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.
STILL LIFE WITH CHICKENS
Dunedin, Wellington, Palmerston North, Auckland, Napier
07/04/2018 - 13/09/2020
"A simple slice-of-life story told well..
"A charming story not afraid to confront difficult themes..
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Laura Daniel X Joseph Moore TWO HEARTS: RESTART THE HEARTS
Wellington
01/05/2018 - 05/05/2018
"A defibrillator for any jaded Festival punter..
Aunty Donna GLENNRIDGE SECONDARY COLLEGE
Wellington
02/05/2018 - 05/05/2018
"Mixes wacky theatrics, social commentary and psychological insight with extraordinary flair..
Jamie Bowen: IT HAPPENED THEN, NOW
Wellington
01/05/2018 - 05/05/2018
"An unusual, amiable, philosophical hour..
Hayley Sproull in JUST A PHASE
Wellington
01/05/2018 - 05/05/2018
"We laugh, cringe, laugh, gasp, laugh .....
A TIME LIKE THIS
Wellington
24/04/2018 - 28/04/2018
"Novel approach results in one-dimensional play..
"Not dramatically engaging..
COLOUR ME CECILY
Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch
24/04/2018 - 21/04/2023
"A charming, light-hearted play..
"Unashamedly a throwback – a committed gem..
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The Messy Magic Adventure: KITCHEN CHAOS!
Wellington, New Plymouth
17/04/2018 - 07/07/2020
"Gleefully played physical slapstick..
"Riveting, delightful, exciting and highly amusing..
SEVEN DEADLY STUNTS
Dunedin, Wellington, Invercargill, Wanaka
17/04/2018 - 10/11/2018
"Great stuff for a small community..
"Funny, scary, silly, saucy fun..
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THE ODYSSEY
Wellington
24/03/2018 - 25/03/2018
"Great fun..
THE BALLAD OF FRANK ALLEN
Wellington
22/03/2018 - 29/03/2018
"Clever performers but .....
AT THE WAKE
Wellington
21/03/2018 - 31/03/2018
"A brilliant execution of an incredibly insightful and original play..
"A dynamic fusion of light and dark, drama and humour..
STUPID BITCH
Dunedin, Wellington
09/03/2018 - 24/03/2018
"An invitation and a provocation..
"Skilled, new and fresh..
THE RACE
Wellington
19/03/2018 - 21/03/2018
"Light-hearted, wholehearted, profound..
SWITZERLAND
Wellington
17/03/2018 - 14/04/2018
"Tale of the Talented Ms Highsmith brought to life in entertaining fashion..
"Extraordinary richness, wit and slivers of menace..
RAMSHACKLE & KITSCH
Wellington
18/03/2018 - 21/03/2018
"A bit of a muddle, this time..
Blood Relative
Dunedin, Wellington
08/03/2018 - 18/03/2018
"A rewarding quest for family..
"Wry, warm, wise and humorous..
US/THEM
Wellington
16/03/2018 - 18/03/2018
"An amazing piece of theatre about appalling events..
"A unique perspective..
KNEE DEEP
Nelson, Tauranga, Havelock North, Wellington, Dunedin
19/10/2013 - 23/09/2018
"Drawn deeply in by immense skill and dedication..
"Spectacle and intimacy as perfectly balanced as the artists..
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FLIPPIN' NORAH!
Wellington
14/03/2018 - 16/03/2018
"A good idea in search of a playwright..
GIRL YOU WANT
Wellington, Auckland
22/03/2016 - 11/03/2018
"Leaves us wanting..
"Open-hearted, frank, captivating and highly entertaining..
À Ố LÀNG PHỐ
Wellington
08/03/2018 - 11/03/2018
"Entrancing interplay of village and city..
HOME
Wellington
07/03/2018 - 11/03/2018
"An extraordinary all-encompassing visual essay..
