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After finishing a run of 'Stalled' earlier this year at the King's Head Theatre, Josie Benson is now about to appear another UK musical theatre premiere: 'The Harder They Come' at Theatre Royal Stratford East. The show is an adaptation of the cult classic film of the same name and brings together a top tier creative team including director Matthew Xia and writer Suzan-Lori Parks. The production also marks a welcome return to Stratford East for Josie Benson who first worked at the audience-favourite theatre 25 years ago in 'Make Some Noise'. Since then, she's performed in some of the West End's biggest shows including 'Phantom of the Opera' and 'Mamma Mia!'. The show will also reunite Josie with Jason Pennycook with whom she worked with on 'Porgy and Bess' in the West End.

In this new interview, Josie Benson sat down with us to talk about this eagerly anticipated new musical which promises to transport audiences to Kingston, Jamaica. The film is famously credited for bringing Reggae to the music and Josie tells us how the music that features in this new production will dazzle audiences looking for a great night out. With tickets selling fast, Josie urges our listeners to book quickly before the run sells out. Over the course of the conversation, we also reflect on how the theatre industry has evolved to become more diverse and inclusive of professionals from different backgrounds. It seems like the perfect time to be revisiting the story of 'The Harder They Come' and it looks like audiences will be treated to an excellent evening of theatre when they see the show.

The Harder They Come runs at Theatre Royal Stratford East from 13 September - 25 October with tickets on sale now!

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