THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY at London’s Theatre Royal, Haymarket

Ensemble and Mark Addy (Harold Fry): photograph Tristram Kenton

Musicals always need a strong opening number. It draws in the audience and arouses excitement. This was the case here. Bursting onto the stage with enormous energy, the ensemble sang and danced to ‘Rise Up’. It was exciting and promised to be a positive light for the future numbers. But more of that later.

The tale is of emotion and hope simultaneously, relishing its simplicity and ‘goodness’. ‘A journey of the imagination, of memory, faith and human connection.’ Harold Fry, (played with conviction by Mark Addy) recently retired, receives a letter from his old friend and work colleague, Queenie, (Maggie Service) who is now living out her last in a hospice far from his own home. As many a retiree will empathise, Harold has a lot of time on his hands without any real purpose. Staying at home in a dull marriage with wife Maureen (Jenna Russell) who can barely tolerate him, he makes the impulsive and lone decision to take his time and walk the 500-mile trek from Devon to Berwick to visit his old pal. As long as he keeps on walking, she will remain alive. No mean feat (‘scuse the pun). And so, dressed in  coat and a comfortable pair of shoes, no mobile phone, hiking boots or map, he embarks on his own physical and spiritual journey, meeting a wide catalogue of people on the way with whom he chats and who accompany him, sharing their own stories and offering him support. Now, a quasi-celebrity and toast of many a media output, Harold has morphed, unintentionally, into an inspirational figure. We are routing for him, particularly in his ‘lower’ periods. Will he make it!

But it is not just the walk that is the feature of this intuitive tale. It is the character development, of those whom he meets, of Harold himself and his frustrated wife. To her his project seemed inane, preposterous but as he progresses in his quest, she too re-evaluates.

Like the book and the film, this charming musical production cannot fail to draw at the heartstrings. It is uplifting in essence. We, the audience, would not dream of such an undertaking and would simply jump into the ol’ motor and take to the road. But now we too join Harold on his physical and emotional journey, alongside the processions of walkers, sharing the highs and lows as he makes his way to Queenie.

Harold is haunted by his own tragedy. He cannot escape its presence in his every thought. The pilgrimage for him, whilst essentially to keep alive his old colleague, is one of personal cleansing.

The film featured beautiful landscapes and scenery. The book allowed our imaginations to picture the hills and dales. How would this compare? Suspend belief for an hour or so with Samuel Wyer’s simple stage design, using props and shifting scenery for the separate locations and exciting lighting/video effects (Paule Constable/Ash J Woodward) with shooting stars and vibrant sunsets.  It is a slick production with considered planning and direction. Props are moved seamlessly by the cast creating the flow of action and place.

 Passenger’s score suits each of the characters, who sing their stories and experiences. There is variety in the numbers which encapsulate different genres, but the magic and dynamism rests with the ensemble who capture the energy in individual performance and are strongest in synergy when singing together. That is not to take it away from Nicole Nyarambi as Garage Girl and Jenna Russell as Maureen, whose renditions were respectively dynamic and highly poignant.  Movement and choreography (Tom Jackson Greaves) is vibrant as the cast perform on the circle design symbolizing continuity, with no beginning and no end. Samuel Wyer must be congratulated for this intuitive design and creativity.

And some brilliant touches. Timo Tatzber’s ‘puppet’ dog is fabulous. Our imaginations are stoked. ‘Dog’ could be real and we oooh and aaah at this wizardry. The cast are totally invested in their portraits, with ensemble playing multi roles, and in their presentation of the underlying themes of loneliness, sadness, courage and optimism. They will move forward positively and with purpose, just like Harold and Maude whose lives, blighted by tragedy, have now awakened with a purpose for life.

Mark Addy (Harold), Jenna Russell (Maureen) with ensemble: photograph Tristram Kenton 

Mark Addy and Jenna Russell, as Harold and Maureen Fry, were convincing in their performance and the interesting touch of Balledeer Noah Mullins, who accompanies Harold on the way, is ethereal and Puck-like and can be translated on many levels.  There is a litany of characters, each of whom comes to life with their own backstory and transform with ease into their performances.

This is a show that works on all levels. It is a touching tale, seemingly simplistic but in truth highly complex. A journey of self discovery, if you will. The Incredible Journey of Harold Fry is not just about a physical journey, it is greater than that. More so an allegory of spiritual awareness, comradeship and awakening. It is charming and sincere and all wonder to Rachel Joyce who wrote the novel and co-adapted the script with Katy Rudd and Peter Darling, Katy Rudd’s direction and the brilliant design of Samuel Wyer.

Listings:

Playing at London’s Theatre Royal, Haymarket, until 18 April 2026

Running time: 2 hours 30 mins including a 20 minute interval

Photographs: Tristram Kenton