The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Rachel Joyce, Peter Darling and Katy Rudd, who also dircts.
Music by Passenger
Theatre Royal Haymarket
Star rating: 5
I liked this vibrant show in its first outing in Chichester Festival Theatre’s almost-in-the-round Minerva Theatre last year so much that I awarded it five stars which is unusual for me. It has now bedded so happily – despite proscenium arch limitations – into Theatre Royal Haymarket, that, if I could, I’d give this West End transfer six stars. Rarely have I seen a show as close to perfection as this one is.
Based on Rachel Joyce’s 2012 novel it tells the story of a very ordinary man (Mark Addy) living in Devon with his wife (Jenna Russell) of many years. Their marriage has become humdrum and they aren’t communicating. Then comes a letter from a former colleague of Harold’s telling him that she is dying in a hospice. So, for reasons he doesn’t even understand himself, he sets off to walk 500 miles to Berwick-on-Tweed to say goodbye to her. In the tradition of Pilgrim’s Progress, The Canterbury Tales, The Hobbit and every other quest story you can think of, he has enlightening encounters on the way.
It’s a rich narrative about marriage, love, hope, despair, grief, forgiveness, reconciliation and friendship. And part of the reason it works so well on stage is that Rachel Joyce herself wrote the musical’s book and has co-adapted it as a quasi-folk opera with Peter Darling and director, Katy Rudd. The result is stunning at every level.
The two central performances are beautifully nuanced. Addy’s Harold is down-to-earth and likeable but he has issues. And Rudd’s direction – wonderful ensemble work enhanced by Paule Constable’s evocative lighting – reveals his troubled inner world perfectly. Addy is no singer but does occasionally contribute a bit of song-spiel and it’s fine. Jenna Russell’s character, meanwhile, is on a journey of her own and it’s gradually developed with warmth and some very pure moments of reflection through singing. There is (no spoilers in case you don’t know this story) a massive elephant in the room which, for a long time, blocks communication between them.
Then there’s guitar-playing Noah Mullens as the balladeer who dances ethereally around them, singing Passenger’s songs with panache and driving the narrative. The music, with orchestrations and arrangements by Jeremy Holland-Smith, comes in various folksy styles from the hilarious Out of Luck (brilliant cameo by Madeleine Worrall) and the Tin of Soup for One (ditto Jenna Boyd) to the poignant power of many other numbers. And it’s adeptly driven by Chris Poon with a seven-piece band in the pit. Full marks too, to Clodagh Kennedy who plays fiddle – mostly on stage – with astonishing energy, especially in the barn dance sequence. Her ability to switch styles continually is very impressive.
This show is a pleasingly democratic ensemble piece in every sense of the word. The ensemble represents the mood of the moment in movement, shifts scenery and sits at the side passing props such as phones to support centre stage action. And almost every ensemble member emerges, at some point, as a character with his or her own role/number. This, as with Ballet Shoes, is Katy Rudd at her inspiring best.
The reason The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry works so outstandingly well is that this is a show about “real” people. We all know them. So we feel totally in touch as they try to make sense of their lives. No wonder there were so many empathetic audience tears at the end. Bravo to everyone involved.
