John C Ross
John C Ross is a retired senior lecturer in English literature ex-Massey University, Palmerston North, and remains an honorary research fellow, writing stuff. Born in Wellington, he caught the theatre-going and amateur acting bug there, mainly while a student at Victoria University.
In 1965 he took a ship to England for one year’s OE, and came back eight years later to the Massey job. In the years in between he acquired a Ph D in English from Birkbeck College, University of London, studying Restoration comedy, and spent about four-and-a-half years as a literature tutor at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, Sidcup, Kent, plus plenty of travelling-around, tramping, and theatre-going.
Since 1974, John has directed or acted in quite a few plays with Massey Drama Society and Manawatu Theatre Society, and helped front-of-house during Centrepoint Theatre’s earlier years. He has written regular theatre reviews for Act Bulletin, the Sunday Times, the Dominion, the Dominion Post, and, now, Theatreview.
John C Ross's reviews
STAG WEEKEND
Palmerston North
01/04/2016 - 14/05/2016
"A good solid production..
THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR
Palmerston North
03/03/2016 - 12/03/2016
"Works well enough, in its fashion..
WIDOWS
Palmerston North
18/11/2015 - 21/11/2015
"Grim and very powerful..
BOYS AT THE BEACH
Palmerston North
07/11/2015 - 19/12/2015
"Kiwi feel to Boys at the Beach..
"Plenty of clever twists and funny incidents..
THE THINGS WE DO
Wellington, Hamilton, Auckland, Palmerston North, Waiheke Island
24/02/2015 - 01/11/2015
"Capable and promising..
"Fluid segues from common to surreal..
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UNHOLY GHOSTS
Palmerston North
19/09/2015 - 17/10/2015
"Cranky, bitchy, richly human ‘ghosts’..
LIVE ORGY
Wellington, Auckland, Palmerston North
09/02/2015 - 10/09/2015
"Lively, funny, cleverly paced and makes you think..
"Entertains with purpose and delight..
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FRANKENSTEIN
Palmerston North
07/08/2015 - 29/08/2015
"Plenty of shocks and surprising twists..
ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
Palmerston North
09/07/2015 - 18/07/2015
"Another interesting production and interpretation..
MIDSUMMER (A Play With Songs)
Palmerston North
13/06/2015 - 11/07/2015
"Midsummer a wonderland..
"Wonderfully flexible, fluid and clever..
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GOLF: A Love Story
Palmerston North
18/04/2015 - 23/05/2015
"Genial company with wildly swinging moods..
KING LEAR
Palmerston North
05/03/2015 - 14/03/2015
"Clever and courageous..
BLACK FAGGOT
Wellington, Nelson, Edinburgh, Scotland, Melbourne, Australia, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Auckland, New Plymouth
16/02/2013 - 02/09/2015
"Powerful humanising of initially stock characters..
"Honest, raw, energetic, thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking..
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MUMS: THE WORD
Palmerston North
06/11/2014 - 15/11/2014
"Funny, touching, convincingly accurate..
THE PINK HAMMER
Palmerston North
01/11/2014 - 13/12/2014
"Good script, strong cast, impeccably directed..
HOKI MAI TAMA MĀ
Auckland, Whangarei, Palmerston North
03/07/2014 - 18/10/2014
"Warmly recommended..
"Much to admire, more work to be done..
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OTHELLO
Palmerston North
02/08/2014 - 09/08/2014
"Othello the Celt..
PRINCE SETH & THE PRINCESS – Pirate Adventure
Palmerston North
09/07/2014 - 12/07/2014
"Never a dull moment..
THE MERCY CLAUSE
Palmerston North
28/06/2014 - 26/07/2014
"Endlessly unsettling..
I COULD LIVE HERE
Palmerston North, Wellington
12/02/2014 - 14/06/2014
"Clever and feel good..
"Tensions hilariously depicted..
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ASIAN INVASION Plays from the Other Side of Aotearoa
Palmerston North, Hamilton, Wellington, New Zealand wide, Auckland
05/05/2014 - 04/07/2014
"Helping to grow more tolerance, kindness, and understanding..
"Borrow or steal a school uniform to gate crash a performance near you..
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KINGS OF THE GYM
Palmerston North
03/05/2014 - 14/06/2014
"A capable production of a clever play..