Newspaper Reviews
Newspapers are one of the most prominent sources for performance reviews. For access to newspapers online, visit the Library's guide to News sources.
Article Databases with Reviews
Databases used for finding scholarly criticism and popular articles also often contain reviews of plays and performances. Below are some of the key databases with review content. Some of them also allow you to pre-limit to reviews as a publication type.
- Performing Arts Periodicals Database This link opens in a new windowArticles and reviews from a broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry - including dance, drama, theater, stagecraft, circus, opera, pantomime, puppetry, magic, performance art, film, television, and more. Former database title: International Index to Performing Arts (IIPA) Full Text.
- Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive (EIMA) This link opens in a new window
EIMA is an historical archive of major trade and consumer magazines in film, television, music, radio, and theater, from their inception to 2000. Includes weekly Variety, Hollywood Reporter, American Cinematographer, Back Stage, Billboard, Broadcasting, Picturegoer, Screen International, Spin, and more. UCLA has access to parts I, II and III of this database.
- Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Full text of current issues (from about 1990) of scholarly journals published by university presses, chiefly in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Browsable by discipline and full-text searchable across all disciplines. UCLA has access to Muse e-books published from 2017-present, plus a selected number of other e-book titles.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full text back issues of core scholarly journals, browsable and searchable across multiple disciplines. Coverage starts with first issue, with moving wall for most recent 3-5 years. UCLA has access to selected JSTOR e-books only. JSTOR also includes primary source collections, including images from Artstor.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowA multidisciplinary database that indexes over 10,000 publications, with the complete text of over 5,500 periodicals, including a mix of peer-reviewed journals, magazines, and newspapers.
- American Periodicals This link opens in a new windowPublished between 1741 and 1900, these periodicals include special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children and women magazines, and many other historically significant periodicals.
- British Periodicals This link opens in a new windowFacsimile page images and searchable full text for nearly 500 British periodicals published from the 17th through the early 20th centuries.
- C19: Nineteenth Century Index This link opens in a new window19th century books, journals, magazines, official documents, newspapers, and archives. Includes The Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, The Wellesley Index, Poole's Index, Palmer's Index to the Times, and Periodicals Index Online.
- Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (H.W. Wilson) This link opens in a new windowProvides indexing of general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America
- Times Literary Supplement Historical Archive, 1902-2019 (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new windowSince 1902, the TLS has scrutinized, applauded and dissected the work of leading writers and thinkers, offering comprehensive coverage of publications in every subject, in several languages, as well as reviewing current theatre, cinema, music, and exhibitions.
- World Shakespeare Bibliography Online This link opens in a new windowRecord of Shakespeare-related scholarship and theatrical productions published or produced worldwide between 1960 and 2009. Contains over 122,867 annotated entries.
Print Indexes and Review Reprints
Despite the amount of review content now available online, many earlier reviews can still be accessed with print indexes and reprint series. See the UCLA Catalog for the full record and any additional campus copies.
- Broadway in the West End: An Index of Reviews of American Theatre in London, 1950-1975Arts Library Reference Z2014.D7S78
- American Literary and Drama Reviews: An Index to Late Nineteenth Century PeriodicalsArts Library Reference PN2256.M37 1984
