★★★★★

“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 BOY WITH WINGS

Polka Theatre

★★★

“promises to enchant a new generation with the art of live theatre”

The Boy with Wings, a new co-production between Polka Theatre and Birmingham Rep, and based on the book by Sir Lenny Henry, is a visually stunning show perfectly packaged for younger viewers with lots of heart and some important life lessons.

Adapted for the stage by Arvind Ethan David, we follow Tunde (Adiel Boboye), a twelve-year-old boy who lives with his mum, as he pursues his dream of reuniting with his absent father. Assisted by his newly acquired best friends Kylie (Millie Elkins-Green) and Dev (Samir Mahat), Tunde soon receives a shock when he magically sprouts wings and begins to fly. Thus begins a series of events that throw the gang straight into a war that is raging between two alien races: the talking cats and the bird folk. There’s twists and turns enough to keep the children in the audience on the edge of their seats, and the show becomes a cheerful example of the futile nature of war.

This is, at its heart, a story about finding peace and commonality in starkly opposing characters; as leader of the cats, Juba (Jessica Murrain), reminds us: ‘The reasons for war can often seem many, but when it comes down to it there aren’t any’. The message a strong one, as is that of the importance of unconditional support in friendships. One only wishes someone would’ve also reassured Tunde that it’s really okay for a young boy to cry over his estranged father.

The cast overall bring dynamic performances to this quirky children’s tale. Mahat brings an infectious vigour to his role which is neatly contrasted with Elkins-Green’s suitably wiser-than-her-years, sarcastic tones. Boboye as Tunde is sweet and hopeful, while Mia Jerome as his mother, Ruth, brings delightful life to her moments of heavy exposition.

The costumes (Laura McEwen) and lighting design (Gillian Tan) are bright, beautiful and perfect for little eyes; the grand, sweeping wings of Tunde and his father are a particularly world-transporting highlight. The set design (also McEwen) is truly outstanding; it balances gorgeous imagery with diverse practical use and allows us to witness some perky parkour, dramatic character reveals, and even includes a plethora of wheelchair accessible ramps which Elkins-Green makes good use of, spinning around the stage with utter confidence.

While not branded as a musical per se, this production is let down by its songs (Arvind Ethan David and Khalil Madovi). Though the rap elements are electric and engaging – Stephan Boyce as Aaven especially brings a certain energy and humour that is hard to escape – the songs feel superfluous. The show fails to justify the need for the sung content and these moments never pack any sort of punch; whether this is from poor writing, the actors looking rather uncomfortable to be singing or a mix of both, it’s hard to tell. That said, the joyous audience participation in the finale song is enough to forgive its irrelevance to the show’s structure, and indeed the children in the audience are far more enjoying singing along than debating the merits of prose versus song.

Directed by Daniel Bailey, this show is a strong offering to the landscape of children’s theatre. It does an admirable job of squeezing the excitement of the original story onto a relatively small stage, but one can’t help but feel like the sparkle of the book doesn’t quite shine all the way through. Despite a couple of small timing and diction issues, The Boy with Wings is a joyful experience to watch and an easily accessible show for any child. Blending strong performances with heartfelt content, this show promises to enchant a new generation with the art of live theatre.

Tag Archives: Daniel Bailey

THE HARDER THEY COME

★★★★★

Stratford East

THE HARDER THEY COME

Stratford East

★★★★★

“bursts with joy while delivering serious social commentary”

THE HARDER THEY COME

Stratford East

Reviewed on 21st May 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Pamela Raith

THE HARDER THEY COME

THE HARDER THEY COME

THE HARDER THEY COME

THE BOY WITH WINGS

★★★

Polka Theatre

THE BOY WITH WINGS

Polka Theatre

★★★

“promises to enchant a new generation with the art of live theatre”