The Harder They Come

[newyorker1410]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 11:09am

I am really surprised there is no thread about this yet.  This is a great show.

There are definitely some elements that need to be tweaked before it moves on, and I hear that the first several previews had understudies, but I saw it last night with the full cast and it blew me away.

Incredible music, staging, and acting.  I can't get the songs out of my head.

My group felt there were some minor story issues, and they definitely need to let some of the songs play out longer, but other than that it was a surprise pleasure.  

Highly recommended.

Updated On: 2/26/23 at 11:09 AM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 11:22am

Seeing it in a couple of weeks, and I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[JoeW4]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 11:29am

I saw the first preview and I'd say my reaction was pretty lukewarm on the overall tone and production. Wish it had more of an "indie" feel to it like the movie it's based on. But it had lots of great numbers, and it's a good story. Fantastic set design, and strong use of choreo.

[newyorker1410]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 11:31am

I heard the first few shows were very rocky due to covid.  Last night was great!  Looking forward to hearing other opinions.

[JoeW4]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 11:40am

I'm pretty sure the full cast was on for the 1st preview - I didn't get any understudy slips. The performance I saw actually went surprisingly smoothly - only a couple of noticeably mishaps, and nothing that stopped or disrupted the flow of the show. I have no doubt that the show will improve, but unless they radically alter the overall vibe of the show, I think my qualms had little to do with the fact that it was early previews.

But again, I didn't hate it or anything like that. Definitely worth checking out, especially if my opinion ends up being the minority. Updated On: 2/26/23 at 11:40 AM

[Amy Archer]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 12:00pm

Interesting, Joe. I thought it had a sort of independent, handmade feel to it, which I really appreciated in this era of corporate producing. 

Thoroughly enjoyed the show - inventively staged, beautifully performed, and of course those incredible songs. (If there are two better songs on stage in New York right now than "Sitting in Limbo" and "Many Rivers to Cross," I don't know what they are - though Camelot will offer competition. When Jeannette Bayardelle tears into "Rivers," it's absolutely electrifying). I also felt Suzan-Lori Parks' new songs blend seamlessly with the original film songs, including "Hymn," heard in the sitzprobe link. I truly had no idea she could write like that. A great night. 

[Tag]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 7:09pm

Is this the same show that played in London and Toronto in 2009?

[Smaxie]

Posted: 2/26/23 at 8:54pm

Tag said: "Is this the same show that played in London and Toronto in 2009?"

Per Rolling Stone, it's a new adaptation. 

"But this isn’t the first time someone has tried to bring The Harder They Come to the stage. In 2006, a stripped-down musical based on the story premiered in London, where it played on and off for two years. Henzell himself wrote it but died the year it opened. “It had a successful run,” says Justine Henzell, who oversees her late father’s work, “but he always wanted a New York production.”

When the movie’s 50th anniversary began coming into view a few years ago, the idea of an all-new stage version was top of Henzell’s mind. She’d seen the first incarnation of Parks’ Topdog/Underdog about 20 years earlier and wanted to work with the playwright. “When the idea of staging it in New York came up,” Henzell says, “there was only one person I wanted as the writer.”

‘The Harder They Come’ Was a Hero’s Journey Set to Reggae. It’s About to Become a New Musical

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 2/27/23 at 2:54am

I am crossing my fingers that the show extends through the end of April when I will be in New York.

[teddy1996]

Posted: 3/30/23 at 11:52pm

the recent production will continue until april 2nd

[inception]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 12:56am

I was at the show March 19 when at 2:15, after the whole audience had been seated, they came on & announced that the performance was canceled. 

Most of the audience was pretty PO'd.  I took the opportunity to go over & do some browsing at the Housing Works bookstore, and then headed to JFK where I ended up a about 2.5 hours early so had time for an overpriced sit down airport meal.

It was a week where I really had to roll with the punches.  Two previous shows had the stars call out due to illness, and I got a terrible case of food poisoning. It gave me a whole lot of stories to tell the next week at work.  I think I told my vomiting story wrong because it met with a lot of laughter & very little sympathy.