JADAR

★★★★★

It’s been a long time since I’ve left the theatre with a spring in my step and tears in my eyes, completely and utterly moved by what I’ve just seen… The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry did that!

Based on Rachel Joyce’s 2012 novel, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry follows titular character, Harold, played by the wonderful Mark Addy (Game of Thrones, The Full Monty), who receives a letter from a former work colleague, Queenie, telling him she is dying of cancer in a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed. In a crazy spur of the moment, he decides he must walk there, in nothing but the boat shoes on his feet, from his home in Devon – over 500 miles. 

Without giving too much away, as Harold journeys north, we learn of his inner turmoil that’s spurring him along, related to his son David who he hasn’t seen in over 20 years and an event at the brewery he formerly worked at with Queenie. 

Staging a play where the central plot is a long walk is no easy feat: the musical could have fallen into something very boring and repetitive. Katy Rudd (Director – I was also a big fan of her work on The Ocean at the End of the Lane!) and Samuel Wyer (Designer) do a brilliant job of storytelling using props and staging. The ensemble float in from the side of the stage, acting as the sheep, horses, apple trees and phone boxes Harold passes. It’s seamless and immaculate as scenes change around him – lads playing rugby as he lands in Exeter, Jane Austen fans in Pemberly t-shirts as he journeys through Bath.

Woven throughout is also the music. Composed by Mike Rosenberg, more famously known as Passenger, the songs accompany the props to move the story forward, with a nice mix of upbeat tap-dancing hits and slow and somber numbers making the musical extremely well-paced.  The standouts for me were ‘Walk Upon The Water’ (big love for the pom poms and glittery dresses!), ‘Keep on Walking’, ‘Mr Fry’ and ‘One Foot in Front of the Other’. These will be instantly added to the Musicals playlist on Spotify. I can also guarantee there was not a single dry eye in the audience as the curtain closed to Here’s One for the Road. Folk in style, reminiscent of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with poignant lyrics that make you relate to Harold on his journey, this show wouldn’t be what it is without the music. 

But it’s also all about the people Harold meets along the way. From the doctor from Bratislava to the silver-haired gentleman who is buying a gift for the young man he loves, each individual Harold encounters on the journey changes the way he sees the world, as their acts of kindness encourage him to continue in his pilgrimage. Jenna Russell plays a phenomenal Maureen Fry, the wife who has been left at home to continue running her house while Harold walks, overcome by grief and loneliness. The juxtaposition between the natural world of sheep, birds, and countryside with Maureen’s domestic world back home in Devon is astounding. If anything, the show could have benefited from less flashbacks to Queenie and Harold at the brewery (necessary to the plot but jarring) and more Maureen (her singing was phenomenal!)
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is filled with charisma, warmth, charm and inspiration, showing us how someone’s determination can keep you going and how someone will be there for you even when you can’t ask for help. While I’m off to the library to pick up the book to read, I encourage everyone to put their boating shoes on, head down to Theatre Royal Haymarket and join Harold on his adventures.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry runs at Theatre Royal Haymarket until April 18.