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 Hollow Men
Palmerston North, Wellington
26/09/2007 - 27/10/2007
"Brash at Play not Brash by the Book..
"The presentation of image..
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The Sleeping Beauty
Wellington
22/09/2007 - 06/10/2007
"Wacky holiday show for kids a beauty..
"Readily accessible retelling of tale..
Montana World of Wearableart Awards Show
Wellington
20/09/2007 - 30/09/2007
"Spectacular celebration of creative ingenuity..
Itchy Feet
Wellington
18/09/2007 - 22/09/2007
"A joy..
"True emotions make dance accessible..
Son Et Lumière
Wellington
13/09/2007 - 16/09/2007
"Lighting the highlight..
"Falls far short of its promise and potential..
Footballistic
Wellington
11/09/2007 - 15/09/2007
"Fun to watch, even for a pacifist..
"It's a riot..
Shining City
Wellington
08/09/2007 - 13/10/2007
"The ghosts of guilt and shame: truly eerie and compelling..
"Engaging, emotive and inspiring..
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The Winslow Boy
Wellington
01/09/2007 - 06/10/2007
"Injustice and responsibility confronted with humour and pace..
"Understated inner passions..
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Pig Hunt
Wellington
23/08/2007 - 01/09/2007
"Authentic, moving and humorous..
"Tender, hilarious, and real..
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The Venetian Bride
Wellington
21/08/2007 - 01/09/2007
"May become more satisfying and engaging..
"Sheer artistry..
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Who Needs Sleep Anyway?
Wellington
22/08/2006 - 18/08/2007
"Actors give it their all – but why are we watching it?..
"Unchallenging fun night out..
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The Seagull
Auckland, Wellington
14/08/2007 - 26/08/2007
"Middle class deprivations..
"Comedy, melodrama and undertow of tragedy..
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King Lear
Auckland, Wellington
11/08/2007 - 25/08/2007
"Uneven performancess diminish excellence..
"Star performance should have shone brighter..
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Nuclear Zephyr
Wellington
07/08/2007 - 11/08/2007
"Focused political satire timely and provocative..
The Cape
Wellington
04/08/2007 - 01/09/2007
"Captivating contemplation on culture, life and friendship..
"Plumbing the depths of what’s important..
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King Lear
Wellington, Dunedin
01/08/2007 - 01/09/2007
"Return season wanted in Wellington..
"A great work realised with fidelity..
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Ennio Marchetto
New Plymouth, Wellington
01/08/2007 - 18/08/2013
"Cabaret, drag, mime, and vaudeville..
"Celebrity send-up thrills with skill..
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Jennifer Ward-Lealand – FALLING IN LOVE AGAIN
Havelock North, Wellington
27/07/2006 - 04/11/2015
"In love again with the era, Dietrich and her voice..
"Transported with sensitivity and humour..
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Part of Me
Wellington
11/08/2006 - 26/07/2007
"Beauty meets average and arrogant but no statement intended..
"Snappy writing..
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Once Were Samoans
Auckland, Wellington
22/05/2007 - 28/07/2007
"Heartfelt and hilarious with a moral heart..
"Inspires the most hilarity..
The Gods In Post-Nuclear New Zealand
Wellington
23/07/2007 - 28/07/2007
"Warning on horrors to come..
"Admirable skills could give greater return..
MONARCHY the Musical
Wellington
21/07/2007 - 25/08/2007
"“Monarchy is musical chairs, all high kicks and foreign affairs…”..
"Many jewels in the royal repartee..
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Antigone
Wellington
05/07/2007 - 15/07/2007
"Searing examination of justice, authority and power..
"The price of hubris..
