Raspbury Sack and eat some Sasages; and so home very merry.

(2.212)

[On a performance of Epicene by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Bridges Street (the first Drury Lane Theater).]

Thence to W. Joyces, where by appointment I met my wife (but neither of them at home); and she and I to the King's House and saw The Silent Woman; but methought not so well done or good play[sic] as I formerly thought it to be, or else I am nowadays out of humour. Before the play was done, it fell such a storme of Hayle that we in the middle of the pit were fain to rise, and all the house in a disorder; and so my wife and I out and got into a little alehouse and stayed there an hour after the play was done before we could get a coach; which at last we did . . .

(5.165-6)

[On a performance of Bartholomew Fair at the Theatre Royal, Bridges Street.]

Thence to the King's play-house and there saw Bartholomew fayre, which doth still please me and is, as it is acted, the best comedy in the world I believe. I chanced to sit by Thomas Killigrew -- who tells me that he is setting up a Nursery; that is, is going to build a house in Moore fields wherein he shall have common plays acted. But four operas it shall have in the year, to act six weeks at a time -- where we shall have the best Scenes and Machines, the best Musique, and everything as Magnificent as it is in Christendome; and to that end he hath sent for voices and painters and other persons from Italy.

(5.230)

[On a performance of Volpone by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Bridges Street.]

Home to dinner, and thence with my wife to the King's House, there to see Vulpone, a most excellent play -- the best I think I ever saw, and well acted.

(6.10)

[Pepys mentions reading The Devil is an Ass as he travelled down to Deptford on 22 July 1663 (Latham and Matthews, (4.240)). He had a copy of the 1692 edition of Jonson's Works in his library (now no. 2645 in the Pepys Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge).]

To the office, where we sat all the morning, busy. At noon home to dinner and then to my office again, where also busy, very busy, late; and then went home and read a piece of a play (Every Man in his Humour, wherein is the greatest propriety of speech that ever I read in my life; and so to bed.

(8.50-1)

[On a performance of Epicene by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Bridges Street.]

Up, and to the office, where sat all the morning; at noon home to dinner; and thence in haste to carry my wife to see the new play I saw yesterday, she not knowing it. But there, contrary to expectation, find The Silent Woman, however, in; and there Knip came into the pit. I took her by me, and here we met with Mrs. Horsly, the pretty woman, an acquaintance of Mercer's, whose house is burnt.

I never was more taken with a play then I am with this Silent Woman, as old as it is - and as often as I have seen it. There is more wit in it then goes to ten new plays.

(8.168-9)

[On a performance of Bartholomew Fair by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Bridges Street. ]

Up, and met at the office all the morning; and at noon, my wife and Deb and Mercer and W. Hewer to the Fair, and there at the old house did eat a pig, and was pretty merry; but saw no sights, my wife having a mind to see the play, Bartholomew fayre with puppets; which we did, and it is an excellent play; the more I see it, the more I love the wit of it; only, the business of abusing the puritans begins to grow stale, and of no use, they being the people that at last will be found the wisest. And here Knipp came to us and sat with us, and thence took coach in two coaches; and losing one another, my wife and Knipp and I to Hercules-Pillars and there supped, and I did take from her both the words and notes of the song of the Larke, which pleases me mightily.

(p. 299)

[On a performance of Epicene by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal. Mrs Knepp acted the part of Epicene.]

Up, and to the office, where all the morning busy; and so dined with my people at home, and then to the King's playhouse and there saw The Silent Woman; the best comedy, I think, that was ever wrote; and sitting by Shadwell the poet, he was big with admiration of it. Here was my Lord Brouncker and W. Penn and their ladies in the box, being grown mighty kind of a sudden - but God knows, it will last but a little while, I dare swear. Knepp did her part mighty well; and so home straight and to write; and perticularly to my Cosen Roger, who, W Hewers and my wife writes me, doth use them with mighty plenty and noble entertainment.

(9.310)

[On a performance of Catiline by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal. Earlier entries record talk that Catiline is to be put on at the King's House ((Diary, 8.569); that it cannot succeed for want of good actors and in particular because of the insufficiency of Nicholas Burt for the part of Cicero, and that the king is to give the company £500 for costumes, 'there being, as they say, to be sixteen scarlett robes' ( (Diary, 8.575); and that the performance will be held up for some time for want of the clothes the king had promised (( Diary, 9.20). In the month after the performance Pepys reports court gossip about Lady Harvey's fury at being imitated by Mrs Corey in the part of Sempronia; 'for which she got my Lord Chamberlain, her kinsman, to imprison Doll;   which my Lady Castlemayne made the King to release her, and to order her to act it again worse then ever the other day where the King himself was. And, since, it was acted again, and my Lady Harvy provided people to hiss her and fling oranges at her' ( (Diary, 9.415). H & S, (9.241) note that the performance Pepys describes below includes a 'fight' for which there is no warrant in the text. Pepys mentions reading Catiline in a diary entry for 18 December 1664, where he calls it 'a very excellent piece' (Diary, 5.349). He later set Catiline's first soliloquy from the play to music as a recitative (Diary, 5.349n), collected in the Music Edition.]

Up, and to the office, where all the morning; and at noon, eating very little dinner, my wife and I by hackney to the King's playhouse and there, the pit being full, sat in a box above and saw Catelin's Conspiracy - yesterday being the first day - a play of much good sense and words to read, but that doth appear the worst upon the stage, I mean the least divertising, that ever I saw any, though most fine in clothes and a fine Scene of the Senate and of a fight, that ever I saw in my life - but the play is only to be read. And therefore home with no pleasure at all, but only in sitting next to Betty Hall, that did belong to this House and was Sir Ph. Howard's mistress; a mighty pretty wench, though my wife will not think so, and I dare neither commend nor be seen to look upon her or any other now, for fear of offending her.

(9.395-6)

[On a performance of The Alchemist by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal. Walter Clun, a leading actor of the King's Company, had been murdered after appearing in The Alchemist, on 2 August 1664; Pepys had recorded the fact in his diary for 4 August 1664, noting that his performance as Subtle 'was one of his best parts that he acts' (Diary, 5.232). Pepys records seeing two performances of the play at the Vere Street theatre in 1661 (22 June and 14 August). On 22 June he called it 'a most incomparable play' (Diary, 2.125) .]

... At noon home to dinner, and there find Mr. Pierce the surgeon, and he dined with us; and there hearing that the Alchymist was acted, we did go and took him with us, at the King's House; and is still a good play, it having not been acted for two or three years before; but I do miss Clun for the Doctor - but more, my eyes will not let me enjoy the pleasure I used to have in a play. Thence with my wife in hackney to Sir W. Coventry's .... (9.522-3)