Review Archive
John C Ross is a retired senior lecturer in English literature ex-Massey University, Palmerston North, and remains an honorary research fellow, writing stuff. Born in Wellington, he caught the theatre-going and amateur acting bug there, mainly while a student at Victoria University.
In 1965 he took a ship to England for one year’s OE, and came back eight years later to the Massey job. In the years in between he acquired a Ph D in English from Birkbeck College, University of London, studying Restoration comedy, and spent about four-and-a-half years as a literature tutor at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, Sidcup, Kent, plus plenty of travelling-around, tramping, and theatre-going.
Since 1974, John has directed or acted in quite a few plays with Massey Drama Society and Manawatu Theatre Society, and helped front-of-house during Centrepoint Theatre’s earlier years. He has written regular theatre reviews for Act Bulletin, the Sunday Times, the Dominion, the Dominion Post, and, now, Theatreview.
Welcome to the review archive.
Theatre and dance reviews since 2006.
DEAD TRAGIC
Palmerston North, Wellington
10/07/2010 - 21/12/2014
"Dead Tragic anything but..
"Bound to make you feel better about your own lot in life..
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Up North
Palmerston North
05/06/2010 - 03/07/2010
"Universal and timeless home truths captured en route..
"From strange to surreal to insane to real..
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Four Flat Whites In Italy
Palmerston North
10/04/2010 - 29/05/2010
"Challenging and rewarding acting roles..
Highlights – the blondes & their songs
Palmerston North
13/03/2010 - 27/03/2010
"Good show..
Macbeth
Palmerston North
05/03/2010 - 14/03/2010
"Paranoia and ruthlessness in theatre of war..
Ladies For Hire
Palmerston North
07/11/2009 - 19/12/2009
"The ghost of Christmas present..
"Hits the spot..
Awhi Tapu
Palmerston North
29/08/2009 - 26/09/2009
"Challenging, daring and warmly recommended..
Hits of ’74
Palmerston North
11/07/2009 - 22/08/2009
"Show a home-grown blast from the past..
"A showcase of craziness with style..
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The Raft
Palmerston North
06/06/2009 - 04/07/2009
"Tough but rewarding..
"A beautifully written, produced and presented work of luminous satisfaction..
Faust Chroma
Wellington, Palmerston North
11/02/2009 - 21/02/2009
"Memorable and thought-provoking..
"Mind-blowing..
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The Mystery Of Irma Vep
Palmerston North
08/11/2008 - 20/12/2008
"A wild time had by all..
Vigil
Palmerston North
06/09/2008 - 11/10/2008
"Clever comedy full of sadness..
"One of the great existential plays..
The Gods of Warm Beer
Palmerston North
14/06/2008 - 26/07/2008
"Ripsnorting tragi-satiric epic..
"Warm beer hits just the right spot..
Man of La Mancha
Palmerston North
29/03/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Exhilarating celebration of the imagination..
"“Thank gOD for the best play I’ve seen in years.”..
Happy Coupling
Palmerston North
03/11/2007 - 15/12/2007
"Warmly recommended..
"Arty farce..
Ugly Customers
Palmerston North
18/08/2007 - 22/09/2007
"Quite adequately enjoyable..
"Curmudgeonly rant..
Lullaby Jock: Silent Generations
Palmerston North
07/07/2007 - 04/08/2007
"Loving portrait carried off with flair..
"“All the actors in this one-man show are excellent”..
BOMBSHELLS
Whangarei, Auckland, Hastings, Paraparaumu, Wellington, Palmerston North, Christchurch
21/03/2007 - 15/10/2013
"Unforgettable characters, writing and performance..
"Sheer brilliance..
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The One After the Last Goon Show
Palmerston North
19/04/2007 - 21/04/2007
"“It does in a daft fashion work”..
"Hawes' Goon Show 'a marvellous thing'..
The Tutor
Auckland, Palmerston North
15/02/2007 - 14/04/2007
"The characters get under the skin of usual stereotypical perceptions..
"Provocative satire perceptively pillories preoccupations..
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Weighing In
Palmerston North
02/11/2006 - 16/11/2006
"The weigh of all flesh..
"Muted weight loss comedy..
The Underarm
Palmerston North, Wellington
14/09/2006 - 25/11/2006
"Actors keep their eyes on the ball..
"Brothers at the crease..
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