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 Letter Writer
Wellington
07/03/2010 - 21/03/2010
"Poignant foray into Cyrano’s territory..
"Powerful socio-political and poetic treat..
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Wellington
06/03/2010 - 14/03/2010
"Celebration of the unique and unusual..
"Fluffy fun hiding spikes and toxins..
Alfonsina
Wellington, Dunedin, Auckland
04/03/2010 - 14/08/2010
"Thread lost when comedy turns to drama..
"Magic combo mesmerising..
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Ruby Tuesday
Auckland, Wellington
10/03/2009 - 06/03/2010
"Comedy set in school ends in tragedy..
"Achingly funny and tragic..
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Sunday Roast
Wellington
01/03/2010 - 06/03/2010
"Lightweight two-actor comedy bubbles along..
"Slicing into the rural rump..
Pink Lighter
Wellington
01/03/2010 - 05/03/2010
"A dud..
Inside Out
Wellington
01/03/2010 - 08/03/2010
"Delightful new twists on old tricks..
"Exhilarating..
Mary Stuart
Wellington
27/02/2010 - 03/04/2010
"Pair of queens are the aces in a thrilling and memorable game..
"Why do it?..
APOLLO 13: Mission Control
Wellington
27/02/2010 - 18/12/2010
"Mankind’s clever step..
"Wellington, we have another hit Apollo 13 launch..
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Sound of Silence
Wellington
26/02/2010 - 05/03/2010
"Amiable, smile-inducing fun..
"Peace, love and yearning echo..
Medea Songs
Wellington
24/02/2010 - 27/02/2010
"A great ensemble piece..
"Age-old themes, powerful human passions and wise insights revitalised..
A Love Tail
Wellington
23/02/2010 - 03/03/2010
"Near perfect..
"Winning performances..
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Irrepressible Urge
Wellington
23/02/2010 - 25/02/2010
"Enchanting, unnerving, moving …..
"Telling tales..
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SALON
Tauranga, Christchurch, Hamilton, Wellington, Wanaka, Nelson
19/02/2010 - 27/10/2013
"Intruding on an intensely private episode..
"Nice insights and clever lines..
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Gods and Heroes: Improvised Myths
Wellington
20/02/2010 - 24/02/2010
"Ingenious group creativity..
BUFFOON'S BIRTHDAY
Wellington
19/02/2010 - 22/02/2010
"Maybe it all made sense once …..
Measure for Measure
Wellington
16/02/2010 - 20/02/2010
"Intentions honoured in intensifying drama..
"A measure of black comedy from Bard..
back/words
Wellington
17/02/2010 - 27/03/2010
"Intriguing, humorous, moving..
"Absolutely worth it..
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Who’s Neat? You!
Wellington
16/02/2010 - 04/03/2010
"Edgy fun..
"A clever and original concept creatively put together..
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Jangle
Wellington
14/02/2010 - 18/02/2010
"Exciting to watch..
"Undoubted potential yet to be realised..
Fractur
Wellington
13/02/2010 - 16/02/2010
"Unsettling experiment..
"Compelling and challenging..
The Immortals
Wellington
11/02/2010 - 27/02/2010
"Slevin passes with flying colours..
"A wonderfully understated performance..
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Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor
Wellington, Wairarapa
04/02/2010 - 27/02/2010
"Fawlty Housewives..
"Knight’s quest for wealth full of laughs..
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