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
Four Women
Palmerston North
26/02/2011 - 12/03/2011
"A lovely, heart-warming show..
Penalties, Pints and Pirouettes
Palmerston North
06/11/2010 - 18/12/2010
"Rough-textured play deftly produced..
The Cape
Palmerston North
28/08/2010 - 25/09/2010
"Always-live..
DEAD TRAGIC
Palmerston North, Wellington
10/07/2010 - 21/12/2014
"Dead Tragic anything but..
"Bound to make you feel better about your own lot in life..
More reviews
Up North
Palmerston North
05/06/2010 - 03/07/2010
"Universal and timeless home truths captured en route..
"From strange to surreal to insane to real..
More reviews
Four Flat Whites In Italy
Palmerston North
10/04/2010 - 29/05/2010
"Challenging and rewarding acting roles..
Highlights – the blondes & their songs
Palmerston North
13/03/2010 - 27/03/2010
"Good show..
Macbeth
Palmerston North
05/03/2010 - 14/03/2010
"Paranoia and ruthlessness in theatre of war..
Ladies For Hire
Palmerston North
07/11/2009 - 19/12/2009
"The ghost of Christmas present..
"Hits the spot..
Awhi Tapu
Palmerston North
29/08/2009 - 26/09/2009
"Challenging, daring and warmly recommended..
Hits of ’74
Palmerston North
11/07/2009 - 22/08/2009
"Show a home-grown blast from the past..
"A showcase of craziness with style..
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The Raft
Palmerston North
06/06/2009 - 04/07/2009
"Tough but rewarding..
"A beautifully written, produced and presented work of luminous satisfaction..
Faust Chroma
Wellington, Palmerston North
11/02/2009 - 21/02/2009
"Memorable and thought-provoking..
"Mind-blowing..
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The Mystery Of Irma Vep
Palmerston North
08/11/2008 - 20/12/2008
"A wild time had by all..
Vigil
Palmerston North
06/09/2008 - 11/10/2008
"Clever comedy full of sadness..
"One of the great existential plays..
The Gods of Warm Beer
Palmerston North
14/06/2008 - 26/07/2008
"Ripsnorting tragi-satiric epic..
"Warm beer hits just the right spot..
Man of La Mancha
Palmerston North
29/03/2008 - 03/05/2008
"Exhilarating celebration of the imagination..
"“Thank gOD for the best play I’ve seen in years.”..
Happy Coupling
Palmerston North
03/11/2007 - 15/12/2007
"Warmly recommended..
"Arty farce..
Ugly Customers
Palmerston North
18/08/2007 - 22/09/2007
"Quite adequately enjoyable..
"Curmudgeonly rant..
Lullaby Jock: Silent Generations
Palmerston North
07/07/2007 - 04/08/2007
"Loving portrait carried off with flair..
"“All the actors in this one-man show are excellent”..
BOMBSHELLS
Whangarei, Auckland, Hastings, Paraparaumu, Wellington, Palmerston North, Christchurch
21/03/2007 - 15/10/2013
"Unforgettable characters, writing and performance..
"Sheer brilliance..
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The One After the Last Goon Show
Palmerston North
19/04/2007 - 21/04/2007
"“It does in a daft fashion work”..
"Hawes' Goon Show 'a marvellous thing'..