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 WORKS and THE LANDEATERS
Wellington
18/01/2017 - 29/01/2017
"The epitome of performance art..
"Inspired works tug at our collective conscience..
THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE SINGS
Wellington
14/12/2016 - 17/12/2016
"Unpretentious charm and high quality..
SMELLS LIKE XMAS
Wellington
13/12/2016 - 17/12/2016
"Offers whiffs of Christmas’s various, sometimes nefarious, aromas..
TALOFA PAPA
Porirua, Wellington, Hamilton
03/12/2016 - 02/03/2024
"Connection made despite separation and absence..
"Generous inclusiveness..
More reviews
WINE LIPS
Wellington, Global
30/11/2016 - 31/05/2020
"Edgy, funny, insightful, fascinating and ultimately touching..
"Cheeky start, complex potency, satisfying aftertaste..
STAND UP LOVE
Wellington
30/11/2016 - 10/12/2016
"The abiding questions of ‘love’ explored..
SCARLET & GOLD
Wellington
25/11/2016 - 22/12/2016
"An intimate epic..
"Timely, relevant, engaging, entertaining and thought-provoking..
MAGICIANS OF WELLINGTON
Wellington
24/11/2016 - 26/11/2016
"Top drawer lo-fi trickery..
HUDSON & HALLS LIVE!
Auckland, Wellington, Kerikeri, Wanaka, New Plymouth, Christchurch, Dunedin
05/11/2015 - 16/12/2017
"Comedy great Christmas fare..
"Utterly captivating..
More reviews
THE RIME OF THE MODERN MARINER
Wellington
10/11/2016 - 26/11/2016
"Clever craft elements diluted by structural flaws..
THE PRESIDENT
Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Auckland
26/10/2016 - 12/11/2016
"The Future is Now..
"Funny, clever, depressing..
More reviews
INVADERS FROM MARS
Wellington
27/10/2016 - 05/11/2016
"Has yet to stand up and command respect..
FRED IS COLD
Wellington
25/10/2016 - 29/10/2016
"Memorable production elements but leaves many questions unanswered..
LUNGS
Wellington
22/10/2016 - 19/11/2016
"Unique and intriguing..
"Engaging, exciting, entertaining and vital..
SHORT+SWEET Wellington 2016
Wellington
19/10/2016 - 22/10/2016
"Intriguing range of styles, topics and themes..
CENTRAL
Wellington
15/10/2016 - 12/11/2016
"Thought-provoking theatre..
"Well-matured, vintage Armstrong..
DEATH COMES TO US ALL
Wellington
07/10/2016 - 07/10/2016
"An ingenious premise skilfully developed..
THE TROJAN WOMEN
Wellington
05/10/2016 - 09/10/2016
"Compellingly immediate..
WHEN WE DEAD AWAKEN
Wellington, Palmerston North, Dunedin
19/02/2016 - 01/10/2016
"A rarefied atmosphere of psychological and metaphysical intrigue..
"Passion and commitment..
More reviews
THE GRASS IS MEANER
Wellington
13/09/2016 - 24/09/2016
"Could be even more thrilling and blackly comedic..
LAST LEGS
Wellington, Dunedin
10/09/2016 - 27/05/2017
"Hall again puts spotlight on later years..
"New-minted jokes to make us smile and sometimes a real revelation..
More reviews
HOLD ME
Wellington
06/09/2016 - 10/09/2016
"A surreal and fascinating look at relationships..
"Enigmatic and intriguing..
ORPHANS
Wellington
30/08/2016 - 03/09/2016
"A powerful and deep-felt experience..
