‘James IV Queen of the Fight’ by Rona Munro

Eden Court Theatre - 02/11/22

Raw Material & Capital Theatres, in association with National Theatre of Scotland 

With a sparse audience for this opening night of the tour of legendary playwright Rona Munro’s final part of the James Trilogy, I was excited to sit in the stalls and explore through theatre making a part of Scottish history which I knew nothing about.  I was not disappointed. This epic production spans the years roughly between 1504 and 1509 when James (1473-1513) was King of Scotland, though not, as the action explains, ‘Lord of the Isles’. Being a newbie to the Highlands and interested in medieval history much was revealed. Not only in the performance onstage but in the excellent programme notes. I missed the original James plays at the National Theatre on the Southbank in 2014 so here was a chance to catch up. Almost three hours later I had a handle on this volatile world. The play focuses on the invisible part of history gleaned of the people who inhabited this world. Not just a list of kings and queens but more an insight into the shenanigans of court life. As Munro says this piece is a stand-alone story. It tells the story of two historical women and a male companion Peter, who are of African descent. Ellen, played by Danielle Jam, and Anne, played by Laura Lovemore, who arrive via Iberia and the Spanish court as players or minstrels for the pageants which Royalty staged to impress their peers. One becomes a companion to Margaret, the young queen, and the other a favourite of the King. The action is dominated by James, played by Daniel Cahill, along with his Makar William Dunbar, played by Keith Fleming.  The changing scenes are enacted against a vast set of central steps, walkways and doors, reminding the audience of the great medieval halls of wood and straw hung with tapestries. This worked well, although a staircase is always a challenge for performers in long gowns and little was made of the gantry above. The opening night in a different theatre always presents a challenge for the technical team and some of the spotlights proved dazzling for patrons sitting in the stalls. This distracted from the action on stage. With the opportunity to develop the characters and their place in the stories, dare I say some of the scenes were over long and I could have done with more beauty and music in the pageant sequences. They were according to sources quite spectacular.  But this aspect is the director’s prerogative. The fight sequences were well performed and obviously the actors enjoyed putting their stage combat course skills to good use.  Rona Munro writes in the programme of her desire to emulate the RSC Shakespeare history cycle performed over three days, with her own homage to Scottish history and its diversity before slavery.  There are subtle references to Henry V wooing his French queen as he teaches her English, by Dunbar teaching Scots to Ellen. And is Dunbar Falstaff or Lear’s fool? Or Dame Phemy, Mistress Quickly? Did Ellen’s blood-spattered hands reference Lady Macbeth?  

But back to the show. It was thought provoking and confusing at the same time. Lots packed into two and a half hours tripping from the bonds between the two women, the conflict between James and Donald, played well by Malcolm Cumming coming into his own in the second half. The loveless and complicated marriage between James and Margaret, played by Sarita Gabony, who was portrayed as a needy snowflake with a modern twist which was both irritating and tragic. Regrettably, the F word constantly peppering the conflicts. Is there any other swear word in this day and age? Could James have used a different expletive? But it certainly gave it a modern feel. Ellen and Anne are central to the plot, both empathetic and strong. Anne bossing her friend and stamping off loudly, whilst Ellen gradually finds her place and becomes ‘The Queen of the Fight’ in the pageant. Although I was never convinced of her total commitment to the role. There was a good turn from experienced actor Keith Fleming as Dunbar (with an excellent gammy leg) tasked with reciting ‘An Blak More’, a derogatory poem targeted at Ellen and one of the first racist rants recorded. There was a bit of Cyrano in him as well when he complains that his poetry and words are his own. Of course, James is the centre-piece of the story, around which all the characters revolve.  Daniel Carhill struts the stage with a strong physical and vocal presence and looked everything the audience would expect from a leading man. The strong ensemble moved the scenes along re-setting the furniture and properties. And of course, re-enacting the fight scenes and victory. There was a bit of ‘Les Mis’ in there with the flag waving.  

Costumes came over a bit scrappy in the opening sequence. Did they really wear tight skinny leather trousers? A bit Rylan from Strictly! Musically it was disappointing. I felt the drumming and lute worked well but the electronic house music was suicidal. I felt I was in some dreadful Netflix horror series and couldn’t wait to escape the stalls. These directorial decisions deflected from what is a terrific piece of writing, performed by a strong ensemble. Rona Munro is unravelling through theatre the only imagined and untold threads of history which I truly admire. I came away wanting to delve into these stories more.    

This production is at the MacRobert Arts Centre in Stirling from 9th to 12th November.