Review: THE JAMES PLAYS, The Lyceum, Sheffield, May 7-8 2016

The James plays, Rona Munro's trilogy of Scottish history, are currently touring nationally, following a successful run at the National Theatre in 2014.

The three plays cover the reigns of successive kings called James (James one, two and three) in the 1400s, as Scotland goes through a period of turbulence in its relationships with England and other nations (most notably France and Denmark), and in establishing its own identity and the identity of its monarchs. Originally performed around the time of the Scottish referendum, there are clear and deliberate parallels between the contemporary political situation in Scotland and the historical situations focused on in the trilogy.

Munro clearly states that she wanted to create a historical Scotland that would resonate with audiences in the way Shakespeare's histories do for England-reflecting real events whilst also taking some liberty with details and amalgamating some personnel for dramatic purposes. These plays and the ways they have been directed and performed are therefore not a million miles away from The Bard and could easily be adapted in multiple styles and forms as Shakespeare's works have been. The first two plays (James 1 and James 2 - the titles have lost the suffixes they were given in their original run) are set broadly historically, while the third (James 3) blends more traditional settings with more contemporary ones-including some hilarious nods to recent pop music. I can't see any reason why settings could not be adapted, though.

The first and last plays are incredibly accomplished piece of work-blending serious commentary with a lot of humour and a great deal of emotion. The pace in both never drops and they feel both contemporary and timeless - as all good theatre should! The middle play is the weakest of the three, relying too much on long, drawn-out arguments and monologues that drag the pace somewhat, although the puppet show criticised by many reviewers of the original run is absent in this version. That is not to say it is without merit-there is a very interesting storyline here about a king driven to madness by those around him-it just lacks the pace and dynamics of the other two plays. Throughout all three, audience's sympathies move between characters-these are rounded people who have clear flaws and virtues-there are no simple goodies and baddies here.

The large cast are uniformly excellent - and the majority of them have roles in all three plays-sometimes substantial roles in each. It is an incredible testament to their talent and stamina that they can pull off three performances in a day across several dates of the tour and not seem jaded or tired by the experience. Some of them pull off - with the help of the costume and make-up team - incredible transformations between roles. The most dramatic of these is, arguably, Matthew Pidgeon being transformed from an overbearing King Henry V of England in James 1 to a dandy king James 3, fixated on sex, image and the pleasures of life. His posture, delivery and appearance for each character are remarkably different. Even actors who play the same character in more than one play undergo transformations - Blythe Duff's Isabella Stewart is an overbearing matriarch in James 1, but time, age and imprisonment have changed her so that in James 2, she is a more sinister figure - sitting somewhere between witch and prophet and dooming the young King to a tragic life.

The set design is well realised, with subtle changes between the first two plays - and a more marked difference in the third play, as the monarchy has grown in wealth and ostentation. Director Laurie Sansom and designer Jon Bausor have managed to affect something that still looks epic despite the demands of being a touring set. The set operates on multiple levels, with drawbridges, flaming torches and an enormous sword standing tall on the right-hand side of the stage, giving these performances a real sense of spectacle.

For this tour, all three plays are performed within a day (most dates on the tour involve two consecutive days of performance). This means two afternoon performances and an evening performance -tickets are priced competitively so that audiences can experience all three, although this is not compulsory, as each does stand on its own. Many of the theatregoers I spoke to were seeing all three on the same day - I have to confess, I broke my visit up into two different legs! Although the precise timings are likely to vary from venue to venue, when these were performed in Sheffield, the first place started at midday, and the final one finished just before 11 PM, so audiences need to be aware that they are in for a long haul! There was a gap between each play of around an hour and a half to stretch your legs and go for a bite to eat.

For those that can manage it, I would definitely recommend seeing all three plays - either within the same day, or across two days. Whilst each does stand alone, they are richer in combination with one another as you can see the development of different strands and relationships (interpersonal relationships within families and friendships, and relationships on a wider scale such as the relationships between nations, or the relationship between a king and his subjects). They are a fantastic achievement in terms of writing, staging and performance.

The James Plays are touring nationally. Details here.