Sir Roger Casement, the Irish patriot who was executed by the British for treason in August 1916, is the subject of Richard F. Stockton’s play now at the Irish Rep. A two-act work that relies too much on narration, Prisoner of the Crown is not much more than a solid courtroom drama. Yet Ciaran O’Reilly’s fast-paced production makes the evening absorbing.

Most people have never heard of Casement, who made an international stir in 1904 when, as British consul in the Congo Free State, he assembled a report exposing atrocities. He did similar work in Peru, before enlisting in the Irish independence movement. He was arrested in County Kerry in April 1916, after seeking aid for the cause from Germany and just before the Easter Rising.