Review: THE BOY WHO HARNESSED THE WIND, RSC
Photo credit: Tyler Fayose
We open to the birdsong and chatter of a Malawian village, the stage alive with colour and movement as a community gathers beneath a blazing sun. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind transforms the theatre into a living, breathing village where storytelling is shared and survival is collective. At its heart is the true story of William Kamkwamba, first told in his memoir, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and later adapted into the 2019 film directed by and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. While the film offered sweeping plains and intimate close ups, the stage production leans into theatricality, an ensemble driven retelling that feels immediate and urgent.
The year is 2001. Malawi is gripped by famine, the rains have failed and the crops wither in the dust. William, a bright and inquisitive teenager, is forced to leave school when his family can no longer afford the fees. Where the memoir gives us his inner thoughts, this production externalises that struggle. We see the politics, the community tensions, the market traders and the schoolroom, all unfolding fluidly before us. The windmill itself becomes less a solitary invention and more a symbol of communal hope.
As you would expect with the RSC, this cast is vibrant, captivating and authentic. Shaka Kalokoh, part of this powerful ensemble, is a real standout and steals the audience’s hearts with charismatic movement and warmth. The clear favourite of the evening, however, is Khamba, William’s loyal street dog, beautifully puppeteered by Yana Penrose. Khamba’s wagging tail and soft whimpers follow William through his journey from boy to man, providing moments of lightness amongst the hardship.
The set is simple yet effective, with sections of the floor lifting to reveal soil and graves, stark reminders of what is at stake. At the end of the production, the cast assemble the windmill piece by piece, and we feel the weight of that achievement, a community quite literally building hope from scrap. Projections are cleverly used to enhance the storytelling, trees are felled before our eyes and rain finally pours across the stage. At one point, we are shown footage of the real William Kamkwamba during his first TED Talk at just nineteen, a powerful reminder that this is not fiction but lived experience.
Tim Sutton’s music and lyrics carry the narrative confidently, with a particular nod to the catchy ‘It Won’t Work William’, though the true highlights come in the acappella moments. The harmonies are rich, the sound full and grounded, and the power of collective voice is simply stunning. Shelley Maxwell’s choreography guides the story beautifully. Movement is constant throughout, bodies forming landscape, machinery and storm. It stands in contrast to the film’s naturalism, as imagination fills the gaps where cameras once captured realism. Yet the emotional core remains unchanged, a family pushed to breaking point, a father wrestling with pride and fear, and a boy who dares to look at a pile of scrap and see possibility.
The cast carry this production with love and sincerity, though the pace does soften in the second half. This is easily forgiven, as the final moments deliver an emotional and uplifting payoff.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is a heartfelt and vital story of determination, one that deserves to be told again and again.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Eaton