Sentimental Musical touches hearts

Theatre Royal Haymarket

Rachel Joyce‘s play started as a radio play, became a successful novel, was made into a film, was adapted into a musical in Chichester directed by Katy Rudd, and is now looking like a West End hit. It’s the story of a retired man who embarks on a 600 mile walk to visit an old colleague, now dying. In the course of the journey he meets many people and comes to terms with his own demons. Some critics found it ‘sentimental’ (The Stage) but others thought it was ‘heart warming’ (Telegraph). ‘Completely captivating’ (LondonTheatre) Mark Addy was felt to be a good choice for the curmudgeonly Harold despite not being much of a singer. Any vocal deficit on his part seems to have been more than made up for by the ‘sensational’ (The Stage) Jenna Russell as his wife. The music by Passenger was ‘genuinely catchy’ (Independent) or simply ‘amiable’ (The Times).

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4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Alex Wood of WhatsOnStage rejected the notion that it used emotional manipulation:: ‘It is a show bubbling with grief, hope, love, and music. Joyce’s writing has always possessed a particular groundedness; even at its most moving, it never feels overly saccharine.’  He gave much of the credit to the leading man: ‘Addy captures all of Harold’s journeys – physical, geographical, emotional, psychological, and philosophical – with an immense sense of skill and tempered restraint. He is a man of few words for much of the play, but it is in the cheery silence that Addy does his best work…It is a performance of quiet devastation.’ He summed up: ‘By the time the final number starts, you aren’t just crying because the show told you to; you’re crying because you’ve seen so many facets of a couple, burdened by decades of mourning, finally able to let it go.’

The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish had a similar thought: ‘You can easily argue that it is hardly subtle and wants us to weep and smile on cue; but, to my mind, its sadness rings true, while its crowd-pleasing positivity is hedged with knowing make-believe.’ He appreciated: ‘its gentle reckoning with grief, loss and loneliness’. It is, he said, ‘a heart-warming musical…that deserves to become an unlikely West End hit’.

The Independent’s Alice Saville said it was ‘a rare thing: a new British musical with an engrossing, new(ish) story that’s powered by genuinely catchy songs, written by Passenger’. She noted: ‘when pathos and calm is needed, we get it by the spadeload. Jenna Russell lends so much repressed depth to the part of Harold’s wife Maureen’. She pointed out: ‘There’s something sharply, painfully sad about the second act’s excavation of grief and loss, which lends a much-needed acidity to the musical comfort food that’s gone before.’

Olivia Rook at LondonTheatre reported that her heart melted: ‘thanks to Katy Rudd’s immaculate direction, and superb, balletic choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves, Harold Fry’s journey from Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed to see his old, dying friend Queenie is a heartfelt, gripping voyage.’ She loved Mark Addy: ‘His performance is the acting equivalent of putting on a favourite, comfortable old jumper —his Harold is a little rough round the edges, but he is good, real, stoic, and completely captivating’.

BroadwayWorld’s Aliya Al-Hassan credited the star: ‘Mark Addy (who had never performed in a musical prior to this) gives a great performance, first as the epitome of an unremarkable man, decent and polite who wears a shirt and tie to have breakfast, then slowly comes back to life as his journey progresses. His vocals are not the strongest in the cast, but there is heart and deep emotion in his performance.’ She declared: ‘With a message of kindness, compassion and hope, it’s theatre that we all need right now.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Paul Vale for The Stage noted: ‘it’s is a distinctly British tale of relationships, loss and healing. Directed with lyrical flair by Katy Rudd, Joyce’s rather sentimental story blossoms as a musical, with Passenger’s diverse score enhancing those underlying themes.’ She pointed out: ‘It’s a curious and occasionally frustrating choice for the lead character to sing barely a note, but this is countered by the sensational Russell, who interprets Passenger’s songs with emotional integrity and a sublime narrative skill.’

The Times’ Clive Davis damned with faint praise: ‘The truth, though, is that while the folk-inflected songs by Mike Rosenberg (known as Passenger) are amiable enough…Joyce’s script is oddly underpowered…Katy Rudd’s production at the Haymarket in the West End trudges on and on, tugging at our heartstrings along the way.’

Time Out‘s Andrzej Lukowski seemed to reject the musical, but then: ‘It is kind of MOR, and the various revelations along the way do skew towards the predictable. Still, I think male inarticulacy – both inward and out – is a fascinating odd thing to put at the heart of a work of musical theatre. And though a secondary theme, it does a very nice job in dissecting the nature of faith via Harold’s peculiar gaggle of followers, each of whom essentially see themselves reflected in their hero, a man that they don’t understand one bit. It’s a bit cosy, but not entirely so – there’s a wildness and darkness bubbling beneath the surface that means The Unlikely Pilgrimage packs a surprising punch.’

The Standard’s Nick Curtis was unmoved: ‘for all its obvious charms and consummate professionalism it remains curiously uninvolving and slight. Call it a meh-sical.’

Critics’ Average Rating 3.6⭑

Value Rating 37 (Value rating is the Critics’ average rating divided by the typical ticket price)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry can be seen at the Theatre Royal Haymarket until 18 April 2026. Buy tickets directly from https://haroldfrymusical.com/

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