The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (musical)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Original World Premiere Production Poster
Music	Passenger
Lyrics	Passenger
Book	Rachel Joyce
Basis	The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Premiere	5 May 2025: Minerva Theatre, Chichester
Productions	2025 Chichester

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fryis a musical with music and lyrics by Passenger and a book by Rachel Joyce based on her 2012 novel of the same name.

Production history

Chichester (2025)

The musical received its world premiere as part of the 2025 season at the Chichester Festival Theatre. The production ran from 5 May to 14 June 2025. It was directed by Katy Rudd, choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves, and designed by Samuel Wyer. The cast included Mark Addy as Harold Fry and Jenna Russell as Maureen Fry. ^{[1] [2]} Full casting was announced on 14 March 2025. ^[3]

On the announcement of the musical, Passenger released a music video performing a song from the musical "Keep On Walking Mr Fry" ^[4]

West End (2026)

The show is scheduled to transfer to London's West End in 2026. ^[5] The show is expected to begin performances from 29 January 2026 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Mark Addy and Jenna Russell are expected to reprise their performances from Chichester with further casting to be announced. ^[6]

Cast and characters

Character	Chichester
	2025
Harold Fry	Mark Addy
Maureen Fry	Jenna Russell
The Balladeer	Jack Wolfe
Queenie Hennessy/Farmer's Wife	Amy Booth-Steel
Wilf	Tarinn Callender
Silver-Haired Gentleman/Mr Napier	Don Gallagher
Garage Girl/Kate	Sharon Rose
Sister Philomena/Martina	Madeleine Worrall

Musical numbers

Act I

• "Rise Up" – Balladeer & Ensemble
• "Walk Upon the Water" – Garage Girl & Ensemble
• "Song for the Countryside" – Balladeer & Ensemble
• "Such is Life" – Farmer's Wife
• "Shout it from the Rooftops" – Silver-Haired Gentlemen
• "Tin of Soup for One" – Maureen
• "You're Fucked" – Martina
• "Keep On Walking Mr Fry" – Sister Philomena
• "The Pilgrim's Tale" – Balladeer & Ensemble

Act II

• "My Hero Harold Fry" – Wilf
• "Such A Simple Thing" – Maureen & Ensemble
• "One Foot in Front of the Other" – Kate, Balladeer & Ensemble
• "Dear Girl in the Garage" – Harold
• "Here's One for the Road" – Balladeer & Ensemble

Recordings

On the announcement of the West End transfer, a song from the musical "Song for the Countryside" was released as a single performed by Passenger (featuring Jack Wolfe who played The Balladeer in the Chichester production). ^[7]

On 10 September 2025, Passenger released an album called "One For The Road (Songs from The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry the Musical)" with Black Crow Records. It features 10 tracks including "Song for the Countryside" featuring Jack Wolfe and "Walk Upon the Water" featuring The Kingdom Choir. ^[8]

References

1. "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry musical to have world premiere – with lead casting revealed". 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
2. "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry musical to play Chichester Festival Theatre starring Mark Addy & Jenna Russell | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
3. "Full cast announced for THE UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE OF HAROLD FRY at Chichester Festival Theatre". West End Best Friend. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
4. Passenger (2025-02-13). Passenger | Keep On Walking Mr Fry (from the musical "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry") . Retrieved 2025-02-22– via YouTube.
5. "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry lands West End transfer". thestage.co.uk. The Stage. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
6. Rook, Olivia (2025-08-15). "'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' to transfer to the West End". London Theatre. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
7. Passenger (2025-07-18). Passenger | Song For The Countryside (Featuring Jack Wolfe) . Retrieved 2025-08-08– via YouTube.
8. Team, News (2025-09-10). "Passenger releases new album featuring songs from new West End musical The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. Retrieved 2025-09-15.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)