Review Archive
John Smythe has trained and worked professionally in New Zealand, Australia then back in New Zealand as a playwright, director, screenwriter (& screenwriting teacher), actor, theatre critic and book writer.
His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Dramatic Art from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney) and a Certificate in Screenwriting from the Australian Film Television and Radio School. He has also completed honours papers and a range of script writing courses.
Theatre directing credits in Australia include plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, and Gorki, and world premieres of plays by himself, Len Radic, David Williamson, Louis Esson, Katharine Susannah Prichard, Jack Hibberd and David O’Brien. Back in NZ he directed his own trilogy of short plays – ENTRANCING EXITS: Ms Conception; Nothing Twisted; Used Heads, at Bats Theatre, Wellington International Festival of the Arts; Faulty (sic) Towers & Blackadder’s Banquet at the Museum Hotel.
Playwright credits include Entrancing Exits (BATS Theatre), Conundra (Ensemble Productions), Swaggy Mack and his Magic Back Track (Arena Theatre), The Seven Stages of Hugh Mann (Melbourne University Theatre), Party Games (Jane St Theatre; La Mama) and Making A Play (Melbourne Theatre Company; Central Theatre), Where There’s a Will (BATS Theatre). Unproduced plays include Thelma, Weather and The Virtues of Reality.
John has also written The Peace Monster (Vintage, 1991); Downstage Upfront: the first 40 years of New Zealand’s longest-running professional theatre (Victoria University Press, November 2004) and The Plays of Bruce Mason – a survey (VUP & Playmarket, November 2015).
Amid a wide range of acting roles on stage, television and film, John has played Polonius and the Gravedigger in Hamlet twice (2006 and 2011). In 2012 and with Arts On Tour NZ in 2013 he played James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Carl Jung in Jan Bolwell’s Dancing in the Wake. In 2015 he played Barry Scanlan in his own play, Where There’s a Will, at BATS Theatre. (Since 2000 he has also played Birdboot in an annual VUW English Dept reading of Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound.)
Before becoming the founding Managing Editor of Theatreview.org.nz in 2006, John was a theatre critic for The Melbourne Times, The Australian, Theatre Australia Magazine, The National Business Review.
Welcome to the review archive.
Theatre and dance reviews since 2006.
The King In Yellow
Wellington
11/12/2024 - 14/12/2024
"Lots to work on in the process of bringing it to next year’s Fringe..
High School (The Improvised) Musical
Wellington
19/11/2024 - 23/11/2024
"Well-tuned with a flair for spontaneous creativity..
Sleeping Beauty: The Pantomime
Wellington
16/11/2024 - 11/01/2025
"Sleeping Beauty brings time warps and twists..
"Brings a fresh approach to an age-old and much-loved tradition..
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Pop-up Globe
Auckland, Wellington
22/10/2024 - 16/11/2024
"‘Boisterous enthusiasm’: Pop-up Globe’s crowd-pleasing A Midsummer Night's Dream..
"Gives our attentiveness, empathy and imaginations free rein..
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The Tempestuous
Auckland, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington
13/06/2023 - 01/12/2024
"Ashton conjures a tale that’s as salutary as it is richly entertaining..
"Phenomenal energy, vivacity, versatility, inventiveness and humour..
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The Kingdom of Bling
Auckland, Wellington
22/10/2024 - 22/10/2024
"A salutary and timely folk tale plus random fandom..
"A truly original experience hosted by a great entertainer..
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DAWN RAIDS
Auckland, Wellington
18/08/2022 - 24/10/2024
"The impact of the Dawn Raids, laid bare through lives of one Pasifika family..
"A classic that needs to be seen by every generation of New Zealanders..
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Before We Slip Beneath the Sea
Wellington
12/10/2024 - 20/10/2024
"An absorbing and salutary experience..
Meet the Filipinos
Wellington
11/10/2024 - 11/10/2024
"A refreshing boost of creative energy..
There Used to Be Magic, Once
Wellington
10/10/2024 - 10/10/2024
"Improv meets TTRPG..
"Just gives us the concept of a plan for performance..
All Aboard!
Wellington
08/10/2024 - 08/10/2024
"The creative alchemy of improv is alive and pumping at BATS..
and the Lochburns
Wellington
05/10/2024 - 02/11/2024
"Hambleton outstanding as declining concert pianist..
"Stylistically exciting and refreshing..
Between Friends
Wellington
04/10/2024 - 04/10/2024
"A splendid appetiser to the feast of Improv Festival fare to come..
Disaster
Wellington
02/10/2024 - 06/10/2024
"Is it profound or just a game? Either way it’s absorbing...
Tangihanga
Wellington, Rotorua, Whangarei, Auckland, Hastings
28/08/2024 - 25/10/2024
"With thirty plus characters, Neho’s transitions are seamless making this a must-see performance. ..
"Caricatures germinated from kernels of truth that shine from within..
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The Body Politic
Wellington
24/08/2024 - 21/09/2024
"Those bells do toll – and they toll for us all..
HAMLET: One Hour
Wellington
21/08/2024 - 25/08/2024
"May well achieve its avowed objectives as the season progresses..
Leave 'em Laughing
Wellington
27/07/2024 - 17/08/2024
"Entertaining mix of solo-singing and storytelling..
"Relatable, heart-warming and hilarious..
Sense and Sensibility
Wellington
06/07/2024 - 03/08/2024
"Skilful social satire entertains at multiple levels..
Heartbreak Hotel
Hastings, Wellington
26/10/2023 - 23/06/2024
"Heartbreak captivatingly explored with humanity, humour and songs..
"Nuanced and powerful; hilarious, heartwarming and moving. You won’t leave heartbroken ..
FWB: Friends With Boundaries
Wellington
11/06/2024 - 15/06/2024
"A revelatory snapshot of midlife desires, disappointments and delight..
Puka
Wellington
21/05/2024 - 25/05/2024
"Throwaway lines have the impact of comedic depth charges ..
Transmission: Beta
Wellington
18/05/2024 - 15/06/2024
"Living inside history: a chic and powerful success..
"Play offers window into unprocessed pandemic memories..
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