Leeds Student talks to the music supervisor of The Harder They Come about her latest production, ‘black theatre,’ and her love of Leeds

One of the most respected figures in Leeds’ academic and musical spheres, Geraldine Connor is an unforgettable character whose outspokenness, vivaciousness and charisma reflects her creativity.  She has imbued her unique spark into the latest production to hit Leeds, The Harder They Come, the stage version of Perry Henzell’s cult 1972 film, which brought Jimmy Cliff into stardom and helped popularise reggae around the world.

‘Obviously the stage production is going to be different from the film. We’ve managed to condense it all into one space and the audience is taken on a journey of their imagination, starting and ending in a community centre. The story is told with the live band that is part of the community. Everything kind of happens here.’

The Harder They Come charts the rise and fall of Ivan, a young country boy who heads to the bright lights of the city, Kingston, Jamaica, with hopes of becoming a reggae star. However, his hope and optimism is marred by his involvement in the marijuana business, forcing him to fight for survival in a cruel and unrelenting world.

Geraldine Connor was hugely involved with the production, taking up the role of musical supervisor, being involved with band and vocal arrangements. ‘I wrote one the songs, called the ganja song, which is a great number. Perry Henzell said to me ‘I need some music’ and we just wrote the music.’

With its big musical numbers, band accompaniments and dance, Connor warns that there is no mercy for the uninitiated. ‘ The choreography is very rootsy and traditional. The language is Jamaican patois, we take no prisoners, but people understand the story. It’s a universal story of a poor boy trying to make good who doesn’t succeed. The design is very authentic and really captures 1970s Jamaica.’

The lead female hails from Jamaica whilst the rest of the cast have Jamaican backgrounds, forming an ‘all-black’ cast that some reviewers have picked up on. After the phenomenal success of Tennesse Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which was publicised for its all black cast, are these labels of ‘black theatre’ actually productive or conducive to black and ethnic minorities in the theatre business?

‘I don’t believe in ‘black theatre.’ I don’t believe in handles- administrative handles that have unfortunately been handed down by the Arts Council. They are very divisive. Theatre is theatre, what they should say, ‘Is this good theatre or is it bad theatre, not is this black theatre? We don’t talk about white theatre, we don’t talk about pink theatre. The marginalisation that takes place with black people and those of immigrant extraction in this country continues through the theatre. Racism hasn’t gone away, don’t listen to people who say it has, cos it hasn’t. Fortunately the Playhouse this time has put their mouth and their money together and if the marketing works as well as it should, people should come. Unfortunately we are doing something that is difficult. It’s hard for people who havn’t come before to come in, but were they to come in, they would want to come back. We need to train and teach people that ‘black’ theatre is not on. Theatre is on.’

Despite her pessimism aimed at arts administrative bodies and at the higher echelons of the theatre world, Connor sees music, like calypso and reggae, as an ameliorating and harmonizing force in society, something that is only recognised at events like the Notting Hill Carnival.  ‘I like the idea of merging and fusions, not assimilations, but things working together and creating something new. I call carnival the theatre of the Caribbean simply because it encompasses music, dance, masquerade, drama, theatre- every damn thing, under that umbrella. But in England, we limit carnival to a procession.’

Another streak of optimism unveils itself when discussing the impact of the recession on the arts and theatre. ‘People still need entertainment in bad times. It’s not harder for the artist, because he is always out of work. Productions are waiting to be made and in recessions and hard times, people want entertainment, and that what makes life bearable. It’s no harder in a recession as it is outside of a recession.’

Connor’s impressive CV reveals someone who has had strong links with Leeds over the last twenty years.  She holds a Ph.D in Cultural Studies and lectured at Leeds University for a number of years. ‘I only stopped working at Leeds in 2004 and since then I have devoted my life to creative work. I worked at the College of Music, then Bretton Hall, and I was doing a lot of theatre at the time. I got to know the Chapel Town Community because I ran two choirs. I’ve also done a few shows at the West Yorkshire Playhouse.’  Although West Yorkshire may seem like an unlikely location for the staging of The Harder They Come,  Connor is keen to stress its musical and creative potential, with Connor being responsible for much of the city’s output, in theatre productions and events like the Chapel Town Carnival. ‘Leeds has a very strong music scene. A lot of people are involved in the music scene and people I have taught, singers, and guitarists, a good deal of them are here too. ‘

Despite a wealth of experience that is exhaustive to read because of its sheer quantity and range, there are no signs of Connor slowing down after The Harder They Come. ‘I’m working on getting my show Carnival Messiah into the Olympics festival for 2012 and I’m working on taking it on a major tour.  We’ve done it three times in Yorkshire. I’ve got some other shows in the pipeline too. Nothing has been confirmed. This business of theatre, we should renamed it the business of rejection. You have to bid your time, and suddenly an opportunity presents itself and you’ve got to be ready, and if youre not ready it will pass you by.’

For now, Connor is content to revel about The Harder They Come. ‘It’s built as a theatre show, but it’s actually a music show. Anybody who’s into reggae or music at university, which is two thirds of  people should come. It’s a very satisfying show- you feel you’re at a pop concert , not at the theatre. I’ve directed a number of things that I don’t particularly like, but this, I like!’

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