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 Pohutukawa Tree
Wellington
10/09/2008 - 20/09/2008
"Current questions..
"A great piece of theatre..
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Some Girl(s)
Wellington
06/09/2008 - 04/10/2008
"Flashy and ‘youth’ orientated..
"Shifting relationships brilliantly played out..
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Iphigenia In Orem
Wellington
02/09/2008 - 06/09/2008
"Sacrifice in modern America..
The Eiffel Tower Wedding Party
Wellington
02/09/2008 - 06/09/2008
"Imagination runs riot..
"Imaginative production..
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Jeff Koons
Wellington
26/08/2008 - 06/09/2008
"Pretty wacky..
"Memorable assault on your senses..
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Shining Armour
Wellington
26/08/2008 - 30/08/2008
"Thoughtful play needs excitement..
"Positively low key; mature and engaging..
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The Dentist's Chair
Wellington, Auckland
06/03/2008 - 27/09/2009
"Unmasking a darker, stranger Indian Ink production..
"Dare to confront what you fear the most..
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Grace
Wellington, Auckland
19/08/2008 - 20/09/2008
"Rough around the edges but a charmer..
"Like a river love carves its own path..
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Mammals
Wellington
02/08/2008 - 30/08/2008
"Complexity of human relationships captures..
"Children make the play..
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Winter
Wellington
31/07/2008 - 09/08/2008
"Not dramatic or visual enough for stage..
"Teetering between reality and a world of dreams and fantasies..
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Black Tuesday
Wellington
29/07/2008 - 09/08/2008
"Must-see..
"Cutting paper with a karate chop..
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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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LUV
Auckland, Wellington
05/03/2008 - 26/07/2008
"Original voice..
"Dark comedies of our time..
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The Mall
Auckland, Wellington
24/08/2007 - 26/07/2008
"Original voice..
"Dark comedies of our time..
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Dora the Explorer Live! Dora’s Pirate Adventure!
Wellington
18/07/2008 - 20/07/2008
"A loud and lively spectacle..
Lear & His Daughters
Wellington
15/07/2008 - 15/07/2008
"Ingenious distillation dynamically performed..
The Snow Queen
Wellington
07/07/2008 - 19/07/2008
"Hidden meanings a worry..
"Mystery and fun for the kids..
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Metamorphosis
Wellington
09/07/2008 - 19/07/2008
"Will move you..
"Change must be embraced..
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Hinepau
Wellington
07/07/2008 - 19/07/2008
"She’s smart, funny, pretty hot and misunderstood..
"Stylish with substance..
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A VOTE for CYNTHIA
Wellington
06/07/2008 - 20/07/2008
"A dotty comedy to clear the blues..
"Facing the future with Fortitude..
Strike: Elemental
Wellington
03/07/2008 - 20/08/2011
"Subtle brilliance, visceral energy..
"A total workout for performers and audience..
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Puss ’n Boots
Wellington
05/07/2008 - 19/07/2008
"Bubbling fun with dubious moral..
"Well worth braving the elements..
The Illusion
Wellington
01/07/2008 - 05/07/2008
"Emotions and magic collide in lively work..
"A worthy challenge..
