ABSTRACT
In London, unlicensed theatres turned to presenting musical entertainments or developing novelty shows which eventually gave birth to the circus. Of even more interest to audiences were the large-scale musical entertainments frequently offered as afterpieces. The most detailed information about musicians employed by the theatre companies derives from the account books of Tate Wilkinson. From the late 1760s, Joseph Austin and Charles Edward Whitlock took over the Bigg Market theatre, with Wilkinson's company now and again putting on a Race or Assize Week season. Austin and Whitlock's company in the 1770s and 1780s, and Stephen Kemble's in the 1790s, presented a much more up-to-date repertoire. In Newcastle, Kemble issued posters twice the normal size for his productions of the Ode around the region, in order to accommodate all the details of the procession. On at least one occasion, Kemble cut the Ode down still further to form an interlude, consisting apparently of the procession alone.
