James I: The Key Will Keep the Lock

The first part of The James Plays cycle, exploring the complex character of the colourful Stewart King James I – poet, lover and law-maker.

Captured at the age of 13 and crowned King of Scots in an English prison, James I of Scotland is delivered home 18 years later with a ransom on his head and a new English bride. The nation he returns to is poor: the royal coffers empty and his nobles ready to tear him apart at the first sign of weakness. Determined to bring the rule of law to a land riven by warring factions, James faces terrible choices if he is to save himself, his Queen and the crown.

Rona Munro's The James Plays premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2014, before transferring to the National Theatre, London, in a co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland.