You’ve heard the story before. Probably three times.
There was the TED talk. Then came the memoir. The film adaptation followed, smoothing over the rougher edges for a mainstream audience. Now? Now it is a musical. Playing at Soho Place in London until July 18. It works. Not because it is groundbreaking. But because it is charming.
- Malawi. Famine hits the village of Wimbe. Thirteen-year-old William Kamkwamba drops out of school. His family cannot pay the fees. He is bright though. Brilliantly so. An engineer waiting for permission. He spends his time scavenging scrap yards. He reads library books by night. His goal is absurd in its simplicity and vital in its execution. He wants to build a windmill. Out of trash. To power the village.
The title gives the game away, obviously.
Do you know the ending? Yes. William succeeds.
That means the suspense cannot live in the machinery. It has to live in the people. His older sister, Annie, shares his intellect but bears the weight of community expectations. She has a relationship with Mike, a science teacher played by Tad Hapaguti in this performance. His best friend, Gilbert, is the chief’s son. He has fire, yes. But when the crisis hits, his status suddenly matters for reasons beyond friendship.
Trywell is the real tragedy.
William’s father. Farmer. Loveable and desperate. He wants education for his son. But education costs money. Farming feeds you. So William stops studying to help pull crops. It is a cruel choice. As the hunger bites deeper, Trywell breaks. He lashes out at his family. Sifiso Mazibuko plays this shift with terrifying precision. He walks the line between victim and villain without missing a step. It is infuriating. It is tragic. Both at once.
Is the show perfect?
No. Most songs are pleasant. Then they fade from memory. The cast has strong voices, particularly Mazibuko and Annie’s performer, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe. There is also Choolwe Laina Muntunga as the spirit of the wind, bringing a visual poetry that stands out.
The choreography does more work than the score. Specifically the number One Less (The Hyena). It is dramatic. Sharp. And then there are the puppets. Gorgeous animal figures. They add a pathos that dialogue cannot touch.
The first half drags. A little too much. The play spends its opening act trying to sell us on the charm of Wimbe. It does not need to do this. We are already here. But once the famine closes in… the lock clicks into place.
At my showing, someone cried during William’s low point. Not just one person. The whole house felt the shift. The dry eyes vanished.
The wind catches the blades. The lights flicker on. It is moving. It is messy. It is worth seeing.
