Back on stage in London for the first time in 30 years, John Wilson’s World War I play For King and Country couldn’t actually be more timely. The play follows a young soldier called Private Hamp, who decides to walk away from the war and is then arrested for desertion. The play takes place during the trial which leaves Hamp’s life on the line and the audience wondering if he will be found innocent or guilty. The play tackles the topic of mental health, in particular men’s mental health, which is still very much stigmatised and could not be more relevant to today’s society.
As soon as you walk into the auditorium, you are greeted with the immersive and impressive set design. Designer Jacqueline Gunn’s courtroom set is surrounded in the auditorium by beautiful charcoal drawings, which included the battle front lines, an indication that the War was constantly around and affecting everybody at the time.

The cast is led by Adam Lawrence as Private Hamp, who brings an emotive depth to this character as well as a boyish naivety that really has the audience rooting for him. Playing his defending officer is Lloyd Everitt as Lieutenant Hargreaves, who was equally excellent and isn’t afraid to delve into Hargreaves ambitious side as he continued to fight for the truth with tooth and claw throughout the play. All of the acting talent among this brilliant ensemble shines brightly but, for me, one standout was Eugene Simon as the Padre who really brought empathy to his character, particularly in the scenes with Private Hamp. He added emphasis on creating the undertone of wishing he could’ve done better to support Hamp; something I’m sure we all feel. For King and Country is a truly, special play that had audience members sobbing in their seats. Director Paul Tomlinson has assembled a fantastic cast to perform this remarkable story. Don’t wait another 30 years to catch it.

For King and Country – Southwark Playhouse, London As we approach the centenary of the end of World War I, events commemorating the Great War continue. This latest, a revival of John Wilson’s play For King and Country by Dilated Theatre Company, is unusual in that it marks more than anything how the young men on the front could find themselves let down by the army who depended upon them. … as Wilson’s play marches towards what feels like an inevitable conclusion, one hopes for the sort of twist that befit the modern courtroom drama, some last-minute reprieve that would see justice being done rather than law being seen to be done. That sliver of hope, the collectively held breath of an audience willing on both Hamp and his superiors, is the sign of a well-executed drama.Reviewer: Scott Matthewman

The Stage For King and Country review at Southwark Playhouse, London – ‘visceral power’ Cameron Robertson, Thomas Weir and Adam Lawrence in For King and Country at Southwark Playhouse, London. Photo: Alex Brenner
Amongst the forgotten stories of the First World War, those of the soldiers executed for desertion must be some of the most harrowing. John Wilson’s 1963 courtroom drama For King and Country is set in a very specific cultural and historical context and … it’s gripping stuff and the arguments it makes about male mental health remain pertinent in today’s society. Paul Tomlinson’s production scarcely steps out of line and beautifully depicts the humanity underneath the stiff upper lips, performed by an immaculate ensemble against Jacqueline Gunn’s setting defined by an absence of colour amidst a horizon of wastelands. Leading up the denouement is the exposition of the officer classes’ willingness to sacrifice the working-class foot soldiers they unthinkingly relied on, exemplified by Henry Proffit’s complex Lieutenant Webb, with his mix of cruelty and mercy that would be wholly incompatible in any other circumstances.

Verdict John Wilson's well-made First World War courtroom drama retains a visceral power in a rock-solid production What’s On Stage Review: For King and Country (Southwark Playhouse) John Wilson's play about deserters in the Great War is staged in London for the first time in 30 years. It's not too much of a spoiler to say that this play ends badly for Private Arthur Hamp, a deserter from the bloody frontline in 1918. Three hundred and six men were executed by firing squad for acts of cowardice or desertion during the Great War, where mercy was seen as potentially opening the floodgates for discipline to break down, and other soldiers to take the same exit route. John Wilson's play follows the trial for cowardice and desertion of a young private. Driven beyond endurance by his three years on the battlefields and in the trenches, one day he simply walks away from the front. Quickly discovered and arrested after trying to board a train without papers or kit, his court martial swiftly follows. Shell shock was recognised as a condition at the time, but borderline lunacy appears to have been a requirement to make what we now recognise as post-traumatic stress disorder a sufficient reason for 'cowardice'.

What’s On Stage Paul Tomlinson's production captures the chill of the courtroom … as the climax builds, and his soldier colleagues prepare poor Private Hemp for his final hours, a palpable tension fills the theatre.