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 Last 5 Years
Wellington
15/05/2008 - 24/05/2008
"Love lacking..
"Musical marriage needs theatricality..
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Handy Man
Wellington
13/05/2008 - 24/05/2008
"A powder keg..
"A truly unwelcome tradesman..
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The American Pilot
Wellington
10/05/2008 - 14/06/2008
"Power trip..
"Intriguing allegory, but …..
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La Bohème
Wellington, Auckland
10/05/2008 - 07/06/2008
"Lean update beautiful, brutal – and a winner..
"Amazing singing wasted on paper-thin plot..
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The Imposters: Heroes and Heroin
Wellington
08/05/2008 - 10/05/2008
"Good in parts, dodgy in others..
Tim and Andy: AN ADVENTURE
Wellington
07/05/2008 - 10/05/2008
"Unpretentious, convoluted, charming..
"Real to surreal with comic truth and timing..
(Not) The All India Radio Show
Wellington
06/05/2008 - 10/05/2008
"Muddled, arbitrary, long..
"Not ready..
Improv - The Rock Opera
Wellington
06/05/2008 - 10/05/2008
"Virtually guaranteed entertainment. They rock..
The Paradigms of the Square
Wellington
30/04/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Square whatsit in the proverbial round thing?..
Steve Wrigley: The First Time
Wellington, Auckland
29/04/2008 - 10/05/2008
"Honest, wicked, imaginative..
"Touching humour..
The Lady Bunch
Wellington
29/04/2008 - 03/05/2008
"An excellent combo..
Cohen Holloway’s Hypnotastic Tour 2008
Auckland, Wellington
24/04/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Props save oh-so-silly show..
"You have to be there..
Mrs. Peacock: Six Feet From The Edge
Wellington, Auckland
23/04/2008 - 10/05/2008
"Hamstrung by expectation?..
"Falling short of expectations..
The Morrisons: Huntly High and Low
Dunedin, Wellington, Auckland
08/04/2008 - 10/05/2008
"Musically splendid but missing a key dimension..
Rubber Turkey
Wellington, Auckland
22/04/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Chicken little..
"Darkly witty, superbly constructed..
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The Lonesome Buckwhips' Charity Gala
Wellington, Auckland
21/04/2008 - 27/04/2008
"Sure to peel your spuds..
"Truly Wicked..
Tale of a Dog
Wellington
19/04/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Good message wrapped in enchantment..
"In short, a delight..
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Which Witch Is Which?
Wellington
19/04/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Lovely (Kids) stuff..
"Good natured, good pace..
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Office Boy
Auckland, Wellington
08/04/2008 - 21/03/2009
"Charmingly absurd sliver of life..
"Two good acts in search of a third..
T h e S i n g u l a r i t y
Wellington
10/04/2008 - 19/04/2008
"Singular piece of theatre..
"Puzzling, cryptic – and creepy..
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The Storm
Wellington
10/04/2008 - 13/04/2008
"Fast furious theatre..
"Minimalist comic style a delight..
The Man That Lovelock Couldn’t Beat
Wellington
05/04/2008 - 03/05/2008
"RUNNING MAN..
"Accessible, relevant and provocative play delivered with entertaining fluency and flair..
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Glorious!
Blenheim
03/04/2008 - 12/04/2008
"Victim of ridicule or beloved for her positive outlook against all odds?..
