Finding Play Reviews

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The first thing you must decide is whether you are looking for a play review or play criticism. Here is the difference:

Play Reviews: A play review is written in reference to a particular production. The content is mostly concerned with introducing the plot and evaluating the quality of the actors, sets, costumes and direction of a specific performance. Its primary purpose is to give the reader enough information to decide if the play is something he/she would like to see. Reviews tend to be very short, usually less than a page.

Theatrical Criticism: Criticism looks at the play in a larger context. Beyond a mere recounting of the play's plot, a critical article explores the subtext and deeper meaning of the play. It may discuss issues of symbolism, character analysis, linguistic styles, and placement within a particular genre. Criticism rarely analyzes a particular performance, but typically focuses on the printed text of the play. These articles usually run between 5-20 pages in length.

Sources for Play Reviews:

New York Theatre Critics' Reviews (1940-1995) PN2000.C93 ECT Oversize collection

Copies of play reviews that appeared in a variety of New York reviewing sources.

New York Times Theater Reviews (1870-1970) PN1581.N4 Main Reference

Full text copies of play reviews that appeared in The New York Time between 1870-1970.

London Theatre Record (1981 to the present) PN2596.L6L65 ETC

Full text copies of play reviews that appeared in British newspapers for major productions in London.

Lexis/Nexis Universe

Lexis/Nexis will locate the full text of reviews that appeared in magazines and newspapers from around the country. This source will only go back to the early 1990's. If you need earlier reviews, use the sources above.

Login instructions for Lexis/Nexis:

o Enter the "General News" file.

o Click on the pull-down icon for "date" and select the relevant range of dates.

o Enter a few specific search words in the keyword box, usually the playwright's name and some words from the title of

the play (example: Stoppard and Arcadia)

o Click on the "search" icon

Sources for Theatrical Criticism:

MLA International Bibliography

This is the primary index for any sort of literary criticism, including theatrical criticism.

Sample search: Enter a KEYWORD search on "Mamet and realism".

Oscar

Dramatic criticism is often published in books (play reviews seldom are), so OSU's online catalog is an excellent place to search for criticism.

Sample search: Enter a WORD search on "Hamlet and Criticism."