Summerhall
3 stars
Annie’s little brother thinks he sees their father on the beach while on holiday in Skye. Given that their dad died in a car crash the year before, however, they might just have seen a ghost. With Annie’s twin sister and teenage brother on board, the siblings find themselves chasing a driverless silver car. A tall man who might be the only one who can solve the mystery remains forever just out of reach.
Thirty years on, Annie is still chasing ghosts as she relates her story on camera for the sort of prime time supernatural shows that fill up wall-to-wall digital TV stations. As she revisits the scene, the past comes flooding back, from her father’s death and her drink addled mother, to the interplay between her and her siblings and what happened next.
What emerges over the taut fifty-five minutes of Matthew Iliffe’s production - the first for the newly formed K Media with Summerhall Arts - is a dark meditation on loss, grief and how that loss stays with you in a way that defines a moment and everything that follows.
As Annie, Dawn Steele possesses a captivating presence that sees her bring Annie’s past to life and embody her assorted siblings as if she is reliving what happened. As her brother, James Robinson does something similar as he too goes on a wild goose chase destined to remain unresolved.
Shrouded in darkness and pared to the bone, Keel’s debut play has the feel of an old school creepy thriller in a powerful mood driven piece that lays bare the scars of Annie’s haunting in chilling fashion.
Until August 24.
The Herald, August 6th 2025
Ends
Comments