Review: THE HARDER THEY COME at Stratford East

This new musical is based on the 1972 Jamaican film of the same name, famous for bringing reggae to the world outside the Caribbean. Set in Jamaica, The Harder They Come tells the story of Ivan, a young man recently arrived in Kingston, hoping to make it big in the reggae music business. Like another musical theatre protagonist from the Caribbean, Ivan is young, scrappy and hungry (there are a few other similarities too regarding the characters’ personalities and fates, though I’ll spare you the spoilers). Upon arriving in Kingston, Ivan declares that he should be a music star, only to be immediately hampered by the availability of any kind of job. THTC’s plot is episodic, but this production manages to make Ivan’s series of misadventures convincing to witness.

That’s down to Suzan-Lori Parkes’ book, which keeps the action moving swiftly along. It’s also due to bold direction from Matthew Xia. When Ivan and his friends visit the cinema, a canvas drops down from the ceiling with the movie projected on, so the audience see what the characters do. It’s not a revolutionary technique but it works well each time it is repeated throughout the show. When Ivan and his love interest, Elsa, spot each other during a church service, the scene launches into a fantasy sequence where the congregation whip off their cassocks and start grinding and twerking on each other. Xia here demonstrates an understanding of how to use a musical theatre number to tell a story in a way which words can’t. He’s bolstered in this by Shelley Maxwell’s choreography and Simon Kenny’s bright, multi-level set.

Natey Jones knocks it out of the park in his performance as Ivan, particularly in the vocals. Elsa is a pretty standard Musical Theatre Love Interest, but in Madeline Charlemagne’s hands she’s believable, empathetic, and strong without being gratingly feisty. Charlemagne is especially good in THTC’s second act, where Elsa wrangles more complicated moral dilemmas. And special mention had to go to Jason Pennycooke as the local Preacher. Three-time Olivier nominee Pennycooke can raise a guffaw from the audience just from the way he walks onstage.

THTC’s score consists of traditional Jamaican music, popular reggae songs, and some material written for the show by Parkes. I’m not much of a reggae aficionado, so the music was never going to be a highlight for me, but I enjoyed the songs, and on press night, the reaction of the reggae enthusiasts around me suggested that if you’re a fan of this genre, the THTC’s music will more than satisfy you.

THTC could have been a damp squib. After all, it’s an adaptation of a 53-year-old film most famous on another continent, its plot juggles multiple genres even before the second act veers off into a crime caper, and music-wise a hodgepodge of jukebox musical which also includes elements of traditional music, plus a few new songs added in. And yes, the production does have its flaws and is a little clunky in places. But thanks to Parkes’ canny writing, Xia’s inventive direction, and some strong performances, The Harder They Come is a resounding, Reggae-sounding success.