Photo Flash: THE HARDER THEY COME Hits Toronto's Canon Theatre Thru 8/23

Based on the iconic 'seventies film that launched Jimmy Cliff onto the world stage, this exhilarating production tells the story of a country boy who makes for the bright lights of Kingston, Jamaica. With a head full of songs, including You Can Get it if You Really Want, Many Rivers To Cross, Higher and Higher, Rivers of Babylon and The Harder They Come, he dreams of becoming a reggae star. When the harsh reality of the music scene drives him into a fast and furious life as an outlaw, he would rather die than kill his dream!

This new musical production by the esteemed Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, England, is staged in the spare, Brechtian style for which The company has become internationally famed. The performers, almost all of Jamaican descent, tell this cautionary tale with a passion that energizes the audience as only few shows have ever done.

When the production first opened, it was loudly acclaimed by both critics and audiences. It transferred to the prestigious Barbican Bite Festival, but the demand for tickets was so high that it was moved again, to London's West End. Toronto is the first stop on an international tour. Visit www.mirvish.com.

Photo Credit: Robert Day