Mark Addy and company in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester. Picture: Manuel Harlan

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry continues at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester until 14 June 2025.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★★

“Flawless” isn’t an adjective I find cause to use very often in reviews. This time, however, it expresses my reaction perfectly.

Based on Rachel Joyce’s 2012 novel, The Amazing Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is an almost unbearably moving story about reconciliation, forgiveness and grief, given new, very beautiful vibrant life in this outstanding production: effectively a folk opera.

The titular Harold (Mark Addy – wonderful performance) receives a letter from a former work colleague, who he hasn’t seen or heard from for 20 years. She tells him she is dying in a hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed. To the astonishment of his anxious but initially chilly wife Maureen (Jenna Russell – good), he decides he must walk there from his home in Devon to save Queenie (Amy Booth-Steel) ….

Read the rest of this review at Musical Theatre Review https://musicaltheatrereview.com/the-unlikely-pilgrimage-of-harold-fry-minerva-theatre-chichester/