Review: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, @sohoplace ★★★★

A story of ingenuity, community and hope, told with heart and theatrical flair

William Kamkwamba was fourteen years old and living in the village of Wimbe, Malawi, when a catastrophic famine struck in 2001. Forced out of school because his family could not afford the fees, he borrowed books from his local library and, incredibly, built a wind turbine from scavenged bicycle parts and blue gum trees. This, crucially, powered a water pump that brought drinking water to his village. He went on to speak at TEDGlobal, study at Dartmouth College, and found the Moving Windmills Project to support communities across Malawi. It is absolutely a story that deserves to be told on stage.

This West End transfer of the RSC world premiere, with book and lyrics by Richy Hughes and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton, directed by Lynette Linton (formerly Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre), arrives at @sohoplace having already won considerable praise in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is not difficult to see why.

The set, designed by Frankie Bradshaw, uses three levels of corrugated iron and brushwood to evoke a world that is makeshift but never feels less than a home. The costumes are excellent throughout, rooting us authentically in this Malawi community. And the final windmill, large enough to be clambered upon, is genuinely thrilling. Gino Ricardo Green‘s video designs, with quirky, cartoon-like projections of what is moving through William’s mind illuminate the scientific process at the heart of the story.

Alistair Nwachukwu, in the title role, sits at the centre of the show with a quiet commitment to his family. Around him, the ensemble creates a vivid portrait of a community under immense pressure, yet the production never loses sight of the joy within that community. The Kachokolo school song, delivered with deftly observed comic flair, is a particular delight. Particularly affecting is Sifiso Mazibuko as the father, Trywell, in a scene where he despairs at his inability to provide for his children. The universality of that parental anguish lands with full force: there were few dry eyes in the house. The black market scenes and the sequences depicting charitable dependency are handled also with equally clear-eyed honesty, capturing both the desperation of the choices people face and the courage required to make them.

The show is also admirably alert to politics. A populist politician who arrives with easy charm and no solutions is both darkly funny and entirely recognisable, all the more unsettling for it. The production wisely illuminates how intentional the Kamkwamba family’s commitment to education was, giving William’s determination its proper context rather than presenting his ingenuity as something that arrived from nowhere.

Among the most inventive choices is the embodiment of the Hunger Hyena as a dancer, with Shaka Kalokoh moving with such fluid menace that the sense of dread stalking the village goes from an intangible to something tangible, with fear viscerally present. It is inspired physical storytelling. The dog puppet, too, is genuinely wonderful, and Yana Penrose, serving as Puppetry Captain, is a very versatile talent to watch across all the roles she plays throughout the evening. The musicians are tucked away out of sight, which feels like a missed opportunity, as their playing draws the audience into both the joy and the grief of Malawi with real conviction.

The production also earns considerable warmth from a late glimpse of footage of the real William Kamkwamba at the TED conference. After nearly three hours with his story, seeing the man himself was received with real emotion by the audience.

That running time is worth addressing, because the show would be even stronger with some trimming. The opening market scene is charming and well performed, but does not quite earn its length. The romance between Annie (Tsemaye Bob-Egbe) and Mike Kachigunda (Owen Chaponda) is also charming, though perhaps not all of it is essential to the larger story. The sequence in which the prototype windmill is assembled also stretches a little. Nothing here is bad, and the affection of the creative team for every corner of this material is clearly genuine. But some tightening would sharpen the evening and allow the production’s most powerful moments to land even harder.

Those moments are considerable. A scene in which the community mourns its lost friends is quietly devastating and the sung words, “we have lost many friends” are haunting . The production’s insistence that parents everywhere want what is best for their children, even when not given the means to provide it, is a reminder of what theatre at its finest can do: expand our understanding of lives beyond our own.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind carries a true “against-the-odds” spirit and reminds us how one person with determination can make an extraordinary difference, especially with their community around them. Its length may test some, but the spirit of this piece is irresistible and @sohoplace is a fitting home for it.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind runs at @sohoplace until 18 July 2026. Tickets from £25. BSL interpreted, captioned, and audio described performances available. Age guidance: 9+.

The production’s insistence that parents everywhere simply want what is best for their children, and are not always given the means to provide it, is a reminder of what theatre at its finest can do: expand our understanding of lives beyond our own.

All images: Tyler Fayose

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