SKYE: A Thriller

Aug 12 2025 | By Hugh Simpson More

★★★☆☆ Stylish

Summerhall (Venue 26): Wed 31 Jul – Mon 25 Aug 2025
Review by Hugh Simpson

SKYE: A Thriller, at Summerhall throughout the Fringe, is an intriguing concept that never quite adds up to the sum of its parts.

Dawn Steele and James Robinson feature in the first play by renowned producer Ellie Keel, from K Media and co-produced by Summerhall Arts in association with North Wall Arts Centre and Sheffield Theatres.

Dawn Steele and James Robinson in SKYE: A Thriller. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.

The play sets itself up as a darkly conventional spooky thriller; Steele plays Annie, who is recounting the events of thirty years before in an interview. As a teenager, Annie and her siblings saw a man on a Skye beach who appeared to be their dead father. And what is the secret of the silver car, speeding along with no-one apparently driving?

Technically, this production is very impressive. Matthew Iliffe’s direction is taut, Rūta Irbīte’s design is clever, and good use is made of live video projections. David Doyle’s lighting is thoroughly atmospheric.

unease

Steele’s portrayal of Annie and other family members is extremely good, switching between characters and registers smoothly and suggesting unease expertly. James Robinson also plays various characters, notably Annie’s domineering brother Bron. The two performers manage to convey a sense of a much larger ensemble very well indeed.

James Robinson with Dawn Steele in SKYE: A Thriller. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.

Unfortunately, despite all of the good things about it, the production can’t help disappointing. Which, sadly, is down to the play itself. It sets up the situation cleverly, creating an atmosphere, but then it doesn’t go anywhere much, and the end is a real let-down.

Simply saying in the title that the play is a thriller doesn’t make it one (something the play itself seems well aware of). Similarly, having characters saying they are frightened is not the same as making something actually frightening.

In the end, it’s more of a psychological study of a damaged family. The play seems to lack the input of a more experienced dramaturgical eye, and the end result is stylish but lacking in the necessary emotional punch.

Running time: 55 minutes (no interval).
Summerhall (Tech Cube 0), 1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL. (Venue 26).
Wednesday 31 July – Monday 25 August 2025
Daily (not 12, 19): 3pm; Sat 16 also: 9am; Mon 18: also 11.50 am.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Book here on EdFest.com.*