Newtion Matthews on the joys of 'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind'

Adapted from the critically acclaimed film, which was written and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor; The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind tells the story of William Kamkwamba, a young Malawian inventor who built a wind turbine in 2001 to power the electrical appliances in his home. 

The Floor Mag caught up with actor Newtion Matthews who plays Mister Ofesi, one of William’s school teachers during his secondary school years. 

“He's a doubter of William’s brilliance and where he's going.” Matthews tells us of the character he plays and his role in William’s life. Initially the play spent time being workshopped (Matthew’s was part of this original team) as an adapted production, not just of the film but of the original memoir depicting Willam’s journey to invent something that would change life in his village and gain him worldwide recognition.

Bringing your play to the RSC adds another layer of prestige and strong desire to bring the story to life in a way that also feels accessible to young people. In working with production Matthew’s first point of call is wanting me to know that the entire cast had access to a therapist who made sure that they knew the honour to work with the RSC went both ways. 

Ensemble cast, Alistair Nwachukwu & Newtion Matthews

“It's a huge honour for them (the RSC) to receive the story that we're telling as Black people… to be able to truly bring work and art that may not be seen in certain spaces and change people's perceptions and let them know that the continent is amazing. We have stories that are so rich in culture and history, and they are Earth changing.”

Matthews is a creative passionate about Black stories and sitting in unique characters shoes. Previously he starred as the alternative Lola in the UK tour of Kinky Boots (2025), Preacher in Stratford East’s The Harder They Come and One Love: The Bob Marley Musical. 

For Matthews his safe space has been found in the show’s cast and creatives whilst performing on stage as Mister Ofesi. In fact he’s often been rendered “watery eyed” when thinking of the show’s wider significance to family, reconciliation and rites of passage. 

“As Black children, we know we're not here to disrespect our parents, but you also have to stake (y)our claim as individuals. That delicate balance of child to adulthood is something that I feel like we all feel every day when we get on that stage.” 

William grapples with being misunderstood by teachers, parents and general cynics whilst on his journey to being an inventor. He isn’t just doubted by those outside of his circle but those who look like him too. 

“I think in every hero's journey, you have to have that doubt so that you're able to overcome that and be able to take those naysayers and say, but actually, I know something that you don't know.” Matthews explains as he dives deeper into his character, Mister Ofesi. 

“The character I have is a bit of comedic relief in the obtuseness towards what William was creating. I love playing Mr. Ofesi. Besides that, I play ensemble characters that create the general population of this village and this community. Every show, I get a bit more exuberant, and I'm pulling on those different bits of my own experience.”

The musical is an overall compelling watch, the cast mighty in bringing the essence of Malawi to the London stage. The choral arrangement provides a rich undertone to the entire production, tying it nicely together and pulling the through line of community. 

Shelley Maxwell’s choreography brings everyone’s hard work together, she, “has the back gyrating and the hips moving,” Matthews laughs fondly as he takes us back to being in those early rehearsals.  

Directed by the former Artistic Director of Bush Theatre, Lynette Linton, Matthews can’t help but gush when asked about working with the creative who has made it, “feel safe to be unapologetic in my Blackness, in my queerness, in my artistry and in my neurodivergency.” 

All the cast and crew are so heavily invested in seeing this play out on the West End stage, they know what the work means to them personally but also to the diaspora as an entirety. It’s a chance to showcase Africa and Malawian culture to those who may have never experienced it previously in a theatrical setting or those who may have never even heard the real story of  William Kamkwamba. 

“I think the moment that really gets me is when all of all of our voices connect at the very end of the show, and we've gone on this whole journey, and we just let rip, and there's this ancestral choir that just hits the world like a sheet and changes the vibration of certainly all of us, but everyone watching. It's a really magical moment, it's the payoff for all that we've been telling in our stories, all that we've been dancing. All that we've been presenting, and it's just 15 to 16, Black people standing on stage just praising and praising a young Black man and his story.”

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind plays at sohoplace until 18 July. 

You can book tickets here