The plan was only continued for ten nights, when the theatre was
closed for the season. In a farewell address, the manager stated that
the experiment, so far as he could judge, had succeeded; during the
ten nights, compared with the ten nights preceding, an addition of
one-third having been made to the number of persons visiting the
theatre. Still, he did not feel justified in pledging himself to
continue the arrangement in future seasons. There was indeed no
further trial of the double-performance system in lieu of half-price.
It is rather curious to find the plan of half-price having any sort
of effect upon dramatic literature, yet we find, in the "Autobiography
of Thomas Dibdin," 1827, the following advice, given him by Lewis, the
stage-manager at Covent Garden, in regard to writing for the stage,
and apropos of Mr. Dibdin's comedy, called "Liberal Opinions":
"MY DEAR TOM,--This will be your first five-act production, and don't
be offended if an old practitioner ventures to offer (from the respect
he bears you) the fruits of his long experience. Half-price is a very
proper privilege for those whose time or pockets do not afford them an
opportunity of visiting the theatre earlier; but it is often the bane
of an author on the first night of a five-act play.
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