Let’s be honest, you’re probably booking a ticket to a stage adaptation of The Harder They Come for the songs. Perry Henzell’s seminal 1972 film is the movie that introduced reggae to the world, after all. But Suzan-Lori Parks’s new version of the stage musical – the second to have been staged at Stratford East after a hit 2006 version by Henzell himself – is as much about the grit of the production, impeccably directed by Matthew Xia, as it is the groove of its soundtrack.
And yes, of course, Jimmy Cliff’s anthems are as rousing as ever. The soundtrack roars, cracks and prickles in the hands of this killer cast, led by Natey Jones. Big hitters like the aspirational ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’ and the haunting power ballad ‘Many Rivers to Cross’ are so stirring, members of the audience can’t help but join in, to sing along.
Telling the story of Ivan (Jones) a young man who arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1971, eager to make a name for himself in the music industry, the book by Parks folds in the textures of city life, from the bustle of bars and backstreets to the weight of financial insecurity. Frustrated by his failure to climb to the top, Ivan slides his way into crime, eventually having to go on the run after shooting a police officer.
The story lacks the agony that was layered into the film’s fabric. But it is Xia’s ability to paint vivid stage pictures that makes this revival a hit. His production takes us inside cinemas, on bike rides through green fields, and both in front of and behind the screen of a recording studio. Ivan’s desires surge onto the stage in a dream sequence that visualises his lust for the Preacher’s ward, Elsa.
The dancing, choreographed by Shelley Maxwell in that moment, is particularly eclectic. But, elsewhere, the movement blends satisfyingly into the background, with chorus members populating scenes with feel-good sways and body rolls. The closing number of act one, ‘The Time is Now’, which shows Ivan’s talent in its full glory, initially starts as a nervous ripple, but ends with the whole company exploding in colour and elation.
Some of the characters, including Elsa, stay very much two-dimensional drawings (luckily, Madeline Charlemagne more than makes her mark as Ivan’s lover, with a voice like molten gold). And Ivan’s sudden transformation into the people’s hero feels a little rushed and a tad unbelievable. Still, for the most part, Jones’s Ivan is a presence and personality enough to keep the narrative anchored.. As danger builds – shown aptly by the beating number, ‘Pressure Drop’ – he never once stops fighting for what he thinks is right. Even as the final damning gunshots are fired, Ivan’s spirit and talent hang in the air.
