post by @nataliagresty

Seen by Natalia at Edinburgh Festival Fringe on the 8th of August 2026

3 stars – Almost Camp

Bloody Ballad of Bette Davis by the Brooklyn-based company Piper Theatre Productions is a musical theatre piece built around the curiously bizarre premise that Bette Davis, the undying Hollywood legend, may or may not have been a witch. Set partly around the filming of the 1976 horror film Burnt Offerings, it combines family drama, Hollywood gossip, camp humour, puppets and a whole lot of silliness.

Songs are definitely the show’s strongest element; they’re catchy, energetic and enjoyable with an eccentric 70s flair. The cast members show plenty of enthusiasm, and the physical staging makes inventive use of the entire set. There are some fun, absurd moments, particularly when the show leans fully into its campier side. However, the central conflict – Bette Davis’s relationship with her estranged, neglected daughter and the accusations of witchcraft – could provide slightly more dramatic value, but the show spends quite some time on its colourful supporting characters and Burnt Offerings, which makes the story sometimes struggle to build momentum.

The show and its cast undoubtedly has potential: it’s enthusiastic, inventive and full of ideas, but not quite polished enough dramatically or confident in itself to make all its ideas land. The characters at times captivate, other times fail to fully convince us to be emotionally invested in them. Slightly more cohesion and emotional weight would have done the show a favour, but it’s a jolly performance nevertheless.

Aug 6th-30th at 15:00
Running time: 60 minutes
Venue: Upstairs at Assembly Roxy
Production: Piper Theatre 
Tickets and info: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-bloody-ballad-of-bette-davis 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pipertheatre/ 
Website: https://www.pipertheatre.org/