THE BALLAD OF JAMES II to 8 September.
Edinburgh 2007 Fringe/London.
THE BALLAD OF JAMES II.
by Douglas Maxwell.
Roslin Chapel, Roslin near Edinburgh.
To 25 August 2007.
Mon - Sat. 19:30 except Sat when 19:00.
Runs 2hrs. One Interval.
then Greenwich Theatre, London 4-8 September 2007
7.30pm Mat Wed & Sat 2.30pm
TICKETS. 0131 445 4023 or Fringe BO 0131 226 0000.
www.nosenseroom.co.uk (Edinburgh)
020 8858 7755
www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk (London)
Review Thelma Good 18 August 2007.
Successful in parts.
The new Douglas Maxwell play is premiered (by Nonsense Rom Productions) in the mysterious and atmospheric Roslin Chapel. In the play we are in the fastness of Edinburgh Castle in the 1452 where King of The Scots, James II talks to himself, wrestling with the effects of his dead twin, who his mother says he strangled at birth. James II sleeps apart from his wife with Mons Meg, not a mistress but the most modern form of warfare, a French cannon.
With music to transport us back more than five hundred years the play begins with the Abbot of Inchcolm, (also the comic relief in the play), an eminent historian. He’s been summoned by the Queen Mother Joan to replace the king’s captured tutor. The Tutor has been taken by the Earl of Douglas, a vigorous warrior, who the people prefer to their twitching birth marked king.
The Queens are scheming Queens with rival plots for the kingdom but they can’t act directly. James II needs to exert his powers. Some periods of Scottish history are well known. This one is little known to Scots never mind the English or Americans despite its loose parallels to Richard II or Macbeth. The play is only partly successful in explaining its dynamics but shows why history is different from what actually happened.
The Production makes a fair fist of the premiere, with Scott Hoatson and Neil Smith providing the considerable contrast of the hard to look at King and the sensual charisma of the Earl. Telling the tale in blank verse and rhythm largely helps but the Abbot (Charles Donnelly) speaks too rapidly in this sharply resonant space. The rich look of the costumes adds to the feeling of times long ago. Placing the audience round the edge, Bruce Strachan directs his actors in the tight space with some skill, though the final explosive ending is a bit of a damp squib.
Maxwell isn’t just aiming at a history play, he also highlights how history may not repeat itself but it does strikingly fall in similar patterns. Spin doctors are far from a modern invention. The story of this little known king and his travails has been overly compressed to fit into its two hour slot. But seeing it in such a setting is a plus.
The Abbot of Inchcolm: Charles Donnelly.
Queen Mary: Lois Creasy.
Queen Mother Joan: Lori McLean.
James II: Scott Hoatson.
The Earl of Douglas: Neil Smith.
Director: Bruce Strachan.
Designer: Ross E Stewart.
Lighting: Germaine Williams.
Composer: Jon Beales.
Costume: Bill Scott
Fight choreographer : Joel Houck.
2007-08-20 13:52:33