The James Plays: Newcastle Theatre Royal

WRITER Rona Munro set herself a mammoth task rummaging around in dusty Scottish archives to produce a trilogy of plays about three Kings of Scotland, each named James Stewart. Set within a virtually unknown period of Scottish history Munro faced enormous challenges, “I feel a certain responsibility,” she explains “to alert you to the fact that some small liberties have been taken with known events in order to serve our stories.”

Part of the audience is seated on the stage behind a giant sword embedded into the floor, there as a constant reminder of the battles for kingship and the personal conflict that is always present within each of the plays.

Steven Miller plays the poetry-loving James I, Andrew Rothney an emotionally-damaged James II, who spends much of his time hiding from the marauding Scots in a box, and Matthew Pidgeon gives a reckless air of insanity to James III, and a masterful portrayal of Henry V in the first play.

A 12-year-old James was captured, spending the next 18 years as a prisoner to the English King, Henry IV. After the death of Henry, James is gifted back to the Scottish people in 1424 where, at the age of 29 he becomes the King of Scotland. By this time James was heavily influenced by the English, much to the chagrin of his subjects. He toughens up to impress his English wife, Joan Beaufort, the chatterbox Queen brought to life by an exceptional Rosemary Boyle, who also breathes fire into Mary wife to James II.

All three monarchs look to their female counterparts for inspiration; a majestic performance from Malin Crépin as the savvy Queen Margaret in the third play. Blythe Duff’s characterisations are superb throughout, her increasingly demonic Isabella Stewart is totally convincing and in the third play her witty King’s aunt, Annabella, is a triumph.

Laurie Sansom’s direction bestows excitement to every nuance and composers Paul Leonard-Morgan and Will Gregory provide tension and incredible depth; Morgan’s percussive opening to James I evokes the tribal battlefields, adding authenticity to Neil Bettles' emotive choreography.

Fantastic, well-researched costumes from Jon Bausor, depicting the eventual introduction of the Scottish kilt, is a history lesson of traditional costume design in its own right. An immersive and ultimately revealing masterpiece of joy, terror and never-ending excitement in eight hours of accessible theatre. Amazing.

Helen Brown