THE HARDER THEY COME

Stratford East

★★★★★

“bursts with joy while delivering serious social commentary”

After its 2025 sell out triumph, ‘The Harder They Come’ roars back onto the stage. Based on Perry Henzell and Trevor Rhone’s cult classic film – credited with bringing reggae to the world – this musical revival bursts with life, rhythm and resistance.

Ivan, a poor singer from the country, hits Kingston ready for the big time. But his stubborn optimism is no match for rampant corruption, which soon sees him topping the charts and the most wanted list. Can he win his fight against injustice, and who’ll get caught in the crossfire?

Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks’ fizzes with life, rich with Jamaican Patois and the cadences of 1970s Kingston. It slices through the capitalist fantasy, charting Ivan’s shift from dreamer to rebel with razor sharp humour. Elsa’s expanded role shines, giving her much more agency as she mirrors Ivan’s growing distrust of authority – though some supporting characters feel a little under drawn. Ultimately Ivan’s tragic arc exposes a broken system, giving the story a bite that speaks to ongoing Black experiences today.

Musical icon Jimmy Cliff’s classics and Park’s new numbers soak the show in Jamaican soul, with Ashton Moore and Benjamin Kwasi Burrell’s supervision, orchestration and arrangements weaving reggae hits seamlessly into the story. The score lifts the room, with sharp musical tension at key moments. The titular song smartly signals Ivan’s rise and fall. The absolutely knockout ‘Many Rivers To Cross’ earns a mid show ovation. Act 2 feels lighter on songs, but Luke Bacchus and the onstage band keep the musical heartbeat strong throughout.

Olivier award winning Matthew Xia’s direction, with associate Emily Aboud, crackles with pace and confidence, charting Ivan’s corruption with believable clarity before accelerating into the climax. The humour lands sharply, with bold physical theatre and an outrageous fantasy sequence. That said, Xia still nails the serious beats when needed, delivering an audience winning balance.

Choreography by Shelley Maxwell, with Associate Neisha-yen Jones, brings sassy sharpness to every beat. The tonal range is impressive – from playful swagger, to bold fantasy, to a defiant showdown with authority. A beautiful and vibrant celebration of Jamaican and Afro diasporic movement.

Simon Kenny’s set design delivers slick transitions and a surprising range of locations, with Ivan’s rise and fall neatly echoed by a central platform. Jessica Cabassa’s costumes cleverly chart Ivan’s notoriety and mark class divides. Ciarán Cunningham’s lighting blends realism with bold pops of colour. Tony Gayle’s live sound brings a rich bassy resonance, though occasionally overpowers the lyrics, and Nicola T. Chang’s soundscape, with David Beckham’s support, vividly place us in each setting. Gino Ricardo Green’s video smartly nods to the cult film, and Dominique Hamilton’s wigs and makeup are beautifully realised.

Natey Jones returns as Ivan, firing up the stage with stunning vocals and a gripping descent that keeps our empathy intact. Madeline Charlemagne returns as Elsa – a role shared with Chanice Alexander-Burnett – bringing emotional grounding and soaring vocals to her own sharp awakening. Rachel John takes on Daisy, stealing the show with gut wrenching vocals and commanding the stage in this relatively small role. Daniel Bailey’s José shifts smoothly from playful swagger to steely edge. Ashley Samuels nails the Preacher’s comic bite and simmering menace, while Thomas Vernal’s Hilton blends velvet vocals with real danger. The whole cast earns their mid show standing ovation for a blistering ‘Many Rivers To Cross’ – everyone absolutely lets rip and it’s utterly glorious.

‘The Harder They Come’ bursts with joy while delivering serious social commentary. If you missed it first time around, run and grab tickets while you can!

THE HARDER THEY COME

Stratford East

Reviewed on 21st May 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Pamela Raith

THE HARDER THEY COME

★★★★

“a moving, sharply observed piece that captures life from every angle”

‘Visite’, created by Teatro dei Gordi with Teatro Franco Parenti, makes its UK debut with quietly moving power. Set in the room where most of life unfolds – a bedroom – the piece traces the rituals, reactions and transitions that carry us from youth to old age with precise observation and beautifully crafted movement.

A bedroom. An older woman. A life distilled. ‘Visite’ compresses a family’s decades into a single room, revealing the weight of ageing while still finding glimmers of joy.

Riccardo Pippa’s movement driven concept – devised with cast members Cecilia Campani, Giovanni Longhin, Andrea Panigatti, Sandro Pivotti, Maria Vittoria Scarlattei and Matteo Vitanza, and shaped by Giulia Tollis’ dramaturgy – asks a simple question: what stories does a single room hold? The result is a series of overlapping and colliding lives as they visit and inhabit one of our most private spaces. Through precise movement and minimal dialogue, we feel time stretch and contract – from the exuberance of youth to the routines of adulthood, followed by the sudden shock of losing your independence. It’s a sharply observed, hard-hitting, hope filled portrait of life in all its seasons.

Pippa’s direction, with assistant Daniele Cavone Felicioni, gives the show’s decades-long arcs real lift. Tight, articulate movement and vivid expression chart the emotional sweep from youthful ebullience to the habits and heartbreaks of adulthood. The time passing sequence, showing routines becoming embedded as age quietly creeps in, is genius. However, the birthday scene is less clear, blurring whether we’re fast forwarding, witnessing grief, showing decline, or perhaps some combination. The stark change of pace in the new bedroom is rather jarring, its relative stillness dragging a little. But this enforced boredom cleverly mirrors the character’s loneliness and ultimately lands the intended point with force. Overall, it’s a striking, compassionate piece of direction.

The design delivers a cohesive, thoughtful world. Ilaria Ariemme’s exaggerated masks land as a pointed metaphor for ageism, while frequent yet subtle costume changes smartly track the stages of life. Anna Maddalena Cingi’s homely scenography – especially the evolving bedding, a tiny detail that could easily have been overlooked – gives the room real lived in warmth. Paolo Casati’s lighting is understated but striking, moving from crisp geometric shadows to softer washes, with a shadow play moment hinting at life outside those four walls. Luca De Marinis’ sound design is witty and perceptive, questioning why ageing means abandoning the music we love, and using volume to cleverly signify freedom and volition.

Campani, Longhin, Panigatti, Pivotti, Scarlattei and Vitanza form a tight, expressive ensemble, bringing real clarity to their shifting roles. Their physical storytelling is strong, charting the journey from youthful optimism to late life fragility well – though a few details could push the octogenarian physicality further. The brief dialogue lands well, especially the wonderfully awkward “Onion” poem, capturing exactly the careful, slightly stilted tone of bedside reading.

‘Visite’ is a moving, sharply observed piece that captures life from every angle. With a little tightening, it has the potential to be extraordinary.

Category Archives: Reviews

THE HARDER THEY COME

★★★★★

Stratford East

THE HARDER THEY COME

Stratford East

★★★★★

“bursts with joy while delivering serious social commentary”