New musical THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY to transfer to West End
Photo credit: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Following a sold-out run, the Chichester Festival Theatre production of the five star “pitch-perfect musical” (The Times) The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will transfer to London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket from 29 January-18 April 2026, it has been announced.
Funny, profound, deeply moving and uplifting, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a joyous new musical adapted by Rachel Joyce from her multi-million selling novel, with “a ravishing score” (The Times) by the chart-topping indie musician, Passenger, and directed by Katy Rudd.
Recreating their roles are Mark Addy (The Full Monty, The Rig and Game of Thrones) as Harold and Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George, Hello, Dolly) as Maureen. Further casting is yet to be announced.
Rachel Joyce said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled that this joyful show has found a home in the West End. I never imagined, when I first wrote the book, that it would become a musical one day, and never in my wildest dreams did I think it might find a home in one of my favourite theatres – the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, which I have known and loved since I was a child. Passenger’s music and lyrics are perfect for this story of hope, as is Katy Rudd’s magical direction.”
Passenger added: “I’m delighted that our journey with Harold Fry continues, and our musical is now heading to the West End. I love Rachel’s beautiful story and resonate deeply with the characters and the journeys they go on. When I was asked to write the music and lyrics for the musical, I instantly knew that it was something that I had to be a part of. It’s been a real labour of love - not just for me, but all of the amazing people involved in the production.”
Harold Fry was never meant to be a hero. An ordinary man in an ordinary life until a letter from a long-lost friend sends him out the front door… and he keeps on walking.
From Devon’s quiet lanes to the windswept streets of Berwick-upon-Tweed, his journey becomes a pilgrimage of love, redemption, and second chances. Strangers turn into companions, kindness appears in unexpected places, and the road reveals more than Harold ever imagined. Back home, his wife Maureen begins her own journey, one that might bring them together again.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a moving celebration of the human spirit and a reminder it’s never too late to start again.
The production is designed by Samuel Wyer, with choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves, arrangement orchestration and additional music by Jeremy Holland-Smith, musical supervision and additional music by Phil Bateman, lighting by Paule Constable, sound by Ian Dickinson and Gareth Tucker for Autograph, video design by Ash J Woodward, casting by Anna Cooper CDG, musical direction by Chris Poon, and dramaturgy by Nick Sidi.
Tickets for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry go on general sale from 10 September here.
