The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Review by James
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“But I would walk 500 miles”. The Proclaimers mega-hit has unofficially found a new lease of life in this joyous production which has been translated from a best-selling book, to the screen, and now the stage.
While the 80’s Scottish rock duo have no writing credits, you’d be hard pressed not to see the narrative influences in this wholesome story of Harold Fry’s average Joe existence and his 500 mile walk from Devon to the Scottish border. At its core, the story follows one man’s journey of grief, guilt and redemption as he unexpectedly walks out of his staid life and goes all Forrest Gump on us.
Harold (played by the excellent Mark Addy) only pops out to post a letter to Queenie Hennessy, who unexpectedly re-enters his life.
You and I might swing by a petrol garage to grab a stale sandwich and an overpriced can of cola, but Harold receives a pearl of inspirational wisdom from Garage Girl (Nicole Nyarambi). And so, after Nyarambi’s roof-lifting number set it a car wash, Fry sets off in the hope his journey will keep Queenie alive long enough to see her in person.
What follows is a celebration of small acts of kindness and the folk traditions of rural England set to the toe-tapping original score of folk-rock wunderkind Passenger. There’s a likeness to the recent 5-star production of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but that is no bad thing.
There’s a lot of trauma to unpack. The writer - Rachel Joyce - throws endless tragedies into the stew. The torment of losing son David to drug addiction and suicide is palpable in the quaking vocals of Maureen (Jenna Russell) but it is the beautiful voice of son David (Noah Mullins) that stands out.
Delivering a play that traverses the length of England is no easy feat, but it’s achieved with an astonishing use of props. The ensemble effortlessly keeps apace with breakneck transitions and big musical numbers with all manner of everyday items. Timo Tatzber’s puppetry as Dog is a thrilling watch.
Sure, the production is guilty of veering from wholesome to mawkishly twee but it’s hard to begrudge when you’re having this much fun.