The James Plays, National Theatre

The James Plays are an epic undertaking, combining the talents of the National Theatre of Scotland and the National Theatre itself. It’s the two theatres' first co-production and it made for an interesting alliance in the light of the referendum on Scotland’s independence. The trilogy, which tracks the lives of three Scottish Kings in the fifteenth century, premiered at The Edinburgh International Festival and then came south in September -- more or less selling out long before it crossed the Scottish border. We saw all three in Edinburgh and were utterly spellbound. 
A famous face
One star you are sure to recognise is Sofie Gråbøl, the Danish actor who plays detective Sarah Lund in the Bafta-winning crime thriller The Killing . Her British theatre debut, a casting coup for the two theatres, shows Gråbøl to be every bit as captivating and charismatic on stage as she is on screen.
The trilogy 
The three plays stand alone. The first, The Key Will Keep the Lock, is about James I, who controversially took an English wife in a lifelong quest to bring peace to Scotland. The second, Day of the Innocents , opens with the crowning of the eight-year-old James II. Finally, The True Mirror  looks at James III’s relationship with his formidable Danish wife Queen Margaret. 
All three works are written by Rona Munro, a doyenne of Scottish theatre with a reputation for ground-breaking plays about women and older people, including Iron and Bold Girl , an adaptation of Federico Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba . Her 2009 play The Last Witch was about the witch-hunts which happened in Scotland during the reign of King James I, for whom Shakespeare famously wrote Macbeth on account of the king's fascination with witchcraft. So Munro is in familiar and thrilling territory.
The cast is huge and includes stars such as RADA graduate James McArdle (last seen starring in the international tour of Chariots of Fire ), who plays James I, and Blythe Duff, of longstanding Taggart fame, who will appear throughout the trilogy. Gråbøl is to play Queen Margaret.
Artistic director and chief executive of the National Theatre of Scotland, Laurie Sansom, who is English, will direct the trilogy. He has worked with exciting theatre companies such as Frantic Assembly ( Frankenstein and Villette ) and his triumphant revival of J.B. Priestley’s Dangerous Corner transferred to the West End in 2002. Sansom only took over from National Theatre of Scotland founding director Vicky Featherstone (also English and now at the Royal Court) a year ago. This ambitious project suggests he is serious about transforming he National Theatre of Scotland into one of the most important producing theatre companies today.
On reading the script, Gråbøl said she felt it was the kind of play she would like to watch. Whilst there is obvious resonance given the current political backdrop, there is more to the plays than this. As Gråbøl explains: 'Apart from being about Scotland and national identity...it’s also about relationships and about men and women and love.' 
Culture Whisper’s Review: The James Plays, The National Theatre.
"Rona Munro's intricately crafted scripts have energy, rousing monologues and enduring characterisation akin to a Shakespeare history play, with the same subtle use of the past to illuminate contemporary events. Separately the plays each layer humour, action and pathos to stunning effect -- but when viewed chronologically the effect is incomparably intense, as the audience feels the both the weight of the past and the promise of the future. The drop in pace of the second play allows much-needed contemplation and reflection. Through the reigns of the three Jameses a timeless Scotland is brought to life, with bagpipes, reeling and a reluctant humour in the face of adversity. There's no weak link in the cast, but the brightest star is Sofie Gråbøl, whose twinned devotion and independence as Queen Margaret is the stuff of true heroines. If you haven't already book now -- and book for all three."