Review of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – Malawian boy’s astonishing creativity overcoming famine inspires thrilling musical | platform

WThe extraordinary story of Eliam Kamkwamba has been told many times. He deserves to be heard again, for his remarkable feat of resourcefulness, astonishing child intelligence and a brilliant against-the-odds narrative arc. A Malawian boy living in a climate of floods and drought that left his village facing famine built a wind turbine from scrap, when he was 13, to save the lives of his community.

After Kamkwamba’s memoir, co-written by Brian Miller, and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s film, along with Kamkwamba’s much-watched and celebrated Ted Talk, this musical version of the story is something special all its own. Directed by Lynette Linton, the film is a lively creation, full of warm light, humour, a gorgeous grass-roof design by Frankie Bradshaw, lively costumes (patterned fabric, bright colours, fantastic headdresses) and vibrant African sounds and movement.

The performers excel in Shelley Maxwell’s energetic choreography, and it has a big, raucous West End energy that seems to expand beyond the edges of this stage and spread. There is a sweet relationship between the always kind William (Alistair Nwachukwu) and his friend Gilbert (Idris Kargbo), the rude son of the village chief who helps William learn after he is expelled from school for being unable to pay fees. There’s romance too, not only the warm and cozy chemistry between William’s parents but also between his older sister Annie (Tsmay Bob Eggby) and teacher Mike (Owen Chabonda).

This brews up the more difficult aspects of the story, but things remain consistently good, even in the face of hunger and starvation when the drought arrives, and the lack of tone nuance becomes limiting. We see William’s mother (Madeleine Appiah) suffering from malaria, and we also see his clashes with his father. (Sifiso Mazibuko) and death throughout the family. But the production looks at this darkness and withdraws from it very quickly, as if afraid to stray from the high musical mood. The emerging hyena (Shaka Kalukuh) symbolizes the sense of danger in the village but simply stalks in and out, looking like an extra from the Lion King and carrying little threat.

There are some great beats and drums, with songs full of lament or celebration, along with passionate ululations. But while Tim Sutton’s music is always big on sound, with some strong songs including Mphala Boys Power and This I Know, there are just too many memorable numbers and some singing voices too, along with an often bland book by Richie Hughes that makes the characters too simplistic.

William remains strangely anonymous, as if overshadowed by song and dance. His friendship with an adopted neighborhood dog, played wonderfully by Jana Penrose, is another great trait, but you don’t feel the emotional tragedy when it happens. Over the course of more than two hours, this drama of immense suffering – combined with the boy’s incredible determination to find a solution to it – is certainly life-affirming. But it doesn’t put you in the gut, or put pressure on the heart, as it certainly should.