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.
Hotel
Invercargill, Christchurch, Wanaka, Tauranga, Taupo, Wellington
09/02/2007 - 30/05/2014
"Secret lives in common..
"Hotel Secrets..
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Marilyn: Forever Blonde
Wellington, Auckland
06/03/2008 - 19/04/2008
"Charming Marilyn..
"“For a moment Monroe is almost a real woman”..
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Kiwi Moon
Wellington
08/03/2008 - 05/04/2008
"Cute Kiwi’s quest for survival gets fearfully exciting..
"Happy fusion of skills and styles make for excellent entertainment..
Shoes
Wellington
13/03/2008 - 29/03/2008
"Shoes fits bill..
"Love in its sole..
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Bouncers
Wellington
13/03/2008 - 29/03/2008
"Sobering Bouncers mixes laughter with tears..
"Gets a little lost..
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Honour Bound
Wellington
13/03/2008 - 16/03/2008
"Potent theatre of indictment: not to be missed or dismissed..
"Daring assault on walls of steel..
Traces
Christchurch, New Plymouth, Wellington, Dunedin
10/03/2008 - 14/09/2013
"Funny, touching, joyous, beautiful, accessible, stunning …..
"A rare cool..
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Children's Cheering Carpet
Wellington
08/03/2008 - 16/03/2008
"A shared experience..
Where We Once Belonged
Wellington, Auckland
08/03/2008 - 19/04/2008
"Humour and pace replace novel irony and ambiguity..
"The discomfort of change: moving and funny..
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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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this is our youth
Wellington
01/03/2008 - 21/03/2008
"High Octane Pace..
"Lifestyles of the rich and idle..
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Bro’ Town Live on Stage
Wellington
04/03/2008 - 05/03/2008
"More deserving shows robbed..
"Informative and entertaining celebration of success and celebrity..
Who Wants to be 100? (anyone who’s 99)
Wellington
23/02/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Hall fans won’t be disappointed..
"Funny, insightful and finally moving..
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Hail to the Thief
Wellington
01/03/2008 - 08/03/2008
"Dramatic tension missing #1..
"Uneven despite some great performances..
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Wasps
Wellington
20/02/2008 - 02/03/2008
"Relaxed, chatty and festive..
"Lively translation of classic satire..
Ruthie Bird and the King of Hearts
Wellington
29/02/2008 - 08/03/2008
"It speaks to the audience about our humanity..
"Dramatic tension missing #2..
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Get Cuffed!
Wellington
28/02/2008 - 01/03/2008
"Full-on, dynamic, power-house performance..
"Leaves me untouched..
Lifeboat
Wellington
28/02/2008 - 01/03/2008
"Quality work..
"Tale of a sinking proves uplifting..
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Te Karakia
Auckland, Wellington
27/02/2008 - 08/03/2009
"Deep, strong and moving..
"Moral dilemmas dramatised through love story..
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Jane Austen Is Dead
Wellington
24/02/2008 - 13/07/2013
"Obsessions that can bedevil us #2..
"Piercing accuracy and finesse..
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Location Location
Wellington
01/02/2008 - 26/02/2008
"free flowing, energised production..
"Deceit in Realty..
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Charlie
Wellington
23/02/2008 - 26/02/2008
"Flat and clunky despite explosions of emotion..
"Heartfelt romanticised cliché..
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Blinkers
Wellington
24/02/2008 - 28/02/2008
"Irresistible humour and pathos..
"Charming vignette..
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