'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' to have West End premiere

The musical tells the true story of William Kamkwamba, a 13-year-old boy who tries to save his village in drought-stricken Malawi through his own genius invention.

Summary

• The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is based on the memoir by William Kamkwamba
• The musical tells the true story of a 13-year-old boy who tries to save his village in drought-stricken Malawi
• Chiwetel Ejiofor is executive producer

The Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will make its West End premiere at @sohoplace next year. Performances will begin on 25 April, running through 18 July.

The show, which first has a run at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon beginning in February, tells the true story of William Kamkwamba, a 13-year-old boy who tries to save his village in drought-stricken Malawi through his own genius invention.

Alistair Nwachukwu (Line of Beauty, Choir Boy) will originate the title role of William Kamkwamba.

The full cast includes Madeleine Appiah (Agnes), Lori Barker (Ensemble), Tsemaye Bob-Egbe (Annie), Owen Chaponda (Mike Kachigunda/Blessings), McCallam Connell (Chief Wimbe), Eddie Elliott (Jeremiah Kamkwamba/Patience), Tad Hapaguti (Offstage Understudy), Daniel Haswell (Offstage Understudy), Shaka Kalokoh (Charity), Idriss Kargbo (Gilbert Mofat), Choolwe Laina Muntanga (Mika Kamkwamba), Newtion Matthews (Mister Ofesi), Sifiso Mazibuko (Trywell), Alistair Nwachukwu (William), Tomi Ogbaro (Mizeck), Alex Okoampa (Ensemble), Yana Penrose (Khamba) and Helena Pipe (Edith Sikelo).

The stage show is adapted from the memoir by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, and the 2019 film directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, who retuns to West End production as Executive Producer.

The new musical features a book and lyrics by Richy Hughes and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton. It will be directed by former Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre Lynette Linton (Intimate Apparel, Shifters).

The rest of the creative team includes set and costume designer Frankie Bradshaw, choreographer Shelley Maxwell, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, sound designer George Dennis, video designer Gino Ricardo Green, wigs, hair and make-up designer Cynthia De La Rosa, musical supervisor Liam Godwin, orchestrator Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, puppet designer Nick Barnes, puppetry director Laura Cubitt, fight director Kate Waters, musical director Ashton Moore, and voice and dialect Joel Trill.

Ejiofor said: “I am absolutely delighted to be involved with the exceptional team bringing William’s story to theatre audiences. William’s incredible experiences are a powerful testament to resilience and hope. It’s a narrative that remains both timeless and timely and, I’m sure, will continue to resonate deeply with everyone who encounters it.”

Linton said: “I’m so excited to finally share the brilliant cast who will bring this new musical adaptation of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind to life. This production has grown through collaboration and creativity, reflecting the spirit of community that lies at the heart of Wimbe, where this story began. It’s a tale of imagination, resilience and collective hope. Every member of this company brings so much energy, intelligence and warmth to the room, I can’t wait to work with them and for our audiences to get a sense of the joy and unity of Malawi.”

Check back for The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind artwork. (Courtesy of production)