Reggae classic hits stage

The face of reggae legend Jimmy Cliff was a picture of pride and joy as he took to the stage to perform the eponymous theme song to his 1972 film, The Harder They Come.

But this was far more than a nostalgia trip for ageing reggae fans.

Cliff, 58 last week, was guest of honour at the climax of a show which brilliantly re-interpreted the Jamaican cinematic classic.

The elated crowd were on their feet as they screamed their approval.

The merits of The Harder They Come are less obvious now than on its release in 1972.

But at a time when cinematic portrayals of Jamaica and its inhabitants were largely limited to scenes of glamorous white post-colonial types and jovial black calypso-singing islanders, the movie was a groundbreaking portrayal of ghetto life.

Ambitious young outsider Ivan - who was played by Cliff - arrives in Kingston dreaming of reggae stardom, but his determination to do things his own way brings him into conflict with corrupt police, crooked record labels and drug dealers.

Most of the cast, including Cliff, were not trained actors and much of the dialogue was improvised - lending a scrappy tang and an edgy, documentary-style air of realism.

In this new production, for which director-Kerry Michael painstakingly sourced a cast with a full understanding of Jamaican patois, Rolan Bell captured much of the loose-limbed swagger of Cliff 's Ivan, conveying both his naivety and cockiness.

His comic timing was impeccable and his sexual charisma was not lost on the women in the audience who shrieked with delight at his more pelvic dance moves.

There was a question mark over whether the likeable rogue could recreate the thuggish side of Ivan so disturbingly displayed in the movie, most memorably when he slashes his boss's face with broken glass.

Inevitably, the movie brutality was softened for the stage.

The slashing scene was downgraded to a spot of wrestling and a slap.

But Bell switched effortlessly into "badman" mode, filling the stage with a vicious chill as he faced down his bullying boss.

Despite an excellent falsetto and rich bass, his middle register was less strong, with the occasional flat note. In his defence, he had to compete with two truly brilliant singers.