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THE HARDER THEY COME

Kenny Seymour (Music Supervisor, Arranger, Orchestrator)

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

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, 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.

A LOOK INTO OUR SITZPROBE

an exclusive inside look from THE HARDER THEY COME sitzprobe rehearsal, featuring songs from the classic 1972 movie, and a special sneak peek of the musical adaptation's new songs from Book Writer, Suzan-Lori Parks!

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