Skip to main content Skip to footer site map

Photos: Go Inside Rehearsals for THE HARDER THEY COME at the Public Theater

Tony Taccone directs this new musical, with co-direction by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo and choreography by Edgar Godineaux.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and The Public's Writer-in-Residence, Suzan-Lori Parks, will bring to The Public a new musical adaptation of the 1972 movie, THE HARDER THEY COME.

Get a first look inside rehearsals below!

The production will begin performances in the Newman Theater with a Joseph Papp Free Performance on Thursday, February 16 and will run through Sunday, March 26, with an official opening on Wednesday, March 15.

The breakthrough film, produced and directed by Perry Henzell and co-written with Trevor Rhone, tells the story of Ivan, a young singer who arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, eager to become a star. After falling in love and cutting a record deal with a powerful music mogul, Ivan soon learns that the game is rigged, and as he becomes increasingly defiant, he finds himself in a battle that threatens not only his life, but the very fabric of Jamaican society. Featuring Grammy Award winner Jimmy Cliff's hits, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "Many Rivers to Cross," former Artistic Director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre Tony Taccone directs this new musical, with co-direction by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo and choreography by Edgar Godineaux.

The complete cast of THE HARDER THEY COME includes Jeannette Bayardelle (Daisy), Shawn Bowers (Ensemble), J. Bernard Calloway (Preacher), Andrew Clarke (Lyle), Eean Sherrod Cochran (Understudy), Tyla Collier (Understudy), Jamal Christopher Douglas (Ensemble), Tiffany Francès (Understudy), Garfield Hammonds (Understudy), Dana Marie Ingraham (Ensemble), Dominique Johnson (Jose), Chelsea-Ann Jones (Ensemble), Natey Jones (Ivan), Dudney Joseph Jr (Ray), Dwight Xaveir Leslie (Understudy), Morgan McGhee (Ensemble), Meecah (Elsa), Jacob Ming-Trent (Pedro), Alysha Morgan (Ensemble), Ken Robinson (Hilton), Housso Semon (Ensemble), Denver Andre Taylor (Understudy), Sir Brock Warren (Ensemble), Carla Woods (Understudy), and Christopher Henry Young (Ensemble).


THE HARDER THEY COME features scenic design by Clint Ramos & Diggle; costume design by Emilio Sosa; lighting design by Japhy Weideman; sound design by Walter Trarbach; projection design by Hana S. Kim; hair, wig and makeup design by Earon Chew Nealey; prop management by Claire M. Kavanah; fight and intimacy direction by Rocio Mendez; dialect coaching by Dwight Bacquie; music contracting by Kristy Norter; and music direction by John Bronston. Jeffrey Rodriguez serves as production stage manager and Amanda Michaels and Alex Murphy serve as stage managers.



NAATCO Presents Off-Broadway Premiere Of ROMEO AND JULIET By Hansol Jung Photo
Mia Katigbak, actor-manager and co-founder of NAATCO, today announced the details for the Off-Broadway premiere of Hansol Jung’s modern verse translation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the classic tale of star-crossed love. 

Cast Announced For Agatha Christies THE STRANGER Off-Broadway Photo
Be Bold! Productions has announced the complete cast of Agatha Christie's The Stranger, which is running Off-Broadway at the Players Theatre April 18 -23.

Elisa Brown to Perform HOODWINKED FROM HEAVEN at Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Nortons Sym Photo
Hoodwinked from Heaven will make its NYC debut at Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Peter Norton's Symphony Space on Sunday, May 7, 2023 @ 3:00 PM

Cindy Peralta, Yohanna Florentino & More to Star in VÁMONOS World Premiere at I Photo
INTAR THEATRE and the RADIO DRAMA NETWORK announced complete casting for their Main Stage production of Julissa Contreras’ play Vámonos.


More Hot Stories For You


THE PYRAMID: A Dance Moms Parody Musical Will Release a First Listen This WeekendTHE PYRAMID: A Dance Moms Parody Musical Will Release a First Listen This Weekend
March 31, 2023

Kathryn Cole Productions presents The Pyramid: A Dance Moms Parody Musical a farcical musical based on the hit Lifetime dance competition series 'Dance Moms'. 'My Little Kendall' is available on Spotify and Apple Music on Saturday, April 1st. 

V (Formerly Eve Ensler) & More to be Honored at CONNECT20th Anniversary GalaV (Formerly Eve Ensler) & More to be Honored at CONNECT20th Anniversary Gala
March 30, 2023

CONNECT – a leader among NYC organizations preventing intimate and gender-based violence – will celebrate 20 years of service to New York City at its 20th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, May 4 at Harlem’s historic Alhambra Ballroom.

The Public Theater's Mobile Unit to Tour Bilingual Musical THE COMEDY OF ERRORS This SpringThe Public Theater's Mobile Unit to Tour Bilingual Musical THE COMEDY OF ERRORS This Spring
March 30, 2023

The Public Theater will present the return of the theater’s acclaimed MOBILE UNIT with a free touring production of THE COMEDY OF ERRORS.

LENI'S LAST LAMENT, Jackie Smook & More Receive Awards at United Solo Spring 2023 GalaLENI'S LAST LAMENT, Jackie Smook & More Receive Awards at United Solo Spring 2023 Gala
March 30, 2023

This year, the Festival launched an all-new Spring Season to expand United Solo’s solo performances at Theatre Row in New York City ahead of its Fall 2023 Festival.

Amy Jo Jackson, Maria-Christina Oliveras & More to Star in KIT MARLOWE at Red Bull TheaterAmy Jo Jackson, Maria-Christina Oliveras & More to Star in KIT MARLOWE at Red Bull Theater
March 30, 2023

RED BULL THEATER announced the complete cast for the next offering of a new season of OBIE Award-winning Revelation Readings: Kit Marlowe by David Grimm, directed by Emma Rosa Went.