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Shall Roger Casement Hang?

 
Ruth Bennett Review by Ruth Bennett 3 Published: 17 Jun 2026 Hill Street Theatre Show Dates: 15 Jun 2026-19 Jun 2026

Shall Roger Casement Hang?, the inaugural offering from the newly launched Union Theatre Company, is an ambitious and thought-provoking production. It delivers many delights, particularly in the quality of the acting, but is not an altogether successful undertaking.

Paul Arendt as Roger Casement is nothing short of superb

Peter Arnott’s script is an imagined reconstruction of the interrogation of Sir Roger Casement, the British diplomat apprehended just before the Easter Rising of 1916 for soliciting German support for Irish independence. Though the temporal focus is tight, the scope of ideas is broad, touching on Irish republicanism, colonialism, racism, homophobia and identity. None of those themes is satisfactorily explored within the scant running time, nor even particularly engaged with; they feel like points of inspiration hung tantalisingly above the cliché-studded dialogue but only occasionally reached for.

Flashback scenes involving Casement’s capture add welcome variety to long, airless passages of repetitive questioning. Director Hannah Bradley Croall clearly recognises the pitfalls of stasis present in the writing, but her strategies to enliven it often don’t land. Attempts to boost drama via blocking feel awkwardly artificial and unmotivated by character. A projected visual involving trans rights protests throws yet another unexplored issue into the mix and adds an anachronistic quirk. Another projection about the kind of violence Casement documented in his work would have been moving if integrated within the story but instead sits uncomfortably, with real human suffering employed as a background effect.

On the positive side of the ledger, Paul Arendt as Roger Casement is nothing short of superb. The intimate setting of Edinburgh’s Hill Street Theatre allows his every grimace and tic to wonderfully illuminate the nuances of this wounded, dignified historical character. His portrayal is deeply embodied, complex and flawless.

As Captain Reginald Hall and in other roles, Adrian Moore adeptly switches accents and personas to efficiently establish changes in setting (ably assisted by Rob Shields’ effective lighting design). He excels early on as the affable interrogator who only slowly reveals the extent of his gathered dossier on Casement. However, as his relationship with the detainee deepens, his character often remains too rooted in a limited emotional palette. Rather than quiet menace or subtle shifts into rage, there are abrupt and less credible transformations.

At its heart, this is a serious drama about a life-or-death matter that is curiously lacking in vital tension. The gallows hanging over Michael Mulligan’s spare but evocative set aren’t enough to elevate the stakes and allow this heavy piece to ever fully lift off.

Despite some missteps and arguable miscalculations, however, the new Union Theatre Company radiates a rare standard of professionalism at every point in its operations. These newcomers demonstrate exciting potential and are certain to add much value to grassroots theatre in Edinburgh and beyond.

Amir Nisi

Ruth Bennett

Ruth Bennett is an Edinburgh-based drama critic, playwright, writer, and musician. She served as a US diplomat for 20 years in the cultural sector, primarily in Europe and Southeast Asia. Prior to that, she worked as a journalist in Washington DC and in Oregon, and as an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon.

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Based on real events in the run up to the Easter Rising, 1916, Shall Roger Casement Hang? is a dramatisation of the diplomat and Irish Nationalist’s arrest and interrogation. A confrontation of two men who have served Britain, it asks fundamental questions about history, colonialism, and national identity. The stakes are raised when violent events elsewhere and a revelation of Casement’s identity come to light, ensuring that the Empire they have both served will never be the same again.

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