The Harder they Come - UK TOUR - May 14th - July 10th (2010)

In association with Nottingham Playhouse presents the Theatre Royal Stratford East and UK Arts production of

The Authentic Reggae Musical Sensation

Live on UK Tour

Apart from a sell-out week at The Birmingham Hippodrome plus runs in Miami and Toronto The Harder They Come has never toured. UK Arts International present an extensive national tour in association with Nottingham Playhouse.

With original cast members on board including Victor Romero Evans, Marlon King, Chris Tummings, Joy Mack and Derek Elroy plus Matt Henry in the central role of Ivan, originally played by Jimmy Cliff in the film, The Harder They Come is a perennial redemption story, with a proven appeal to audiences across the board.

Summer 2010

It was the 1972 movie that took reggae to the world. Now The Harder They Come is set to take Britain by storm once again, live on stage. Following a triumphant West End run and high profile performances in Toronto and Miami, a national seven-venue tour of this iconic reggae musical takes place from May to July 2010, bringing original author Perry Henzell’s quintessential tale of 70s Jamaica to life.

Perennially topical, The Harder They Come is the acclaimed adaptation of the groundbreaking film starring Jimmy Cliff featuring his classic songs such as You Can Get It If You Really Want It, Rivers of Babylon, and the hit title track, The Harder They Come. An all time classic film soundtrack and one of reggae’s best ever selling recordings, Cliff’s songs remain as inspirational and relevant as when they were first written in the aftermath of Jamaica’s early years of Independence.

Now spectacularly staged with an acclaimed cast and full reggae band, the music comes alive in a powerful and life-affirming drama of broken dreams, wasted youth and redemption…the story of a Jamaican rebel with a cause.

The show was written by the film’s original producer /writer/ director, the late Perry Henzell and first performed by an all-Jamaican cast. Since the opening London run, it has continued to attract enthusiastic audiences through its vivid characterisation, timeless music and dramatic bite.

Says show producer Jan Ryan of UK Arts International:

‘What’s really special is the total integrity with which the show has been mounted. It is the first genuine black Caribbean musical to be staged in the UK. Through Perry Henzell’s creative vision and supported by a top production team, the live show has an authenticity and truthfulness which energises audiences as much as the performers.


‘And though the songs were all written in the early seventies they’re still as fresh today – not just with an audience that remembers them from their youth, but with a young audience – black and white – that identifies with these timeless popular classics.’

First staged in 2006 at Theatre Royal Stratford East, The Harder They Come was revived by Stratford East in 2007, then restaged for the Barbican Theatre in 2008. This was followed by a five-month West End run at The Playhouse Theatre before transferring to the Birmingham Hippodrome (2008) and North America in 2009.

With 1970s authenticity and the resonance of a modern fable of gangs, guns and disaffected youth, ‘Harder’ has not only proved to be a successful show in its own right, but also a potent cultural expression of contemporary Britain’s ongoing issues of social exclusion, poverty and inner-city breakdown.

For press enquiries please contact:
Anna Goodman at Abstrakt Publicity abstrakt@abstraktpublicity.co.uk
Tel: 0207 873 0440 / 07976 247 026


Tour Dates:

Nottingham Playhouse May 14th – 22nd

http://www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/

Birmingham Hippodrome May 25th – 29th

http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/

West Yorkshire Playhouse June 1st - 5th

http://www.wyp.org.uk/

Northampton Derngate June 8th – 12th

http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk/

Wimbledon theatre June 15th - 19th

www.ambassadortickets.com/New-Wimbledon-Theatre

The Lowry, Salford June 22nd – 26th

http://www.thelowry.com/

Oxford Playhouse – June 29th – July 3rd

http://www.oxfordplayhouse.com/  

Cardiff New Theatre – July 6th – 10th

http://www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk/