THE HARDER THEY COME to Return to Stratford East This February

​Stratford East will present the reggae musical The Harder They Come from 16 May – 4 July 2026. The production is based on the cult Jamaican film produced and directed by Perry Henzell and co-written with Trevor Rhone.

The stage adaptation is by Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog, The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess) and directed by Olivier Award-winner Matthew Xia (Tambo & Bones, Stratford East/ATC; Skeleton Crew, Donmar Warehouse). Casting is to be announced.

The Harder They Come tells the story of Ivan, an aspiring singer who arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, determined to live out his dreams on his own terms and make it as a music superstar.

After cutting a record deal with a manipulative music mogul, Ivan learns that the game is rigged and becomes increasingly defiant. As his star rises, he finds himself topping the charts and the most-wanted list of criminals.

This unmissable show transports audiences to 1970s Jamaica and asks us the question: "What is the personal cost of fighting against systemic injustice?"

This staging of the seminal film features a sensational soundtrack with brand-new songs by Suzan-Lori Parks alongside classics by Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals, plus Jimmy Cliff hits including “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “Many Rivers to Cross.”