 There are few figures in Irish and British history as fascinating, contradictory, and elusive as Sir Roger Casement. Celebrated internationally for exposing atrocities committed in the Congo and the Amazon, earning a knighthood for his humanitarian work, Casement would later be condemned by Britain as a traitor for his role in seeking Irish independence. His legacy remains deeply contested. Was he a hero, a patriot, an idealist, a naive revolutionary, or all of these things at once? It was only recently, through Rory Carroll's A Rebel and Traitor, his follow-up to the acclaimed Killing Thatcher, that I was introduced to Casement's story. What struck me immediately was not simply the historical significance of the man, but the contradictions at the heart of him. Peter Arnott's Shall Roger Casement Hang? embraces those contradictions rather than attempting to resolve them.  Before the play begins in a London interrogation room, Sir Roger Casement and Captain Reginald Hall had already become opposing figures in one of Britain's most turbulent periods. Casement had evolved from a celebrated British diplomat to a committed Irish nationalist, seeking German support with weapons for Irish independence during the First World War. Hall, as Director of Naval Intelligence, played a key role in the intelligence operation that led to Casement's capture in 1916. Their confrontation provides Peter Arnott with the ideal framework to examine both the man Casement was and the competing narratives that continue to define his legacy more than a century later. The play undoubtedly rewards audiences already familiar with Casement and the curious questions his life raises, but it never alienates those encountering him for the first time. In fact, when this very question was posed during the post-show Q&A, it became clear that many in the audience were new to Casement's story. The interrogation setting becomes a space where Hall's questioning allows audiences to grapple with the contradictions that have surrounded Casement ever since his execution. How do we understand a man so embedded within British society that he was often perceived as more English than Irish, who proudly accepted a knighthood from the King, yet ultimately gave his life in pursuit of Irish independence? How do we reconcile Casement's association with the Easter Rising with the historical reality that he raced from Germany on a submarine to Ireland in an attempt to prevent what he feared would be a catastrophic loss of life?  The play also does not shy away from the deeply uncomfortable questions surrounding Casement's relationships with young men and how they might be viewed by modern audiences. Arnott resists offering definitive judgments. Instead, Casement emerges as a man of profound complexity whose life continues to challenge simplistic narratives. It is precisely because he defies straightforward categorisation that he remains such a fascinating and enigmatic figure. Paul Arendt delivers a captivating performance as Casement, embodying the conviction of a man facing the consequences of his choices and believing that history is already on his side. Adrian Moore is fantastic as Captain Reginald Hall, providing a formidable foil whose probing questions challenge Casement. When the production breaks free from the confines of the interrogation room through flashbacks to Casement's capture in Kerry and also his meeting with a priest following his arrest, Moore inhabits multiple roles through a masterful command of accent. Significantly, these figures also struggle to define Casement. Like Hall, they both seek to understand who he really is and what brought him into their world, only to also find confusion.  Looming behind the action throughout is the striking image of a gallows and hangman's noose. Under Hannah Bradley Croall's direction, this ever-present reminder of fate and mortality hangs over the production's eighty-five minutes with growing significance. Casement's fate is never absent from the audience's mind. Yet the noose also serves as a reminder that, while this interrogation unfolds in London, others involved in the Easter Rising are risking their lives for Irish independence and facing execution themselves at the hands of the British. As the inaugural production from Union Theatre Company, this feels an especially fitting choice. The Edinburgh-based independent company champions the power of grassroots theatre, supporting Scotland-based artists through challenging, engaging, and thoughtful work. Shall Roger Casement Hang? embodies that mission perfectly. It is intellectually ambitious without sacrificing its emotional core, asking difficult questions while delivering compelling drama. More than a century after Casement's death, this production demonstrates that the debates surrounding his life remain unresolved and strikingly relevant. It leaves audiences not with certainty, but with curiosity, provoking the kind of exciting conversations that will continue in the surrounding bars and streets after the curtain falls. Lee Hutchison
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