We round up the reviews for Bryony Kimmings’ first solo show in half a decade, commissioned to mark the opening of Soho Theatre Walthamstow.
The Guardian: **** “It’s a thrill to see Kimmings back, her vision filling the huge stage of this gorgeously restored theatre. This is a climate reckoning of both cosmic and quotidian proportions – and a theatrical time capsule of the way we live now.”
Time Out: *** “It’s on the indulgent side, but it’s beautifully wrought and just generally a joy to have Kimmings back. If she simply documented every year of her life like this, I doubt there would be many complaints from the faithful.”
Broadway World: **** “It’s a surprising, inspiring and inventively original project. It introduces a different version of Bryony Kimmings the Artist, no less bold or boisterous, but definitely more sophisticated and refined.”
The Standard: *** “A show about a lone, overwhelmed woman in this grandly reborn 960-seat venue is an apt visual metaphor for the powerlessness humans seem to feel in the face of eco-disaster. Kimmings creates some striking images on this lofty stage, scattering wicker baskets and maypole garlands, before a symbolic storm prompts some rapid changes of gear and tone. An epiphanic moment promises great happiness and serenity, then sudden sadness.”
Theatre Weekly: ***** “Half a decade on, Kimmings has returned as a more refined artist both as writer and director, who delivers a production of more remarkable craftsmanship and evolved completeness. Some might argue that she’s lost a touch of her earlier ferocity or rebelliousness, that her edges have softened. But don’t dismiss those fleeting moments of mind discos. The noisiness, though no longer the main focus of the show, indicates that she’s still the same restless theatre-maker who cannot stop thinking, questioning, and feeling.”
The Stage: **** “Bryony Kimmings’ new autobiographical show is a funny and irreverent takedown of cottagecore life.”
The Spy in the Stalls: *** 1/2 “‘Bog Witch’ delivers a compelling and emotionally resonant evening – visually rich, evocatively sincere, and unmistakably Kimmings. Despite feeling unfinished, it has an undeniable magic.”
Bog Witch continues to play at the Soho Theatre until the 25th October.