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.
DI AND VIV AND ROSE
Wellington, Dunedin
16/10/2020 - 22/11/2020
"Celebrate the goddess within!..
"Twists and turns of life-enriching relationships explored and celebrated..
CALL IT A NIGHT
Auckland, Global
20/09/2020 - 20/09/2020
"An existential threat becomes an existential treat..
"A thought-provoking, beautifully crafted, meta-theatrical conceit..
THE EUTHANASIA DEBATE
Global
29/08/2020 - 17/10/2020
"Episode 3: the Pros and Cons of Euthanasia..
"Episode Two: WELCOME TO THE DEATH CAFÉ..
More reviews
THE CHOSEN ONES
Global
03/09/2020 - 06/09/2020
"Gotta love this upside-down colonialisation+genocide yarn..
"Packs a punch as we laugh out loud..
PLAY
Wellington
04/09/2020 - 12/09/2020
"Entertaining but ultimately unsatisfying..
"It’s the truth at is heart that makes Play real..
RAPUNZEL
Wellington
29/08/2020 - 29/08/2020
"Captures the zeitgeist of this time..
PSA: ELECTION 2020
Wellington
22/08/2020 - 18/09/2020
"Welcome satirical levity in testing times..
ATTENBOROUGH'S QUESTION
Nelson
21/08/2020 - 25/08/2020
"Well worth addressing..
LOCKDOWN LA RONDE
Wellington
15/08/2020 - 26/08/2020
"Raunchy shock comedy with pathos and socio-political punch..
PRE LOCKDOWN POST
Wellington
18/08/2020 - 26/08/2020
"An absorbingly subjective evocation that will resonate strongly..
GOLDFISH GIRL
Christchurch
09/08/2020 - 09/08/2020
"Dynamic absurdist exposé of reality..
"Entertaining and fast-paced physical comedy of unease..
THE MASTER BUILDER
Global
08/08/2020 - 30/08/2020
"The pared-back aesthetic sharpens our focus on the play’s essential insights..
THE DAYLIGHT ATHEIST
Dunedin, Wellington, Invercargill
21/07/2020 - 07/08/2020
"A rich and engrossing experience..
"Beautifully crafted writing and performance..
More reviews
THE DEEP BLUE SEA
Global
10/07/2020 - 16/07/2020
"Offers timeless insights into the conflicting natures of love..
DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN THE HAT
Wellington
06/07/2020 - 06/07/2020
"All good well-paced, rhythmical fun..
LES BLANCS
Global
03/07/2020 - 10/07/2020
"Reveals the root cause of disaffection by colonised and dispossessed cultures everywhere..
THE ARTIST
Hastings, Wellington
24/06/2020 - 22/10/2021
"Captivating physical theatre..
"Adult absurdity at its best..
More reviews
SMALL ISLAND
Global
19/06/2020 - 25/06/2020
"Timeless and universal truths resonate all too powerfully today..
THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III
Global
12/06/2020 - 18/06/2020
"Offers compelling insights into universal human foibles at personal, national and global levels..
Chekhov's THE SEAGULL a new online version
Global
08/05/2020 - 31/05/2020
"Dead Bird: Reflections on The Seagull..
"Act Four: A living testament to the resourcefulness and resilience of creative artists..
More reviews
IT’S BEHIND YOU!
Global
28/05/2020 - 30/07/2020
"Zoom in on creepy, funny show that tackles challenges in newer medium..
"Delivers something to chew on..
