Review Archive
Jonathan Kingston-Smith has been involved peripherally on the theatre scene for a couple of decades. He studied playwriting at the University of Canterbury (along with English, Linguistics, Psychology and Philosophy – all of which resulted curiously in a Bachelor of Science degree).
His primary gig is the construction of props and masks for various productions (he has clocked up at least two ‘Midsummer Night’s Dreams’) as well as short films, adverts and a music video. He has added several non-speaking roles to his not over-stuffed acting resume – variously appearing as a zombie, a feral vampire and a creepy mute Butler.
He reads a lot, listens to a great deal of music and spends entirely too much time pacing and drinking herbal tea. His passions beyond theatre include cult B-movies and outsider craft art.
Occasionally he writes…
Welcome to the review archive.
Theatre and dance reviews since 2006.
ANOTHER MAMMAL
Wellington
08/05/2021 - 29/05/2021
"Rich with ideas and depth - a powerful, strange tale..
"A bold, intelligent, fierce, funny triumph..
THEM FATALE
Wellington
17/03/2021 - 20/03/2021
"Unique, bawdy, wonderfully humane and consistently captivating..
HABBUK
Wellington
12/03/2021 - 17/03/2021
"Love story shines through despite the bleakness..
"Bold, bewildering, beguiling and beautiful..
TOO MANY DEAD PEOPLE
Wellington
07/03/2021 - 10/03/2021
"A hot mess..
HAPPY-GO-WRONG
Wellington
12/03/2020 - 14/03/2020
"Challenging and charming; confronting, confounding and captivating..
TRANSHUMANCE
Wellington
08/03/2020 - 21/02/2025
"Delicate yet muscular..
"Human, humane and exquisite..
POE'D
Wellington
28/02/2020 - 09/10/2020
"Highly entertaining and satisfying narrative improvisation..
"Macabre made mischievous, whimsical and often hilarious..
LOVIN’ IT
Wellington
15/08/2019 - 24/08/2019
"Consistently engaging search for meaning in the muddle..
LOVECRAFTED!
Wellington
16/03/2019 - 20/03/2019
"Nervy energy infectious and entertaining..
2 RUBY KNOCKERS, 1 JADED DICK: A Dirk Darrow Investigation
Wellington
12/03/2019 - 16/03/2019
"From slightly scattershot to complex and engaging – Dirk Darrow Delivers..
BANGING CYMBAL CLANGING GONG
Wellington, Auckland, Havelock North
26/08/2014 - 24/09/2016
"Off Beat..
"Touches the bleeding Barbarian heart..
More reviews
ATTACK OF THE KILLER B-MOVIE
Wellington, Palmerston North
16/02/2016 - 13/10/2018
"Commendable in its inclusivity..
"A heaped helping of cheesy retro cinema goodness..
LYSISTRATA
Wellington
22/05/2015 - 06/06/2015
"A freewheeling, anarchic Lysistrata goes on far too long..
"A savage, explosively entertaining whip-crack of a play..
LOOSE: A Private History of Booze and Iggy Pop 1996-2015
Dunedin, Wellington, Palmerston North
11/03/2015 - 05/11/2016
"Hilarious, gloomy, nostalgic and surprisingly existential..
"Funny, clever and engaging..
SYLVESTRO'S SPOOKY CABARET BURLESQUE
Wellington
31/10/2014 - 31/10/2014
"Bawdiness, tawdriness, mayhem and madness – in the library..
THE GOOD GOD SINGALONG
Wellington
30/10/2014 - 30/10/2014
"A bawdy, irreverent hour..
