Support Jamaica, together with the cast of The Harder They Come, the musical

The set looks a bit rough and messy, until you realise it's a perfect reflection of the surroundings in downtown Kingston. Corrugated iron sheets, half-finished concrete structures, rickety doors and windows, dark corners and alleyways. And it soon becomes clear that the entire production is vintage Jamaican: the music, of course, the shabby clothing, but also the ghetto swag of the actors, their gestures and movements, their conversations and dance steps, even the hissing through clenched teeth, and (as far as we can judge) the flawless patois. Jamaica suddenly feels very close.

'The Harder They Come' is a musical adaptation of the 1972 film of the same name, the very first Jamaican feature film, which has become increasingly cult and gained recognition over the years. It was the first time the world was given a glimpse of the raw reality of life in impoverished neighbourhoods such as Trenchtown and Tivoli Gardens and the gangster culture that prevailed at the time. And on a new musical genre that would take the world by storm: reggae. So many years later, virtually every song on the soundtrack is a classic: the title track, 'You Can Get It If You Really Want It', and also the non-reggae numbers 'Sitting in Limbo' and 'Many Rivers to Cross' by lead singer Jimmy Cliff, 'Rivers of Babylon' (The Melodians), 'Sweet and Dandy' and 'Pressure Drop' by The Maytals, 'Johnny Too Bad' by The Slickers, '007 Shanty Town' by Desmond Dekker and 'Draw Your Brakes' by Scotty, adapted here into a real sing-along (Stop that train!) with a touch of spoken word.

Respect for the roots

Add to that for this musical 'Israelites' (Desmond Dekker), the first ever reggae number one, 'Hard Road to Travel' and a few lesser-known songs by Jimmy Cliff, the global hit 'I Can See Clearly Now' (Johnny Nash) and 'Funky Kingston' by Toots & The Maytals, catchily introduced by rhythmic street sounds, creating positive vibes from the very first minute. These are all songs that no reggae jukebox should be without.

All these tunes, with lyrics sometimes slightly adapted, supplemented by a handful of new ones,  are performed in the musical  live by a band hidden away in one of the shacks in the set. Without detracting from the work of the musicians whom producers such as Leslie Kong, Derrick Harriot and Byron Lee had gathered around them in their house bands of the time: the group led by keyboardist Ashton Moore breathes new life into the songs, occasionally in typical musical style, with expansive arrangements and melodic flourishes (in 'Many rivers…' all the genre's registers are pulled out), yet at the same time with great respect for the music's roots. During the dialogues, nyabinghi can often be heard in the distance. The early reggae of the original performances is sometimes slowed down slightly. And there's also a dash of unadulterated dancehall in there, seemingly an anachronism, but in fact the perfect soundtrack for a dream sequence. We see a group of devout gospel singers suddenly cast off their white robes to reveal cool and sexy outfits underneath. The scene briefly transforms into a hot club; the singers become dancers, just as wild and untamed as in a real Jamaican dancehall. They're just short of daggering.

Ganja and Django

The set transforms just as easily into a music studio (for the recording of 'Sweet and Dandy' by a female trio) or a ganja plantation, although the plants themselves look rather implausible. One of the shutters conceals a radio studio where a female DJ plays singles. A few times, a translucent film screen slides onto the stage, showing images from the western 'Django', the favourite film of the main character Ivan (who in turn was inspired by the real-life 'gunman' Rhygin in the 1940s), idyllic images of the island (there is also a love story) and the original promotional photos of Jimmy Cliff in a gangster outfit, which fit perfectly with the re-enactment. On a smaller screen, we see re-enacted footage from Jamaican TV news. The scenes in Elsa's shabby home are set on a raised section of the set, beautifully framed, as if in a cinema auditorium.

The film's appeal lies primarily in the authenticity of the amateur actors. The musical is performed by professional actors, some of whom have made their mark in a wide variety of productions. The fantastic Natey Jones (Ivan) was previously in the cast of 'Doctor Faustus', 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Tina Turner Musical', and had a smaller role in 'Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical'. The acting of the entire cast is therefore, by definition, better in the musical than in the film, yet without sacrificing any raw authenticity. They all sing superbly too, even if at times we do miss the original voices, perhaps because we have never heard the songs any other way. 

Hurricane Melissa

The story of 'The Harder They Come'? A young man from the countryside goes to Kingston in search of fame and recognition as a singer. He becomes entangled in a jungle of violence, corruption and hypocrisy, so characteristic of Jamaica in those days, and comes into conflict with the police, the pastor and the record boss. After a shootout (spoiler!), he ultimately meets his end. The love story is explored in greater depth in this production; women generally feature more prominently than in the film. 

After the sombre final scene, the cast returns for a festive medley of the biggest hits and a reprise of the title song. At last Thursday's matinee, everyone lingered a little longer and one of the actresses addressed the audience directly to ask for support for Jamaica, which has been so badly hit by Hurricane Melissa. A collection box was placed at the exit and flyers were handed out featuring QR codes for the Government of Jamaica's Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management and the Breds Foundation in Treasure Beach. Below, we've listed a few other reliable ways to support Jamaica, the land we love. 

Oh, and by the way, it was a brilliant musical.