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.
The Lonesome Buckwhips: Buckapapa
Auckland, Wellington
04/02/2010 - 04/07/2010
"Someone organise a petition!..
"BUCKEN AY..
Gnome on the Roam!
Wellington
05/07/2010 - 17/07/2010
"A unique holiday show..
"Seeing our input come alive offers special satisfaction..
Boxes
Wellington, Auckland
03/07/2010 - 30/07/2011
"The eternal domestic struggle..
"Charming ingenuity..
More reviews
The Ugly Duckling
Wellington
03/07/2010 - 17/07/2010
"Action, humour and interaction..
"'Duckling' delivers on message, style and fun-factors..
Waiting for Godot
Wellington, Christchurch
30/06/2010 - 14/07/2010
"Desolation depicted with humanity, tenderness and wry humour..
"Delight in the depths of desolation..
More reviews
Play With Your Food 2010: Café Theatre
Wellington
28/06/2010 - 28/06/2010
"Four plays in search of a rigorous director and creative actors..
Te Radar’s Eating the Dog
Dunedin, Wellington, Auckland, Someone organise a petition!
12/05/2009 - 01/10/2011
"A trip off history’s beaten old track..
"Entertaining and accessible portrait of New Zealand culture..
More reviews
Mauritius
Wellington
26/06/2010 - 24/07/2010
"Gripping and unsettling..
"Human foibles explored in thriller format..
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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Shirley Valentine
Wellington
17/06/2010 - 17/06/2010
"Pace and liveliness lead to insight and pathos..
Te Kaupoi
Wellington, Auckland
10/06/2010 - 23/07/2010
"Power reduced by unrevealed motivations..
"Cheeky humour escapes from repressive and brutal nz police state..
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Salomé
Wellington
01/06/2010 - 05/06/2010
"A vivid unveiling..
The Intricate Art of Actually Caring
Dunedin, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, New Plymouth, Hastings, Hamilton, Wanaka
10/02/2009 - 28/06/2012
"On the road again..
"Deliciously laconic, funny and captivating..
More reviews
A Baker’s Dozen
from Invercargill to Warkworth
24/05/2010 - 25/06/2010
"Simultaneously compelling, entertaining and thought-provoking: this is what theatre’s all about..
Tea for Toot
Auckland, Wellington
21/05/2010 - 16/07/2011
"Charming and unique..
"A magical and menacing must-see!..
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The Famous History of Sir Thomas Wyatt
Wellington
19/05/2010 - 22/05/2010
"Fluid, well-paced and clear but cannot avoid the bathos..
Lullaby Jock
Wellington, Auckland
27/07/2009 - 29/05/2010
"A brave piece..
"One man show (not that you’d notice) is a brilliant portrayal of a father by his son..
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The NERO Show
Wellington
15/05/2010 - 19/06/2010
"Roman musical comedy needs dialogue to really sparkle..
"A splendid artistic and theatrical achievement..
FASITUA AMOSA is Ruufless!!
Auckland, Wellington
24/04/2010 - 15/05/2010
"A unique perspective..
"Lewd, racist, real and true..
MEDLOCK & MUSGROVE: The Giant Face (NZ)
Auckland, Wellington
04/05/2010 - 11/05/2010
"Falls short of its potential..
"Has the casual air of a varsity show..
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Joel Salom’s Gadgets
Wellington
11/05/2010 - 15/05/2010
"Goofy gadgets mighty impressive..
"Vibrant, inventive and hugely entertaining..
CHOPPER: Make Deadsh*ts History (Aus)
Wellington, Auckland
07/05/2010 - 15/05/2010
"Audience a charity case, Chopper a philanthropist..
"His two-out-of-three theory makes this critic a contender..
JEREMY ELWOOD Thinks Too Much
Auckland, Dunedin, Wellington
18/03/2010 - 15/05/2010
"He gives a damn which makes him worth it..
"Skilled comic artist also impresses as thoughtful humanist philosopher..
