The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind review – Malawian boy’s amazing famine-beating creation inspires a rousing musical

2026-02-20 - 15:23

Swan theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon After a book, a film and a Ted Talk, William Kamkwamba’s heroically inventive response to floods, drought and starvation is now delivered with energetic songs and dancing William Kamkwamba’s extraordinary story has been told many times. It deserves to be heard again, for its remarkable feat of resourcefulness, prodigious child’s intelligence and great, against-the-odds narrative arc. A Malawian boy living through a climate of floods and drought that left his village facing famine, he built a wind turbine out of scraps, as a 13-year-old, to life-saving effect for his community. Following Kamkwamba’s memoir, co-written with Bryan Mealer, and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s film, along with a much viewed and celebrated Ted Talk by Kamkwamba, this musical version of the story is its own distinct thing. Directed by Lynette Linton, it is an exuberant creation, filled with warm light, humour, a gorgeous grass-roofed set design by Frankie Bradshaw as well as vivid costumes (patterned fabric, bright colours, great headdresses) and vibrant African sounds and movement. Continue reading...