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.
Philip Patston gives you A BIT OF WHAT HE’S GOT
Auckland, Wellington
02/05/2009 - 23/05/2009
"Catch it..
"Underdeveloped..
A Song for the Ugly Kids
Auckland, Wellington
12/05/2009 - 23/05/2009
"Infectious silliness leaves warm glow..
"Subtly insightful..
More reviews
5 - Stir-Fried Sketch Comedy
Wellington
19/05/2009 - 23/05/2009
"Sketch stretch a romp..
Jonna’s Body, Please Hold
Wellington, Nelson, Auckland
15/05/2009 - 22/05/2009
"A triumph..
Te Radar’s Eating the Dog
Dunedin, Wellington, Auckland, Catch it
12/05/2009 - 01/10/2011
"A trip off history’s beaten old track..
"Entertaining and accessible portrait of New Zealand culture..
More reviews
WellingSIN City
Wellington
10/05/2009 - 24/05/2009
"Noir show could be more transparent..
Blood Wedding
Wellington
09/05/2009 - 06/06/2009
"Captivating yet distancing..
"A strangely objective experience..
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Sammy J in the Forest of Dreams
Wellington
08/05/2009 - 23/05/2009
"Wild night of puppets..
"Astounding skills in comic coup..
A Night with Beau Tyler
Auckland, Wellington
02/11/2007 - 23/05/2009
"A wild night of gimmicks..
"Powerful comedy..
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Breaking the 5th Wall – or What is Humour?
Wellington
06/05/2009 - 09/05/2009
"Well worth it..
The Comedy Cure: Word on the Street
Wellington
06/05/2009 - 09/05/2009
"Potential hijacked by technology..
Jason John Whitehead: Emotional Whitemale
Wellington, Auckland
06/05/2009 - 23/05/2009
"Satire based or simply silly..
"From true places..
Witches over Wanaka
Hawea, Wanaka
28/04/2009 - 03/05/2009
"Every festival should have one..
Le Sud
Hamilton, Christchurch, Clyde, Central Otago, Wellington, Wanaka, Dunedin
29/04/2009 - 11/10/2010
"A comedy of manners, not politics..
"Kiwis with a taste of French..
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Ship Songs
Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Arrowtown, Paraparaumu, Wanaka
06/08/2008 - 07/04/2012
"Ship Songs Sparkles..
"Poignant, rollicking, tragic, lyrical, cheering and stirring..
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Lantern
Wellington, Auckland
21/04/2009 - 13/06/2009
"Lantern sheds light on Chinese-Kiwi cultural experiences..
"Depth and warmth..
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Year of the Rat
Wellington
18/04/2009 - 16/05/2009
"The charming rat..
"Verve, humour, allure and superb acting..
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Hedda Gabler
Wellington
15/04/2009 - 02/05/2009
"Gets you thinking..
"Ibsen adaptation a minor miracle..
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God of Carnage
Wellington
04/04/2009 - 09/05/2009
"Ghastly people behaving badly..
"Revelatory farce..
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BUD
Wellington
01/04/2009 - 09/04/2009
"Baffled at Bats..
"Doesn’t quite outstay its welcome..
Dolores
Wellington
31/03/2009 - 09/04/2009
"Violent comedy..
"Comedy to melodrama..
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My Brilliant Divorce
Wellington
31/05/2008 - 11/04/2009
"A better version than the rest of the world has seen?..
"Conveniently packaged for mass consumption..
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Serendipity
Wellington
17/03/2009 - 28/03/2009
"Uncomfortable viewing..
"Nugget of a good play but short on serendipity..
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