Raw Material and Capital Theatres bring an exciting new production of playwright Rona Munro’s ongoing James V series with their latest production, James V: Katherine. Presented at Capital Theatre’s The Studio. This production delves into the historical events of Katherine Hamilton and the persecution she underwent when her brother and male family members were labeled as religious zealots during a time of reform on the Catholic Church in Scotland. Munro’s script presents Katherine Hamilton as a woman torn between being bound by duty to her family and suppressing her homosexual romance with her female lover Jenny. This love story carefully navigates the arrest and brutal execution of Katherine’s brother Patrick and Katherine’s own trial; facing the choice of meeting the same fate or choosing to recant her belief, choosing to live and love. Directed by Orla O’Loughlin, this provocative modernisation of Scottish History has performances available at The Studio until the 20th of April, before continuing the tour around Scotland.
Sean Connor’s electric performance breathed life into the production. It provided much comedic levity throughout in his roles as Constable and as James V. Connor’s devilish rockstar performance as James V was thoroughly entertaining and captivating. Balancing the weight of being the “divine ruler” and the sadistic tyrant, desperate to use his brutality as a way of enforcing the rule of God on his rioting subjects; resulting in a carefully crafted performance. Katherine Hamilton portrayed by Catriona Faint was wonderfully defiant and full of wit and charm. The audience were gripped by Faint’s ability to seamlessly switch between Katherine’s sharp-tongued banter and her courageous strength in fighting against authority. Understanding the tortured nature of the character and the internal conflict she faced was highlighted in her role as the dutiful sister to Patrick, whilst denying and later accepting of the character’s sexuality and love she feels for Jenny. Faint’s grounded performance carried the weight of the themes of this production and embodied the struggles of woman throughout history and today. Benjamin Osugo’s performance as the Pias and righteous Patrick Hamilton and Spence felt troubled in more ways than one. Osugo understood Patrick’s internal conflict of becoming a martyr for the cause they believed in and ultimately sacrificing their life to further the movement for religious reform in Scotland. However, Osugo’s performance at times lacked nuance. As an audience member this made it difficult to engage with the character or allow the audience to empathise for the character’s position in both roles.
Alyth Ross as the sweet and naive Jenny, was delightfully witty and made an excellent counter part to Katherine. Jenny’s longing to rekindle her romance to her former love during a time of duress, further illustrated the love story forming within the play and enabled Jenny to become a voice of reason between the extremist views the other characters vocalised later in the production. Ross’s performance was confident and unbashful in expressing simpler views on the world and religion, that elevated the character and created an endearing performance.
Rona Munro’s newest addition in the James V series, has been meticulously constructed to highlight and reflect the struggles of woman and LGBT people navigating a world of prejudice and persecution for people wanting their voices to be heard and to love who they love. Munro’s writing is charming and full of Scottish humour that is well paced and enables the audience to engage and emote to the uplifting tensioned filled love story presented in this production.
Orla O’Loughlin’s direction has a fluidity that playfully invites the audience to feel immersed in the world of the play. The use of space within the confines of the staging are carefully considered. The sensitivity towards presenting the romance on stage is effective in establishing the genuine love story between Katherine and Jenny.
Becky Minto’s minimalistic set transforms the black box space and creates a playground of opportunities for exploration. The simple choice of presenting the characters in black modern clothing, with red or white accenting further established the world of the play, status and the religious values of the different characters. Danny Krass’s sound design was impactful throughout in further building the world of the play and pacing for the production, at times this could become overpowering and distract from the action unfolding on stage. Lighting Design by Derek Anderson was simple and yet effective and complimented the overall design of the show.
I would recommend this production to those who want to learn more about Scottish history that reflects the world in which we live in today. This topical, provocative, and harrowing story of Katherine is a powerful presentation of the abuses of powers from governing and religious bodies. Providing a space for empowered female representation that features an uplifting LGBTQIA+ romance.
Images – Mihaela Bodlovic
Get tickets for the Scottish Tour here – https://www.rawmaterialarts.com/james-v-katherine
Theatre Scotland 
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