Created by Bryony Kimmings
Review by Dominic Corr
Watch out, Edinburgh, she’s back. And it’s time for the truth. Whether any of us want to hear it or not.
Leave it to the absolute legend Bryony Kimmings to transform the terrifying spectre of ecological collapse into an absolute masterclass of gloriously unhinged, self-deprecating theatrical storytelling. Returning to the stage after a hiatus, the performance artist brings her fierce confessional flair to the Traverse, charting her frantic relocation from urban comfort to a remote, rustic homestead alongside her family. Or her fall into becoming, as she calls herself, Bog Witch.
From the moment she steps into the spotlight, on top of an ever-growing hole of dirt and stone, Kimmings presents herself as the ultimate reluctant country convert. She is an unapologetic city creature suddenly stranded without the comforting embrace of immediacy, eyeing an ancient oak with disdain purely because it blocks her sunlight. Her initial attempts to integrate into her new rural surroundings – confronted by everything from eccentric local covens to bizarre harvest traditions – are delivered with the punch of a seasoned stand-up set, but always laced with the theatrical. When forced to endure earnest lectures on environmental ethics, Kimmings openly admits her brain simply retreats to a private internal disco, leading to some of the night’s biggest laughs.
Yet, beneath the laugh-out-loud anecdotes and eccentric cottagecore aesthetic, Bog Witch develops into an extraordinarily sophisticated climate catastrophe. Rather than preaching, Kimmings zeroes in on the paralysis of modern life – capturing the absurdity of a world where a basic wrapper accumulates more flight distance than the average human traveller. She seamlessly balances outrageous, irreverent humour with moments of profound, quiet vulnerability, using absurd coping mechanisms to navigate intense personal grief alongside planetary anxiety. A confrontation with her young son regarding humanity’s environmental legacy hits with terrifying, gut-wrenching precision.
The technical presentation is precisely the sort of Fringey visuals we need. Co-directing with Francesca Murray–Fuentes, Kimmings fills the stage with high-calibre visual artistry. Tom Rogers’ desolate, stump-strewn set design works in total harmony with Guy Hoare’s stark lighting and evocative, woodcut-style animations projected across the backdrop. Think Wickerman; sponsored by Ocado. Every costume change and eccentric prop—including a hilariously rudimentary, ball-of-fluff feline companion—serves the overarching narrative, culminating in a sequence of chaotic audience participation where volunteers don ramshackle creature suits to demand a reckoning.
Kimmings remains an inimitable storyteller, capable of pivoting from broad innuendo to devastating emotional truth in a single breath. Bog Witch is not merely a triumphant comeback; it is a vital, hilarious, and deeply moving piece of contemporary theatre that demands your complete attention.
Bog Witch runs at The Traverse Theatre until August 30th
Running time – One hour and ten minutes without interval
Photo credit – Rosie Powell
Review by Dominic Corr (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Hunter is a 2024 Master’s graduate of the University of Edinburgh and current doctoral candidate with a thesis focused on experimental theatre in Edinburgh. He has been a theatre practitioner for over a decade having worked in many capacities including as a director, actor, stage manager, front of house manager, and technician as well as others. Prior to moving to Edinburgh, Hunter was a high school English teacher in the United States. His passion for the written word as well as his passion for live performance are what motivated him to become a writer for this publication.
