kye: A Thriller at Summerhall wastes no time pulling you into its shadowy world. From the opening moments, Dawn Steele grips your attention as Annie, a woman tangled in family secrets. She also takes on the roles of Annie’s siblings, slipping between characters with real skill – though occasionally the changes are so quick it’s easy to miss who’s who.

James Robinson starts out as a podcaster digging into Annie’s story, but suddenly he steps into the role of Bron, Annie’s brother. Both performances are solid, but the switch of actors mid-character can throw you for a moment, making the plot a bit harder to follow.

The look and feel of the production are spot on for a thriller. The stage is mostly cloaked in darkness, with sudden flashes of red hinting at danger. Wisps of smoke curl across the space, and a large screen projects Steele’s face in eerie black-and-white, adding a creepy, cinematic edge. It’s the kind of atmosphere that makes you lean forward, waiting for something terrible to happen.

The tension builds beautifully, but the shortened 50-minute runtime means the ending comes sooner than you’d like. Just as the story reaches its peak, it wraps up – leaving the resolution feeling a bit rushed and not quite as satisfying as the build-up deserves.

Even so, Skye: A Thriller delivers a gripping atmosphere and two strong performances. You just might leave wishing you’d had a little longer to sit with the story before the lights came up.

***1/2

Reviewed by Rona