OK. So there I was on holiday in Kingston, Jamaica, and this country bwoi comes to town to become a pop star. He falls for the Preacher's ward, buys a pimp-hat and gets involved in the ganga business so he can save up to make his first record. Next thing I know is that Pinky and Precious (dancehall queens to perfection) ask Numero Uno to play the record on his radio show and the police intervene and start shooting so this country bwoi called Ivan shoots back to protect his fans. Then it all falls apart and Ivan goes on the run. Me? I'm caught up in a minor revolution or gang war in West Kingston with the police Inspector banning ganga and controlling the pop chart and hunting for Ivan. Last I heard, they killed Ivan but his music lasts forever. Then I got the bus back home, the 57 from Kingston (West London) that goes through Wimbledon... Phew, home safely from that adventure!Long-time readers will recall my love for the stage musical, 'The Harder They Come', based on the 1972 film of the same name, the film that took reggae to the world. I saw it at The Barbican and then four times at The Playhouse in the West End (including a cheer-up session before going into hospital). It's currently on tour and I caught the last night at Wimbledon (yes, where they play tennis). I'm so pleased I did since it's an excellent production and I loved it throughout.
It's not the same cast as The Playhouse, but some of the main supporting roles are played by familiar faces. It was great to say hello again to Chris Tummings (who played record magnate Hilton rather than Inspector Ray Pierre), Victor Romero Evans (Preacher), Marlon King (as rastaman Pedro), Joy Mack (as Miss Daisy, Ivan's mam) and Jacqui Dubois (as style-guru Miss Brown). And Pedro still allowed us a 15 minute ganga-break at half-time (but there was no ganga ice-cream).
We had a new Ivan in the shape of Matthew J Henry, Elsa was played by Alanna Leslie and Pinky by Janine Johnson. They have the difficult job of filling big shoes for anyone who has already seen the West End show, and that's where my problem with this cast lies. Matthew didn't convince me that he was Ivan in the first half, looking more like an understudy to Rolan Bell's Ivan as he went through the stylised dance moves but he really came into his own in the second half as he crawled from the floor to sing 'The Harder They Come' for the first time - he totally won me over during that song and made the part his own. Neither Alanna nor Janine had strong enough singing voices to convince me they were the characters, and this showed up quite strongly during the megamix at the end when the women's lines in the songs lacked any real power (an off night?). Leaving that aside, it was thoroughly enjoyable and everyone should see the show.
Matthew clearly put his all into the performance and did the exaggerated dance steps proud, skanking away with Pinky and running round the stage like a thing possessed. Mind you, Craig Stein was a bit of a wuss as Ray Pierre - he didn't call us 'huggly' or anything! Chris Tummings was to be feared when he played the role - don't catch his eye or he might pick on you - but anyone could set up a ganga-farm under Craig. For shame!
The basic message is go and see the show if you possibly can - it really is excellent! The cast are on stage for virtually the whole show, either singing up-front or singing at the back of the stage, sitting supping rum or smoking ganga. It's a hard life... Oh, and if Derek Elroy (who plays Longa and Numero Uno) comes anywhere near you at the start of the play or at half time, look away and hide any bags of sweets or crisps and say quite firmly that you can't dance. Otherwise he'll make you part of the show whether you want it or not. I looked away whenever he came near. I'm no fool...
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