THE harder they come, the harder they fall, as Jimmy Cliff sang.

And innocent Jamaican country boy Ivan (Matthew J Henry) certainly falls hard as he arrives in Kingston with dreams of cutting it as a reggae singer-songwriter, only to be seduced by the fast life of guns and ganja dealing, against a backdrop of police corruption.

If that story rings a bell, that’s not only because it is exactly the one you would expect in a reggae musical, but because this stage show is a re-tread of Perry Henzell’s legendary 1972 film.

Carlsberg don’t do reggae musicals, but if they did…it would be just like this tale of low-life chancers, high spirits and broken dreams. Great skanking songs (Johnny Too Bad, Many Rivers To Cross, Your Love Has Lifted Me Higher And Higher, let alone the title track); great band and even better singing by Henry, Marlon King and Alanna Leslie; cool yet hot dance moves; and clothes as sharp as the dialogue (although not every line is clear). How often does a hat gain a round of applause? Well, it does so here.

The songs do indeed keep lifting you higher and higher, be it a rubber-legged take on Shanty Town (007); an a cappella rendition of Day O (The Banana Song) that makes great play of replacing the banana with ganja; or Craig Stein’s bent police inspector Ray Pierre threatening to apply his Pressure Drop. Kerry Michael and Dawn Reid’s exuberant touring production is in Leeds for only a short run that sadly ends today, so don’t delay, tear yourself away from the outdoor sunshine to feel the Jamaican heat indoors – and take your dance moves with you.

*The Harder They Come, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, 2pm and 7pm today. Box office: 0113 213 7700.