The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry announces West End transfer dates and details

The Chichester Festival Theatre production of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry will transfer to the West End next year.

The musical is adapted by Rachel Joyce from her novel of the same name, with music and lyrics by Passenger and direction by Katy Rudd. Initial casting has also been revealed.

The story follows Harold Fry, an ordinary man whose decision to deliver a letter to a long-lost friend by hand turns into an unexpected cross-country journey. Along the way, he encounters strangers, moments of kindness and personal revelations, while his wife Maureen embarks on her own path of change at home. You can read our review of the Chichester run here.

Performances begin at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 29 January 2026, running until 18 April, with a press night on 10 February. Priority tickets will be available from 9 September 2025, with general sale opening the following day.

Joyce said today: “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.”

The creative team includes designer Samuel Wyer, choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, arranger, orchestrator and additional music provider Jeremy Holland-Smith, musical supervisor and additional music provider Phil Bateman, lighting designer Paule Constable, sound designers Ian Dickinson and Gareth Tucker for Autograph, video designer Ash J Woodward, casting director Anna Cooper, and musical director Chris Poon.

The adaptation is co-created by Joyce, Peter Darling and Rudd, alongside dramaturg Nick Sidi, associate director Jamie Manton, production consultant Ben Arkell, costume supervisors Lisa Aitken and Laura Rushton, wigs, hair and make-up supervisor Melanie Bouvet and prop supervisor Propworks. Production management is by Ammonite Studios, orchestral management by Andy Barnwell and Rich Weeden for BW Musicians Ltd, and general management by Chris Harper Productions.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is presented in the West End by Chris Harper Productions and Nick Sidi with Len Blavatnik and Danny Cohen for Access Entertainment.

Earlier this summer, Passenger and Chichester star Jack Wolfe released a track from the show. A full concept album is expected shortly.