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.
Public Service Announcements STRANGER POLITICS
Wellington
12/09/2017 - 16/09/2017
"Offers light relief from the general election..
"Levity to alleviate the intensity..
ANAHERA
Wellington
09/09/2017 - 07/10/2017
"Inescapable truths honoured with compelling integrity..
THE NIGHT MECHANICS
Hamilton, Wellington
30/08/2017 - 13/12/2018
"Interesting moral dilemmas not deeply explored..
"Tackles thorny issue of water rights..
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THE PICKLE KING
Napier, Gisborne, Whangarei, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch, Dunedin, Auckland, Wellington
04/05/2017 - 09/09/2017
"A bright beacon of excellence..
"Well Preserved..
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IN THE WARS
Wellington
16/08/2017 - 26/08/2017
"Innovative In The Wars captivating..
"Deeply insightful, profoundly humane and not to be missed..
M’LADY
Wellington
11/08/2017 - 19/08/2017
"Offbeat approach highly entertaining..
"A poignant, even affectionate, exposé of male vulnerability..
THE SWIMMER
Wellington
08/08/2017 - 12/08/2017
"Lacks buoyancy..
A DOLL'S HOUSE
Dunedin, Nelson, Hamilton, Wellington
05/08/2017 - 14/09/2019
"Architecture of Happiness..
"A stunning contemporary interpretation..
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ONE NIGHT ONLY
Wellington
14/07/2017 - 29/07/2017
"Richly wrought..
"Tensions and histrionics imaginatively staged..
MATA & THE MYSTERIOUS MUSICAL MAUNGA
Wellington
25/03/2017 - 22/07/2017
"Richly rewarding..
"Relevant, funny, musical, speaks to the soul, inspiring..
LITTLE KOWHAI TREE
Wellington
11/07/2017 - 15/07/2017
"Educates, entrances and delights..
DESTINATION BEEHIVE: 2017
Wellington
08/07/2017 - 05/08/2017
"Quality topical comedy – Must See!..
"Slick and Hilarious..
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THE LITTLE DUCKLING
Wellington
08/07/2017 - 22/07/2017
"A folk tale for our times..
THE CREAMERY
Hamilton, Nelson, Havelock North, Wellington, Tauranga
05/07/2017 - 03/03/2019
"A Romeo and Juliet of Cheesemakers..
"Rich with conflict and all things messy..
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WEED
Wellington
01/07/2017 - 29/07/2017
"Timely revival of classic play..
"A must for a great night’s entertainment..
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THE MOONCAKE AND THE KŪMARA
Oamaru, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Nelson, Auckland
08/10/2015 - 08/07/2017
"Pertinent then and now..
"Fluid, powerful and thought provoking..
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THE MAIDS
Wellington
20/06/2017 - 24/06/2017
"Astutely rendered..
LARGER THAN LIFE an adventure of epic proportions
Palmerston North, Wellington, Auckland
08/06/2017 - 01/07/2017
"A real trip down memory lane..
"Hilarious and poignant cultural, historical and socio-political reverie..
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RIVERSIDE KINGS
Wellington
13/06/2017 - 17/06/2017
"A cleverly boxed story..
BLACK CONFETTI
Wellington
10/06/2017 - 21/06/2017
"Wholehearted commitment brings experiential pleasures..
FRIDAY'S FLOCK
Feilding, Wellington
17/11/2016 - 10/06/2017
"Rich fusion fare..
"A resonating and memorable experience..
SOME KIND OF LOVE
Wellington
07/06/2017 - 10/06/2017
"Takes itself too seriously?..
TIKI TAANE MAHUTA 2017
Napier, Tauranga, Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin
22/05/2017 - 16/06/2017
"Immensely powerful..
"A rich evocation..
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