Suzan-Lori Parks' reggae musical The Harder They Come is coming back to London's Stratford East, with an encore run set for May 16-July 4. Opening night will be May 21.

The musical is adapted from the cult 1972 Jamaican film of the same name, centered on Ivan, a singer who comes to Kingston, Jamaica, in search of stardom. After falling in love and cutting a record deal, Ivan learns the dark side of the music industry and enters a battle that threatens both his life and the fabric of Jamaican society.

The film first came to the stage in 2005 at Stratford East, with Parks' iteration of the project premiering at Off-Broadway's Public Theater in 2023 (see what critics thought here). Parks adapted the musical from producer-director Perry Henzell and Trevor Rhone's screenplay. Songs, which include gospel and folk music, are by Jimmy Cliff (plus some original new songs from Parks). Parks' iteration made its U.K. premiere last year, also at Stratford East.

Casting, by Heather Basten, is to be announced. Matthew Xia will return to direct after staging last year's production. The returning creative team also includes set designer Simon Kenny, costume designer Jessica Cabassa, lighting designer Ciarán Cunningham, live sound designer Tony Gayle, sound effect and soundscape sound designer Nicola T. Chang, choreographer and intimacy director Shelley Maxwell, video designer Gino Ricardo Green, music director and vocal arranger Ashton Moore, and orchestrator and music arranger Benjamin Kwasi Burre. RC Annie's Claire Llewellyn will serve as fight director, with Aundrea Fudge as voice and dialect coach, Claire Nicholas as costume supervisor, and Justine Henzell as creative and cultural consultant. Emily Abound was the original assistant director.

"As the DJ says in The Harder They Come, ‘It’s a hit because you people made it a hit’—and it turns out that isn’t just a line in a play, it’s exactly what happened at Stratford East," says Xia in a statement. "Coming back now feels like a celebration of Jimmy Cliff’s legacy and of the audiences who showed up and claimed this story. I’m thrilled and as proud as (rum) punch that The Harder They Come is returning, just as big, bold, and revolutionary as before."

Tickets are available at StratfordEast.com.