In 1972, “The Harder They Come” brought reggae to the world and catapulted Jimmy Cliff – who starred in the film and wrote and performed several of the songs on its soundtrack – to international fame, said Sonny Waheed on What’s on Stage. This glorious adaptation, by Suzan-Lori Parks, honours that cinematic landmark while standing in its own right as a “vibrant, moving and ultimately triumphant piece of musical theatre”.
Set in Jamaica, it tells the story of singer-songwriter Ivan, a “country boy” who arrives in Kingston with the dream of making it as a recording artist, only to encounter corruption and slide into a life of crime. But where the film was a gritty drama, featuring scenes of intense violence, Parks has created for the stage something “altogether more uplifting”. Matthew Xia’s staging “crackles with visceral energy”, while the choreography, by Shelley Maxwell, “gives everything a natural rhythm that permeates” the evening “like a collective heartbeat”.
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“There are only aces in this deck,” said Chris Wiegand in The Guardian. The cast are “uniformly excellent”, set and costume design are impressive – with a “sharp eye for unadorned spiritual and natty secular stylings” – and the eight-piece band is as precise as the stunning choreography. It makes for an irresistible and spectacular show.
Theatre Royal Stratford East, London E15. Until 1 November, stratfordeast.com.
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