On its 50th anniversary, the groundbreaking 1972 film 'The Harder They Come' is being adapted for the stage.
With Henzell’s blessing, and occasional input from Cliff, Parks wrote a treatment that sticks to the movie’s core plot and characters and incorporates select scenes from the movie — Ivan recording in the studio, or a church choir raising the roof. “I didn’t have any interest in reinventing the wheel,” she says. “They’d done such a beautiful job with the movie. I wanted to roll the wheel forward and make it impactful for the days we live in now.
To that end, Parks gave Ivan additional dialogue to tap into the current socio-political-economic climate. “We’re allowing him to give more voice to how the poor are treated differently from the rich,” Parks says. “Even with all the advances we’ve made in world culture, there are still so many limitations being put on people. Less advantaged people are told to behave and do things by the book, and when they don’t, the hammer comes down hard.
Parks also gave the movie’s two leading female characters, Ivan’s lover Elsa and his mother Daisy, more of a backstory. “Elsa’s a bold young woman who has ideas and dreams of her own. She doesn’t take any shit!” Parks says. Henzell found that aspect of the show particularly rewarding: “As a woman, I’m happy that Elsa and Daisy’s roles have been expanded.”
The showdown with police that sends Ivan down the criminal path is also in the musical, but Parks sees it as occupying a different plot point now: Ivan is pushed into his position by collusion between the local police and record producers. “I really focus on the fact that it was an accident,” she says. “This man has remorse. He knows he did wrong. And he’s also pushed to a place where mistakes happen. He wants to make a record. He knows he has talent.
Natey Jones will play the role of Ivan in ‘The Harder They Come’ musical; Jones previously performed the role of Peter Tosh in a Bob Marley musical. With Henzell’s and Cliff’s approval, Parks also expanded the musical scope of the project.
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