Perry Henzell's breakthrough film, THE HARDER THEY COME premiered in 1972, showing a side of Jamaican culture never seen before on the screen by Jamaicans or around the world. Over 50 years later, this groundbreaking film is a new musical adaptation with a book by Suzan-Lori Parks (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, The Public's Writer-in-Residence). This episode pulls apart the cultural nuances and underbelly of a culture not often examined in a theatrical setting. Join us as we dive deep into the history of the film in1970s Jamaica, as well as a look at what goes into adapting a film into a musical.

Guests include:

In alphabetical order…

Freedome Bradley-Ballentine, Associate Artistic Director / Director of Artistic Programs

Sandra Daley-Sharif, Cultural Ambassador

Kwame Dawes, Cultural Consultant

Camille Darby, Playwright and VP of Brand Marketing - Condé Nast

Sharon Gordon, Cultural Ambassador

Justine Henzell, Rights Holder and Daughter of Perry Henzell

Amrita Ramanan, Dramaturg and Director of New Work and Development

Kenny Seymour, Music Supervisor, Orchestrator and Arranger

Malika Lee Whitney, Cultural Ambassador

Hosted by Garlia Cornelia Jones, The Public's new and first ever Director of Innovation and New Media, each full episode of Public Square 2.0, will continue to guide you through a behind the scenes look as we connect with artists and staff. Welcome home to Public Square—we're so happy to have you back!

Visit our Podcast webpage for photos, bios and other episode related content!

Executive Producer: Garlia Cornelia Jones, Director - Innovation and New Media

Creative Producer: John Sloan III, Ghostlight Productions

Story Editors: Garlia Cornelia Jones, John Sloan III

Audio Producer: Justin K. Sloan, Ghostlight Productions

Assistant Producer: Emily White - New Media Associate

Graphics by Tam Shell, Art Director - Brand Studio

Music Credits:

"Latte" By Sunny Fruit, Artlist.io

"Strip It Down" By Falconer, Artlist.io

"Beatrix" By Notize, Artlist.io

"Passionate Choices" By Mansij, Artlist.io

"Baby I'm Stuck In A Cone" By Ge Filter Fish, Artlist.io

"Shake It Around." By Falconer, Artlist.io

"This Is The Life" By Yuval Maayan, Artlist.io

"Catch me" By Russo, Artlist.io

Rehearsal photos of The Harder They Com by Joan Marcus

Transcript by 3Play