Get a first look at reggae musical The Harder They Come, currently in previews for a world premiere Off-Broadway engagement at The Public Theater, in new production shots below. Adapted from the 1972 Jamaican film by Pulitzer winner Suzan-Lori Parks, the musical is set to open at the Off-Broadway company's Newman Theater March 15. Tony Taccone and Sergio Trujillo are at the helm with Edgar Godineaux choreographing.
Parks has adapted producer-director Perry Henzell and Trevor Rhone's screenplay for the new stage musical, with songs by Jimmy Cliff. The story centers on Ivan, a singer who comes to Kingston, Jamaica, in search of stardom. After falling in love and cutting a record deal, Ivan learns the dark side of the music industry and enters a battle that threatens both his life and the fabric of Jamaican society.
Meecah and Natey Jones
Natey Jones
Ken Robinson and Natey Jones
Dudney Joseph Jr, Shawn Bowers, Morgan McGhee, and Sir Brock Warren
Chelsea-Ann Jones, Dana Marie Ingraham, Morgan McGhee, Natey Jones, and Housso Semon
Jeannette Bayardelle and Natey Jones
Meecah
J. Bernard Calloway and the Company of The Harder They Come
Meecah and Natey Jones
Natey Jones
Dominique Johnson, Shawn Bowers, Andrew Clarke, and Jacob Ming-Trent
Natey Jones, Jacob Ming-Trent, Shawn Bowers, Dominique Johnson, and Andrew Clarke
Natey Jones
Natey Jones and the Company of The Harder They Come
The cast includes Jeannette Bayardelle as Daisy, J. Bernard Calloway as Preacher, Andrew Clarke as Lyle, Dominique Johnson as Jose, Natey Jones as Ivan, Dudney Joseph Jr as Ray, Meecah as Elsa, Jacob Ming-Trent as Pedro, and Ken Robinson as Hilton. They're joined by an ensemble comprising Shawn Bowers, Jamal Christopher Douglas, Dana Marie Ingraham, Chelsea-Ann Jones, Morgan McGhee, Alysha Morgan, Housso Semon, Sir Brock Warren, and Christopher Henry Young, with understudies Eean Sherrod Cochran, Tyla Collier, Tiffany Francès, Garfield Hammonds, Dwight Xaveir Leslie, Denver Andre Taylor, and Carla Woods rounding out the company.
The production also features music supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements by Kenny Seymour, music direction by John Bronston, scenic design by Clint Ramos and Diggle, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Japhy Weideman, sound design by Walter Trarbach, projection design by Hana S. Kim, wig and makeup design by Earon Chew Nealey, prop management by Claire M. Kavanah, fight and intimacy direction by Rocio Mendez, dialect coaching by Dwight Bacquie, and music contracting by Kristy Norter. Jeffrey Rodriguez is the production stage manager, with Amanda Michaels and Alex Murphy serving as stage managers.
The soundtrack of the 1972 film is credited with popularizing reggae music across the globe, and in 2021 was preserved by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." This is the second adaptation of the film to the stage, following a British attempt in the early 2000s.
Visit PublicTheater.org.
