Cast and creative team announced for THE HARDER THEY COME at Stratford East

Stratford East has announced the full cast and creative team for the UK premiere of THE HARDER THEY COME, the newly adapted reggae musical based on the cult Jamaican film of the same name, which plays at the London venue from 13 September-25 October.

Adapted by Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Olivier Award-winner Matthew Xia, this production marks a powerful return to Stratford East, where the original stage version premiered to acclaim in 2006.

The cast features Danny Bailey (Girl from the North Country, West End) as José, Josie Benson (Stalled, King’s Head Theatre) as Daisy, Craig Blake (Get Up Stand Up!, West End) as Ray, Madeline Charlemagne (Hadestown, West End) as Elsa, Natey Jones (Titus Andronicus, RSC) as Ivan, Jason Pennycooke (Hamilton, West End) as Preacher, Simon-Anthony Rhoden (The Hot Wing King, National Theatre) as Pedro, and Thomas Vernal (Hamilton, West End) as Hilton. The ensemble includes Chanice Alexander-Burnett (The Third Man, Menier Chocolate Factory), Lori Barker (Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, West End), Ashh Blackwood (Bleak Expectations, West End), Aisha Davis (The Time Traveller’s Wife, Storyhouse), Kage Douglas (Ghost the Musical, UK tour), Robert Grose (Kinky Boots, West End), Lauren Azania AJ King-Yombo (Hadestown, West End), Jack Matthew (Get Up Stand Up!, West End), Newtion Matthews (Kinky Boots, West End), and Marcellus Whyte (Play On!, Lyric Hammersmith).

The creative team includes set designer Simon Kenny, costume designer Jessica Cabassa, lighting designer Ciarán Cunningham, live sound designer Tony Gayle, sound designer (sound effects and soundspace) Nicola T. Chang, choreographer and intimacy director Shelley Maxwell, video designer Gino Ricardo Green, musical director and vocal arranger Ashton Moore, orchestrator and musical arranger Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, casting director Heather Basten, WHAM designer and supervisor Dominique Hamilton, fight director Claire Llewellyn for RC Annie, and voice and dialect coach Aundrea Fudge.

Director Matthew Xia said: “This new production of THE HARDER THEY COME is brought to life by a company with deep connections to Caribbean culture and a shared love of reggae. Natey Jones returns to the role of Ivan with power and charisma. We’re joined by Stratford East superstars Jason Pennycooke, Danny Bailey, and Craig Blake, alongside some West End heavyweights: Madeline Charlemagne, Josie Benson, Simon-Anthony Rhoden, and Thomas Vernal - all bringing some serious heat to Stratford. Our phenomenal ensemble adds precision, vitality, and unmistakable flair in every moment.

“We’ve built a powerhouse creative team: longstanding collaborators like Simon Kenny (set), Ciarán Cunningham (lighting), and Gino Ricardo Green (video), alongside exciting new partnerships with Jessica Cabassa on costume, Shelley Maxwell on choreography, and a split sound-design from Tony Gayle - capturing the spirit of a Jamaican sound system - and Nichola Chang, crafting immersive soundscapes.

“With Ashton Moore as MD, Luke Bacchus as Assistant MD, and Benjamin Kwasi Burrell on orchestrations, we’re building something rich, rebellious, and full of rhythm - like Kingston in the ’70s.”

For more info on THE HARDER THEY COME, please click here.