The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

There is something inherently theatrical about a man simply deciding to walk. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at the Theatre Royal Haymarket understands that stillness and distance can be dramatic forces in themselves. This delightful musical leans into the gentleness, into reflection, and for the most part it earns the emotion it so openly seeks.

Mark Addy’s Harold is beautifully judged. He plays him as a man slightly out of step with the world, shoulders rounded not just with age but with years of unspoken regret. There’s a touching awkwardness to him, a sense that even beginning the walk feels improbable. Vocally he favours honesty over flourish, which truly works in the show’s favour. Harold isn’t meant to sound polished he’s meant to sound real, and he does.

Jenna Russell gives Harold’s wife Maureen a sharpness that cuts through the piece. Her stillness is as expressive as any lyric, and when she finally allows the character’s grief to surface, particularly in “Tin of Soup for One”, it lands with genuine force. It’s one of the evenings most affecting numbers: restrained, wounded, quietly devastating.

Noah Mullins, as the balladeer, acts as both guide and ghost of a memory weaving in and out of Harold’s journey with an ease that gives the show its narrative cohesion. The device could feel contrived, but her it works, especially as Mullin’s has such a haunting voice in the musical numbers that chart Harold’s reckoning with his past.

Musically Passenger’s score is melodic and accessible, full of folk-tinged warmth “Walk Upon the Water” brings a welcome lift of communal energy, while “Keep on Walking Mr Fry” has a gentle persuasive optimism that mirrors Harold’s stubborn hope. The ensemble numbers provide texture and much humour and occasionally a flash of grit, preventing the show from becoming too inward looking.

Director Katy Rudd keeps the staging fluid and unfussy. The set shifts almost imperceptibly as the miles pass; lighting from Paule Constable does much of the emotional heavy lifting. There’s a dreamlike quality to the movement of the ensemble, who morph from strangers to memories to manifestations of doubt. It makes the journey very dynamic.

If there is a criticism, it’s that the production sometimes presses a little too firmly on the emotional bruise. There are moments when the swell of music, the lyrics and the book are trying a little too hard to tug at the heart strings. When it relaxes and trusts the story to break us, that’s when it is most effective.

With that said this is a sincere story brought beautifully to life and makes you consider your own pilgrimage through life. As a new musical this should be a sure fire hit in the mould of ‘Billy Eliot’ and an achingly great night out at the theatre.

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Photo credit: Tristram Kenton