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.
Othello (abridged)
Wellington
19/09/2010 - 19/09/2010
"Clear purpose in performance brings great value..
Father Familiar
Wellington
15/09/2010 - 02/10/2010
"Moved by Father..
"A voyage around a dad and daughter’s uneasy relationship..
More reviews
Cirque Mother Africa
Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton
07/09/2010 - 29/09/2010
"Prepare to be happily freaked out..
"Unstoppable energy and sheer exuberance needs editing and better technical support..
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August: Osage County
Auckland
04/09/2010 - 25/09/2010
"One helluva ride..
"Intoxicating family cocktail..
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My First Time
Wellington
04/09/2010 - 02/10/2010
"Slick show goes on too long, unlike its theme..
"Losing it together..
The Gruffalo
Hamilton, New Plymouth, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington
04/09/2010 - 16/09/2010
"Your kids will have a blast..
"Enthralling..
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DOORS. WALLS. AND ALSO SILENCE.
Wellington
02/09/2010 - 11/09/2010
"Effective alienation..
"Cryptic and claustrophobic..
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Distraction Camp
Wellington, Christchurch
27/11/2009 - 11/09/2010
"Driven to Distraction..
"No escape as reality and illusion unite..
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Shipwrecked! An Entertainment:
Wellington
28/08/2010 - 25/09/2010
"Poor theatre at its best..
"An adventure you want to be true..
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Fergus Aitken: True Stories & other stuff that probably isn’t
Wellington
13/05/2009 - 20/08/2010
"Laid back-style and content with a twist of physicality..
"Right up there with the best..
Katydid
Wellington
18/08/2010 - 28/08/2010
"Brilliant performance in tale of crumbling family..
"Treat yourself to its powerful punch..
The December Brother
Wellington
14/08/2010 - 11/09/2010
"Silent murder hard to watch..
"A richly layered work of extraordinary substance..
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Auntie & Me
Auckland, New Plymouth, Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga
04/08/2010 - 28/08/2010
"Probable perceptions remain unrevealed..
"Dire..
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The Fierceness
Wellington
05/08/2010 - 07/08/2010
"Ugly unitard appeal..
"Troupe is full of bad taste and proud of it..
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Paper Scissors Rock
Wellington
05/08/2010 - 14/08/2010
"Auspicious first play..
"When the house of cards called family collapses …..
Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
Wellington
03/08/2010 - 14/08/2010
"Sex-obsessed cheerleaders and fit Van without blanket..
"Good grief?..
The Great Gatsby
Wellington
31/07/2010 - 28/08/2010
"Give it a Gatsby..
"Hollow lives given substance..
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End Game
Wellington, Christchurch
31/07/2010 - 16/09/2010
"Polished and imaginative production..
"Tech addicts..
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Parlour Song
Wellington
24/07/2010 - 21/08/2010
"Song’s praises sung..
"Uneasy suburbia setting for fine performances..
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Mark Twain & Me in Mâoriland
Wellington
13/03/2010 - 24/07/2010
"Magic and comedy in return visit to Maoriland..
"Absorbing quest a very special experience..
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Young & Hungry Festival of New Theatre 2010, Wellington
Wellington
09/07/2010 - 24/07/2010
"The best of the bunch..
"Sex, aggression, manipulation for power figure in three plays..
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I Am a Camera
Wellington
07/07/2010 - 17/07/2010
"Poignant look behind the froth of Cabaret..
"More ‘depth of field’ required..
The Adventures of Aladdin
Wellington
06/07/2010 - 17/07/2010
"Song and dance routines delight..
"Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves..
