There are some shows that come along out of nowhere and capture my heart and/or imagination and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is one of these shows. I haven’t read the book, nor seen the film nor even saw much about it during its run at Chichester Festival Theatre so I went into this show knowing nothing about it and came out sobbing!

The show tells the story of Harold Fry who gets a letter from his friend Queenie who is dying in a hospice. As he goes to post his response he just keeps on walking until he finds himself walking the 600 mile journey to her hospice, believing that as long as he keeps moving she will live. As the walk goes on it becomes symbolic and an emotional journey for Harold as we learn more about his relationship with his wife Maureen along with his son and about his friendship with Queenie.

The book for the show is written by the original novelist, Rachel Joyce and it is beautifully paced. As the show gradually unfolds each piece clicks into place and the audience begin to understand Harold more and more as the show goes on and an ordinary, flawed man becomes the hero of the piece. The show also varies in tone, from funny moments and uplifting moments through to gut wrenching and shocking moments and these moments compliment each other rather than jar and present not only the show, but Harold himself as someone with depth.

Stylistically the story is beautifully depicted. There is a great use of the ensemble and choreographed movement by Tom Jackson Greaves, as they bear witness to Harold’s journey in a huge variety of forms even details such as the set changes carried out by the ensemble help create the feeling of constant movement as Harold went on his journey.

The music itself is by Passenger and the music has strong folk themes running throughout it but each number had a unique feel and really drives the story forward. It says something that I’m desperate for a cast recording, although Passenger himself has released some of the music so for now I will be content with that! ‘The Art of Getting Lost’ is a poignant moment when Harold meets a farmers wife with no children and in contrast the brilliant ‘Out of Luck’ brings comedy out of tragedy for both Harold and those he meets along the way. Each song has a wonderful manner of telling a story, which not only allows us to invest further in Harold but also with those he meets along the way.

Mark Addy plays the title role of Harold Fry and with a touching unshowy performance, flawed yet still someone you root for. It is this unassuming portrayal is what makes him utterly watchable and Harold’s emotional journey so affecting. Noah Mullins makes his West End debut as The Balladeer and he reels you in from the start with his intriguing portrayal. Jenna Russell is superb as Maureen Fry, Harold’s wife and her portrayal as Maureen is brilliantly nuanced, capturing both her brittleness and buried longing of a woman shaped by grief. Around them the rest of the cast multi role brilliantly and helps depict the multitude of people Harold meets on his journey, from Jenna Boyd playing a childless farmers wife to a sister at Queenie’s hospice. Each member of the cast is vital in Harold’s story and the people (and animals) he meets along the way reinforce the sense that the pilgrimage is not just Harold’s alone but shaped by people (and animals) he meets along the way. I must also commend Timo Tatzber for his portrayal of ‘dog’ along with a beautifully designed puppet who caused me to really invest in the relationship between Harold and the dog.

By the final moments, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry has quietly but completely earned its emotional wallop, not through spectacle or sentimentality, but through honesty. It understands that grief, love and forgiveness rarely arrive in grand gestures; more often they creep up on us, step by step, mile by mile. This is a musical that trusts its audience, allowing space for reflection as much as feeling, and in doing so lingers long after the curtain falls. I arrived knowing nothing and left feeling everything — and that, in musical theatre, is something rather special indeed.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is on at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and is booking until the 18th April. You can find out more and book tickets here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of My Neighbour Totoro, American Psycho and Hadestown.