8 hours ago
2
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.
Performers excel in energetic choreography by Shelley Maxwell and it contains a big, loud West End energy that seems to expand beyond the edges of this stage and spill over. There is a nice rapport between the always good-natured William (Alistair Nwachukwu) and his friend, Gilbert (Idriss Kargbo), the cheeky son of the village chief who aids William’s learning after he has been dismissed from school for not being able to pay the fees. There is romance too, not only the warm, comfy chemistry between William’s parents but also between his older sister Annie (Tsemaye Bob-Egbe) and schoolteacher Mike (Owen Chaponda).
This leavens the harder edges of the story but things stay too insistently feelgood, even in the face of hunger and famine when drought arrives, and the lack of nuance in tone becomes limiting. We do see William’s mother (Madeline Appiah) struggling with malaria, as well as his clashes with his father (Sifiso Mazibuko) and death all around the family. But the production glances at this darkness and withdraws from it too quickly, as if scared to diverge from the musical’s high mood. A re-emerging hyena (Shaka Kalokoh) symbolises the sense of danger in the village but simply stalks on and off, looking like an extra from The Lion King and carrying little threat.
There is some superb percussion and drums, with songs variously filled with lamentation or celebration, along with spirited ululations. But while Tim Sutton’s music is always big on sound, with a few strong songs including Mphala Boys Power and This I Know, there are too many unmemorable numbers and some ropey singing voices too, along with an often bland book by Richy Hughes that renders characters rather too simplistic.
William remains strangely unknown, as if eclipsed by the song and dance. His friendship with an adopted neighbourhood dog, exquisitely played by Yana Penrose, is another sweet feature, but you do not feel the emotional tragedy when it comes. At well over two hours long this drama of immense suffering – alongside a boy’s incredible determination to find a solution for it – is certainly life-affirming. But it does not get you in the gut, or squeeze the heart, as it surely should.
English (US)