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.
SILENT SPRING REVISITED: Rachel Carson’s Fight for Nature
Wellington, Nelson
13/08/2021 - 28/03/2023
"Entertains, educates and shakes us out of our complacency..
"An unthreatening wake-up call..
WINDING UP
Wellington
31/07/2021 - 28/08/2021
"A poignant lesson in undying love..
"Humorous, insightful, poignant and heart-warming..
TAP HEAD
Wellington
13/07/2021 - 17/07/2021
"Evokes empathy, compassion, admiration and quite a few chuckles..
WHADDARYA?
Wellington
02/07/2021 - 03/07/2021
"Affirms the inestimable value of our performing arts..
ELLING
Wellington
29/06/2021 - 24/07/2021
"May well reach its potential..
BROWN CROWN
Wellington
04/02/2021 - 12/06/2021
"Malo lava mo se faaaliga sili (well done for a great play)!..
"A rich blend of classical and modern stories and performance conventions..
More reviews
PARADISE or The Impermanence of Ice Cream
Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
23/10/2020 - 28/09/2024
"Secrets, science and vultures come home to roost..
"Enjoy a Scoop of Life..
More reviews
HELLO DARLINGS! with Pamela Hancock
Wellington
03/03/2020 - 15/05/2021
"Infectious enjoyment with a tinge of pathos..
"You can’t help but love Pam..
JAMES ROQUE Boy Mestizo The Return
Wellington
08/04/2021 - 07/05/2021
"Crucial socio-political message personalised in a highly entertaining way..
INSIDE JAMES MUSTAPIC
Wellington
06/05/2021 - 08/05/2021
"Plenty of clever and amusing material..
THINGS I KNOW TO BE TRUE
Wellington, Christchurch
20/03/2021 - 29/05/2021
"A sort of elegiac tragedy without villains or fatal flaws..
"Cast outstanding in powerful family drama..
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UP DOWN GIRL
Wellington, Palmerston North
28/02/2020 - 01/05/2021
"Show filled with love affection and music..
"A richly layered and uplifting experience..
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TRANSMISSION
Wellington
20/04/2021 - 01/05/2021
"Tells the story of the humanity behind the Covid headlines..
"Holding Leaders to Account..
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TALE OF A DOG
Wellington
17/04/2021 - 30/04/2021
"A simple tale very well told..
THE HAKA PARTY INCIDENT
Auckland, Wellington, Rotorua, Christchurch
30/03/2021 - 11/11/2023
"The Haka Party Incident – bold, ferocious, essential viewing..
"Me hoki whakamuri kia anga whakamua: Look to the past to move boldly to the future...
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DON'T WAKE ME UP
Wellington
25/03/2021 - 01/04/2021
"Provokes deeper awareness and greater compassion..
YES YES YES
Wellington, Hamilton
27/02/2019 - 27/03/2021
"Theatre that truly makes a positive difference..
"Honesty, humour and balance sensitively shared..
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Strasbourg 1518
Wellington, Auckland
12/03/2020 - 28/03/2021
"Mystery and Frenzy..
"Powerful ruminations on the original event and our current situation..
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THE LOST LETTER OFFICE
Wellington
21/03/2021 - 21/03/2021
"Raises the bar of creative excellence..
SLAY THE DRAGON OR SAVE THE DRAGON OR NEITHER
Wellington
19/03/2021 - 27/03/2021
"Funny, heart-breaking and non-linear..
"An ingeniously involving experience..
HATAITAI TIMES
Wellington
14/03/2021 - 14/03/2021
"Heightened realities in Hataitai: ingeniously created and astonishing to behold..
"Brilliantly building the unpredictable and heightened saga of the Hataitai Times..
WE’LL DANCE ON THE ASH OF THE APOCALYPSE
Wellington
11/03/2021 - 13/03/2021
"Well crafted at all levels..
