Charismatic, cultured, and obsessed with grand gestures, James III is loved and loathed by his nation. Scotland's future may lie with his resourceful and resilient wife, Margaret of Denmark. Can she rescue a struggling nation? This cycle of history plays chronicling the reigns of three of Scotland's Stewart Kings premiered in the advent of the Scottish Independence referendum in 2014. Reading them in the wake of that, as I first did, they seemed like an attempt to create a canon of Scottish history plays, one that could compete with the Henriad as an exploration of what a nation could be represented as, how we portray our rulers, and the people that surround them. It seemed fiercely independent, and pro-independence. And it is all that. The James Plays premiered at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, in August 2014 as part of the Edinburgh International Festival, before transferring to the National Theatre, London. The original three-play cycle was named Best New Play at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2014. Growing up alone, abandoned by his mother and separated from his sisters, James II is little better than a puppet.

Bold and irreverent storytelling explores the complex character of this colourful Stewart king – a poet, a lover, a law-maker but also the product of a harsh political system. For the rest of us, the experience is a feast. Laurie Sansom, the artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland, has brought down a production of gusto and clear-sightedness, huge heart and infectious good humour – featuring masterful choreography (not just the customary battle scene, but a brilliant soccer match) and magical sprinklings of music and song. Designer Jon Bausor’s nicely functional set is matched by some fabulous costume design, not least for Gråbøl. In June 2016 the National Theatre of Scotland and the National Theatre bring their acclaimed trilogy of The James Plays - offering audiences the chance to experience all three plays over one weekend. In 2014, it seemed the height of ambition when The James Plays appeared as an all-day marathon in a mighty three-way collaboration between the National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) and the Edinburgh international festival. But Munro’s sights were set higher still. Even then, she had in mind a sequence of box-set proportions. Crowned King at aged six, James II is a puppet in a vicious game between Scotland's most powerful families. As he approaches adulthood, James must fight for his crown while the nightmares of his childhood torment him.

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The individual plays stand alone well enough, with the possible exception of James II, which occasionally feels schematic and forced. They benefit hugely from being seen within the trilogy: a collective study of power, hubris and self-determination, with a recurring act of God – the plague – to level the playing field once in a while. An eight year old boy is crowned King of Scots. Soon James II is the prize in a vicious game between the country’s most powerful families, for whoever has the person of the boy king, controls the state. Seen through a child’s eyes, the Scottish court is a world of monsters with sharp teeth and long knives.

It's not a sentimental view of Scotland, and it's not perfect. I have the first edition text, and I know that Munro made changes to James II in particular. James I is the most traditional history play, battles and speeches and so on. James II is the nightmare play that never quite settles on whether it's about a childhood spent in waiting for the throne or the inevitability of the loss of innocence as the king, and James III is basically Much Ado About Nothing. Queen Margaret is fabulous. Does power corrupt this James or is he driven by political necessity? The taunts of a hollow-faced Henry V (James Sives) follow him ghost-like until finally vanquished by a triumphant display of violence. James II: Day of the InnocentsIf this is what a collaboration between our two National Theatres can produce, may there be much more of it. The play is set in a time before the idea of Europe was synonymous with racism and slavery. By bringing high-ranking Moors into the royal court, the Scottish aristocracy considered themselves to be “very European”, the actor comments. Who the next artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland – and an artistic director it will be – remains to be seen. Whoever it is - and the NTS need to take their time to get it right - they will have several tough acts to follow. With Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour leading the charge towards the future, the next ten years of the NTS look set to be an even bigger adventure than the last. That said, writer Rona Munro shares with Shakespeare a sense of history informed by an appreciation of human frailty and foible, nobility and laughter. The second play builds on these themes. James II is a boy King with a blemished face, who is manipulated by the cruel Lord Livingstone to sign off policies ‘in the King’s name’, a motif that haunts the play. The play expands on the first’s themes of psychological conflict, James’ night terrors providing intense if confusing dream sequences, giving the audience an insight into the King’s mind. Like the first play, ‘James II: Day of the Innocents’ shows a conflicted Scotland, one of virtue being eroded by corrupt and powerful noblemen. Once again the use of the physical is sublime; a scene in which the King’s family takes on the Douglases in a game of ball looks so natural, but must have been painstakingly prepared for.

That speech is delivered by Sofie Gråbøl, a cult favorite in the UK thanks to her lead role in the original Danish series of “The Killing” and a compelling presence here as the Danish Queen Margaret, who has limited tolerance for the self-pity and self-indulgence of her husband James III. Along with Blythe Duff, star of long-running UK cop show “Taggart,” she is part of a forceful female presence across the trilogy, which is punchily acted throughout. However, I feel robustly certain that whatever their thoughts and feelings might have been, human nature is exactly the same now as it was then. Only culture and circumstances have changed. Sansom’s production is designed to be experienced as an 11-hour marathon over a single day but, as I discovered, seeing the three plays over three nights reveals its own strengths. The punchy episodic structure makes for a work to be savoured, as much to be binge watched. These boisterous, bracing, subtly thought-provoking and hugely entertaining plays are also a rarity in offering a new history cycle to accompany those of Shakespeare. While the period covered is virtually concurrent with Shakespeare’s 16th-century cycles, the gaze is northward, upon an unfamiliar trio of kings, and marked by a contemporary vernacular that makes the work refreshingly accessible. James II: Day of the Innocents depicts a violent royal playground from the perspective of the child King and his contemporaries, in a terrifying arena of sharp teeth and long knives.

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Fear and resentment of the perceived “outsider” is, as human history shows all too clearly, a dark and powerful combination.

The fact that the new NTS was named as it was rather than the Scottish National Theatre was making a subtle but significant semantic point that was also political. Being of Scotland spoke of inclusion and diversity.

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Ae fond kiss, and then they sever? The National Theatre of Scotland and the London-based National Theatre of Great Britain, as it's known overseas, come together as co-producers for the first time just as their capital cities are threatening to wave goodbye. When Rona Munro's trilogy begins its run in London, the Scottish referendum will be only days away. If it comes up with a yes vote, will the National Theatre of Great Britain be obliged to edit down its name? Certain characters represent amalgamations of many characters or stand for political forces within Scotland. Certain events have had their timelines altered to maximise the drama. However, as far as narrative imperatives allow, I’ve followed history and used primary sources. Like James III himself, the final instalment of Rona Munro’s trilogy is colourful, brash and unpredictable.