Review: Bog Witch, Bryony Kimmings | Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Travfest26 - Gloriously Unhinged

Lisa in the theatre
20 hours ago
3 min read

Updated: 7 hours ago

Bryony Kimmings brings her latest show Bog Witch to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it plays at the Traverse Theatre until Sunday 30th August as part of TravFest26. Read my review below.

Bryony Kimmings: Bog Witch ★★★★★

Review: 9 August 2026 | Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Bog Witch is the real-life story of how performance artist Bryony Kimmings, at forty-something, moved herself and her family out of the city and into a remote countryside cottage in a last-ditch attempt to be happy. A beautifully self-mocking, hilarious autobiographical show, Bryony recalls the eccentric people she meets in the country, the quirky clothes they wear and hang on... are some of them actually witches?

As Bryony settles into her new wilderness home, she's distressed to find that the property is also home to a rather large bog. Bryony confides in the audience that although she's hoping to find happiness and peace in her new surroundings, she also fears losing herself, being forced to become a vegan or made to care about the planet. But most of all, she definitely wants to avoid becoming a Bog Witch.

A huge step up from the usual solo, comedy storytelling-type shows found at Edinburgh Fringe, Bog Witch has the most jaw-dropping, expensive-looking production values. Every time Kimmings appears on stage, she has another prop, another outfit - all of them instantly, visually amusing before she speaks a word.

Tom Rogers' sets and costumes cleverly enhance Kimmings' storytelling, while Will Duke's video projections and Guy Hoare's lighting design elevate this show to something much more polished and impressive than what is usually achievable at The Fringe.

The star, of course, is Kimmings herself. With her rich, masterful storytelling and engaging performance, she weaves a bright and memorable tale full of wonderfully observed characters and unexpectedly relatable anecdotes.

As Kimmings demonstrates how her brain physically zones itself out of conversations about natural produce or saving the planet, she can only be described as gloriously unhinged. I adored her!

As with all the best stories, Bog Witch takes us on a journey with the performer. This show has moments when you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium, but it has many more occasions where the audience are roaring with appreciative laughter.

Kimmings writes and directs her own show here, and it's uniquely, vividly her personal, lived-in story. This is a superb 80 minutes from Bryony Kimmings and Avalon at the Traverse Theatre. ★★★★★

Bryony Kimmings’ Bog Witch runs at the Traverse Theatre as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 30th August, before continuing on a nationwide tour until 1st October.
More information and tickets at BryonyKimmings.com

Bryony Kimmings said:

“I love the Edinburgh Fringe so much. Every show I’ve made has come to the festival, and it’s alw

ays one of the most special times for me. Such a gift. I’m thrilled to be back at the Traverse for the Scottish premiere of Bog Witch after over a decade away from the venue, and following seven years since I last brought work to the Fringe. I’m really looking forward to seeing local audiences that I’ve known over the years, and no doubt meeting many new people after each show. The incredible thing about the Fringe is the many places they have flocked from. I can’t wait”