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.
UnReel
Wellington
18/12/2023 - 13/10/2024
"Playful, high energy show designed to provoke discussion, outrage, activism, social change..
"‘The House Always Wins’ key take-away in unforgettable production..
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We Wrote This
Wellington
12/12/2023 - 13/12/2023
"‘Thank you whoever you are there in the dark’..
"The premise, that the only consistent thing in life is change, is thoroughly and entertainingly explored..
WAITING FOR WAITING FOR GODOT
Auckland, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Wellington
30/03/2023 - 02/12/2023
"The art of Waiting for Godot..
"Profoundly entertaining. Don’t wait, book now...
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Treasure Island: The Pantomime
Wellington
18/11/2023 - 13/01/2024
"Jthan Morgan ‘unquestionable star’ in Circa’s panto..
"A treasure in itself that families of all persuasions will enjoy..
Naturally Curious
Wellington
14/11/2023 - 25/11/2023
"Piques our curiosity, celebrates diversity and welcomes inclusion..
THE BICYCLE & THE BUTCHER’S DAUGHTER
Palmerston North, Nelson, Wellington
10/09/2020 - 11/11/2023
"The totality is inspiring – not least as a superb example of the ephemeral alchemy of live theatre..
"An entertaining ride across bike-break mountain..
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Robert Lord Diaries
(not a specified venue), Global
23/10/2023 - 31/01/2024
"Informative, evocative and curiously engaging..
It Came From Beyond the Script
Wellington
13/10/2023 - 23/03/2024
"A great exercise in technical improv..
"Tropes of the genre traversed to satisfying effect..
We'll Still Be Friends After This
Wellington
11/10/2023 - 11/10/2023
"Yet again we witness small miracles of interactive creative co-operation..
The Importance of Being Earnest
Wellington
07/10/2023 - 04/11/2023
"Classic play with a contemporary twist..
"Wilde’s deliciously eloquent text delivered with fluency in a refreshing production..
SGCNZ National Shakespeare Schools Production 2023
Wellington
01/10/2023 - 01/10/2023
"A passionate, committed and finally joyful outcome of an intensive creative process..
Fame or Die
Wellington, Christchurch
19/09/2023 - 14/09/2024
"A winning charm in the way Ginge and Minge work with and off each other..
We've Got So Much To Talk About
Wellington, Lyttelton, Auckland
13/09/2023 - 10/12/2023
"Stockwell Outstanding in 'We've Got So Much to Talk About'...
"A unifying exploration of the sensation and circumstance to do with being a mother...
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A Tart on Tour
Auckland, Wellington
14/02/2023 - 16/09/2023
"Recommended to anyone who has ever dealt with rejection and kept going..
"A testament to her skills, resilience and capacity to survive where others have not..
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ONO
Wellington
07/09/2023 - 16/09/2023
"Superbly crafted stories brought to life in riveting performances..
I Want To Be Happy
Auckland, Wellington
18/08/2023 - 30/09/2023
"Leaves its audience very happy at having engaged with another Nightsong treasure..
"A transformative experience, a total delight, undeniably emotionally moving, gut-wrenchingly funny..
The Boy Who Caused 9/11
Wellington
23/08/2023 - 26/08/2023
"Bound to relate to your own experiences, observations and existential musings..
Music to Die For
Wellington
09/08/2023 - 12/08/2023
"A memorable, amusing and sometimes touching life story conjured out of improv..
DIRTY WORK - An Ode to Joy
Auckland, Nelson, Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga, Hamilton, New Plymouth
16/06/2023 - 25/05/2024
"Joy is at the heart of this feel-good comedy and important social critique..
"Sisyphus myth hits home hard yet something doesn’t quite land..
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The Sun and The Wind
Tauranga, Auckland
28/07/2023 - 24/03/2024
"Perfect performances enable audiences to consider the effects of intergenerational trauma..
"Inspired writing, great performances, and totally committed storytelling..
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PRIMA FACIE
Wellington, Hamilton, Palmerston North, Nelson
24/06/2023 - 01/11/2024
"The judicial system masterfully examined and embodied..
"Cracking courtroom tour-de-force mentally and emotionally spellbinding..
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Jim Stanton – Bangwagon
Wellington
23/05/2023 - 27/05/2023
"Like a glittering explosion from a kaleidoscope with cracked and distorting mirrors..
Clarissa Chandrahasen – Flawless
Wellington
23/05/2023 - 27/05/2023
"A lightness of touch and excellent timing compel our smiles and laughter..
