Rona Munro
Football injury hits NTS James II
Onstage incident puts actor in hospital:
The actor playing the title role in James II in the National Theatre of Scotland’s James Plays trilogy was rushed to hospital on Saturday, following an incident during an on-stage football game.
Tracks of the Winter Bear
★★★☆☆ Two winter’s tales:
Tracks of the Winter Bear, the Traverse’s pre-Christmas show which plays up until Christmas Eve, is an odd beast.
Bold Girls
✭✭✭✩✩ Careful ensemble piece:
There are no real surprises or any great excitement to be had in Bold Girls at theSpace on the Mile, but there are some solid performances by a promising young cast.
The James Plays Return
Unique touring format for trilogy:
Rona Munro’s immense historical trilogy: The James Plays – about the Kings James I, II and III of Scotland – will return to the Festival Theatre in February 2016.
The James Plays – An Overview
★★★★☆ Event theatre
The confidence, skill and sheer brass neck demonstrated in The James Plays mean that any drawbacks in individual parts are submerged in the feeling that this is an Event with a capital E. Not just in theatrical terms – although goodness knows they qualify on that score – but possibly culturally and historically too.
James III: The True Mirror
★★★★☆ Humorously anachronistic
Cheerfully modern – and far more upbeat than its ostensibly tragic material would have suggested – James III: The True Mirror provides an energetic, occasionally puzzling conclusion to The James Plays.
James II: Day of the Innocents
★★★☆☆ Chilling
There’s a chilling tone to much of James II: Day of The Innocents. Quieter and more brooding than the plays which bookend it, it provides a necessary contrast, but is the least impressive of the three on its own terms.
James I: The Key Will Keep the Lock
★★★★☆ Historic
The high energy and dramatic power of James I: The Key Will Keep the Lock brings history into sharp focus and provides a fitting start to Rona Munro’s trilogy: the James Plays.
The Astronaut’s Chair – Review
✭✭✭✩✩ Breathing thin air
Stepping out over the edge of the atmosphere into space might be a dream for most, but it is one which high-flying aviator Renee Coburg feels is already within her grasp.
Secrets
✭✭✭✭✩ Honest and revelatory:
Darkly obscure right up to its thought-provoking finale, the latest edition of A Play, A Pie and A Pint lands at the Bedlam Theatre in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and the Confucius Institute.
