The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind will transfer to London's West End in 2026 following its regional run at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The new musical tells the true story of William Kamkwamba, a young prodigy in engineering. It will run at the Swan February 10-March 28, 2026 before heading to the West End's @Sohoplace, where it will run April 25-July 18, 2026.
Adapted from and based on the book by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, it follows a young Malawian boy who built a wind turbine to power electrical appliances in his family's house using materials from a local scrapyard. Lynette Linton will direct the new musical, which features a book and lyrics by Richy Hughes, and music and lyrics by Tim Sutton.
The cast will feature Alistair Nwachukwu as William Kamkwamba, Madeline Appiah as Agnes, Tsemaye Bob-Egbe as Annie, and Sifiso Mazibuko as Trywell. They will be joined onstage by Owen Chaponda as Mike Kachigunda/Blessings, Eddie Elliott as Jeremiah Kamkwamba /Patience, Shaka Kalokoh as Charity, McCallam Connell as Chief Wimbe, Idriss Kargbo as Gilbert Mofat, Newtion Matthews as Mister Ofesi, Choolwe Laina Muntanga as Mika Kamkwamba, Tomi Ogbaro as Mizeck, Yana Penrose as Khamba, and Helena Pipe as Edith Sikelo. The ensemble will include Lori Barker and Alex Okoampa, and Tad Hapaguti and Daniel Haswell will serve as offstage understudies.
The creative team will include 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 makeup designer Cynthia De La Rosa, music aupervisor Liam Godwin, orchestrator Benjamin Kwasi Burrell, puppet designer Nick Barnes, puppetry director Laura Cubitt, fight director Kate Waters, dramaturg George Harrison, dramatherapist Wabriya King, casting director Heather Basten CDG, music director Ashton Moore, voice and dialect Joel Trill, associate director TD Moyo, assistant dramaturg Owen Chaponda, and creative associate Chiwetel Ejiofor. The production was commissioned by and is presented in association with Kenny Wax Limited and Chuchu Nwagu Productions, and the London run at @sohoplace is presented in association with Nica Burns.
For tickets and more information, visit here.
