Following seasons at the Barbican and Theatre Royal Stratford East, the screen-to-stage adaptation of the cult reggae film The Harder They Come now transfers to the West End, where it opens at the Playhouse Theatre on 9 June 2008.

Based on the 1972 film that starred Jimmy Cliff and introduced reggae to a worldwide audience, The Harder They Come tells the story of young singer Ivan Martin who heads to Kingston in Jamaica with dreams of becoming a reggae star, but the harsh reality of the music scene drives him to a fast and furious life as an outlaw.
The stage version – written by Perry Henzell, the co-writer, director and producer of the original film, who died in 2006 – premiered in April 2006 at Theatre Royal Stratford, where it had a return season last year. This year it was revived in March for a month-long engagement at the Barbican Theatre and also visited the Birmingham Hippodrome.

The Harder They Come features songs from the original film soundtrack, including “You Can Get It If You Really Want”, “Higher and Higher”, “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Rivers of Babylon”, accompanied by a live reggae band. Rolan Bell, who has appeared in all previous stagings of the musical, will reprise his starring performance as Ivan in the West End.

Bell is joined in the West End company by Jacqui Dubois, Derek Elroy, Victor Romero Evans, Joanna Francis, Matthew J Henry, Marlon King, Susan Lawson-Reynolds, Joy Mack, Marcus Powell, Joe Speare and Chris Tummings. The production is directed by Stratford East artistic director Kerry Michael and Dawn Reid, and designed by Ultz with choreography by Jacki Guy.