Part mystery, part fairy tale, part social commentary, part horror story, Kat Sandler’s “Yaga” is an atmospheric thriller that keeps the audience guessing through its twists and turns. The play is making its Central Florida debut in a nicely atmospheric Valencia College Theatre production that maintains suspense even if its momentum flags once or twice.

Director Rebekah Lane has assembled a fine student cast — actually, make that casts. The show calls for three actors and Lane mixes and matches from the six performers in her company.

“Yaga” opens with a young college student, Henry, having an unconventional meeting with Katherine, a much older professor who is an expert on bones and approaches the student with a gleam in her eye. Flash forward a few months and Henry has disappeared. Charlie, a private investigator, is on the case — but his real-world inquiries keep leading him toward the mythical Baba Yaga, the figure from Slavic folklore most often thought of as an ugly old woman who eats children.

Amy Reid Victoria is comic and creepy as Baba Yaga in the Valencia College Theatre production of “Yaga.” (Courtesy Chris Bridges via Valencia College)

Sandler deliciously takes issue with this concept: Why must childless women who live alone and march to the beat of their own drummer always be categorized as witches? Who are the real monsters out there today?

In the array of twisty and spooky clues leading up to the revelation of Henry’s fate, as the “Baba Yaga” legend becomes more intertwined with the case, it’s possible to hear echoes of Agatha Christie, Gloria Steinem and the Brothers Grimm — though Sandler has her own distinct voice.

Lane’s production for Valencia captures the fairytale feel, with scenic designer Sydney Padgett’s towering birch trees and their yellow leaves providing a setting both bucolic and vaguely threatening. Sonia Pasqual’s aptly lighting helps turn the fairytale into a nightmare, as needed. Alex Abbott’s sound design — from the din of a college dorm to the blowing wind and chattering voices on the edge of hearing in a mysterious woods — enhances the mood.

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The actors play multiple characters, and Lane has done fine work in helping them distinguish their different roles. Particularly good at this is Amy Victoria Reed, who at my viewing sharply portrayed the confident professor with an affinity for younger men, while transforming her voice and demeanor to embody the traditional Baba Yaga both gleefully and sinisterly. With a knack for the rhythm of the writing, she delivered Sandler’s funny and pointed commentary to the audience with flair.

Luigi Tojeiro has the right mix of charm, edge — and fear — for his roles, and Annabel Perez makes the most of a big reveal about one of her characters. (On Oct. 6, and 10, the cast consists of Aisha Pagan, Therese Grant and William Alexander.)

Detective Carson (Annabel Perez) scores a verbal jab on Charlie (Luigi Tojeiro) in the Valencia College Theatre production of “Yaga.” (Courtesy Chris Bridges via Valencia College)

Chelsea Juarbe’s costume pieces help define the characters; her Baba Yaga headdress/cloak is beautifully evocative of something pagan, something primal.

“Yaga” could use tightening in places; it feels a bit long for a thriller, and the final stretch seems as though Sandler had several possible endings in mind and chose to include them all. And while a thriller should pick up in pace as it reaches it conclusion, occasionally the required costume changes sap that momentum.

Still, this is one heck of a thrill ride made all the better by the pro-woman points it makes.

Charlie (Luigi Tojeiro) emphatically makes a point to Katherine (Amy Victoria Reid) in the Valencia College Theatre production of “Yaga.” (Courtesy Chris Bridges via Valencia College)

“Things do not work out well for childless witches,” one character warns. But for the audience, the spell woven by “Yaga” works out very well indeed.

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.

‘Yaga’

Length: 2:35, including intermission
Where: Valencia College’s Black Box Theater on the east campus, 701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail in Orlando
When: Through Oct. 11
Cost: $15 ($10 for senior citizens and Valencia employees and alumni, $8 for Valencia students)
Info: ticketpeak.co/valenciacollege/events

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/06/valencia-college-theatre-yaga-review/