THE BOY WITH WINGS

Polka Theatre

★★★

“promises to enchant a new generation with the art of live theatre”

The Boy with Wings, a new co-production between Polka Theatre and Birmingham Rep, and based on the book by Sir Lenny Henry, is a visually stunning show perfectly packaged for younger viewers with lots of heart and some important life lessons.

Adapted for the stage by Arvind Ethan David, we follow Tunde (Adiel Boboye), a twelve-year-old boy who lives with his mum, as he pursues his dream of reuniting with his absent father. Assisted by his newly acquired best friends Kylie (Millie Elkins-Green) and Dev (Samir Mahat), Tunde soon receives a shock when he magically sprouts wings and begins to fly. Thus begins a series of events that throw the gang straight into a war that is raging between two alien races: the talking cats and the bird folk. There’s twists and turns enough to keep the children in the audience on the edge of their seats, and the show becomes a cheerful example of the futile nature of war.

This is, at its heart, a story about finding peace and commonality in starkly opposing characters; as leader of the cats, Juba (Jessica Murrain), reminds us: ‘The reasons for war can often seem many, but when it comes down to it there aren’t any’. The message a strong one, as is that of the importance of unconditional support in friendships. One only wishes someone would’ve also reassured Tunde that it’s really okay for a young boy to cry over his estranged father.

The cast overall bring dynamic performances to this quirky children’s tale. Mahat brings an infectious vigour to his role which is neatly contrasted with Elkins-Green’s suitably wiser-than-her-years, sarcastic tones. Boboye as Tunde is sweet and hopeful, while Mia Jerome as his mother, Ruth, brings delightful life to her moments of heavy exposition.

The costumes (Laura McEwen) and lighting design (Gillian Tan) are bright, beautiful and perfect for little eyes; the grand, sweeping wings of Tunde and his father are a particularly world-transporting highlight. The set design (also McEwen) is truly outstanding; it balances gorgeous imagery with diverse practical use and allows us to witness some perky parkour, dramatic character reveals, and even includes a plethora of wheelchair accessible ramps which Elkins-Green makes good use of, spinning around the stage with utter confidence.

While not branded as a musical per se, this production is let down by its songs (Arvind Ethan David and Khalil Madovi). Though the rap elements are electric and engaging – Stephan Boyce as Aaven especially brings a certain energy and humour that is hard to escape – the songs feel superfluous. The show fails to justify the need for the sung content and these moments never pack any sort of punch; whether this is from poor writing, the actors looking rather uncomfortable to be singing or a mix of both, it’s hard to tell. That said, the joyous audience participation in the finale song is enough to forgive its irrelevance to the show’s structure, and indeed the children in the audience are far more enjoying singing along than debating the merits of prose versus song.

Directed by Daniel Bailey, this show is a strong offering to the landscape of children’s theatre. It does an admirable job of squeezing the excitement of the original story onto a relatively small stage, but one can’t help but feel like the sparkle of the book doesn’t quite shine all the way through. Despite a couple of small timing and diction issues, The Boy with Wings is a joyful experience to watch and an easily accessible show for any child. Blending strong performances with heartfelt content, this show promises to enchant a new generation with the art of live theatre.

THE BOY WITH WINGS

Polka Theatre

Reviewed on 28th June 2025

by Kathryn McQueen

Photography by Jake Bush and Adela Ursachi

June’s five star shows:

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF | ★★★★★ | BARBICAN | June 2025

LAGUNA BAY | ★★★★★ | CHISWICK HOUSE & GARDENS | June 2025

INSIDE GIOVANNI’S ROOM | ★★★★★ | SADLER’S WELLS EAST | June 2025

KIERAN HODGSON: VOICE OF AMERICA | ★★★★★ | SOHO THEATRE | June 2025

THE BOY WITH WINGS

★★★★

“Cookson’s inventive style of directing is – as ever – capturing, stimulating and entertaining”

Wonder Boy by Ross Willis, and directed by Sally Cookson, follows Sonny (Hilson Agbangbe) as he comes to terms with the cause of his stammer; and tries to overcome it. Sonny has a passion for art and creates a comic character Captain Chatter (Ciaran O’Breen) who joins him as he moves to a new foster carer as well as a new school. He is befriended by the hilarious Roshi (Naia Elliott-Spence) and guided by the initially guarded Wainwright (Eva Scott). Wainwright has her own obstacles as she comes up against the new, heartless headmistress Fish (Jessica Murrain) who attempts to change the school for the worst.

Ross Willis has written an incredibly accessible and important story, while Cookson’s inventive style of directing is – as ever – capturing, stimulating and entertaining. The piece shied away from lazy stereotypes while staying current with a clear finger on the pulse of what is relevant for younger audiences.

The stage was bordered with an electric blue, neon light that sizzled on the perimeter of the action. Katie Sykes (set designer) struck a fantastic balance of producing a spacious, de-cluttered stage while chromatically supporting scenes with a variety of levels, thus subtly highlighting areas of the stage for scenes to take place. There was a wonderful interactive backdrop that drew the dialogue of the scenes using the speaking character’s handwriting. This, combined with the sign language that Captain Chatter used, accelerated the inclusivity of the piece and broadened the show’s audience reach while still being able to be clear on the heart and story of the play.

The lighting (Aideen Malone) and sound (Jonathan Everett) were phenomenal, with both mediums truly engaging and gripping the audience. This was particularly apparent in the dream-like states of Sonny’s imagination, where dialogue became echoed and ambient sounds ever-immersive. The overall tightness of Wonder Boy was mesmerising; with tiny minute detail being executed by all of the cast with precision and accuracy.

Agbangbe’s rendition of Sonny was impressively well-found and demonstrated how watchable and gifted he is as an actor. He really showed us how much Sonny’s mother meant to him and how anger is Sonny’s go-to emotion. His accomplice Captain Chatter, seamlessly blended sign language with mime, the exactitude of his movements was awe-inspiring. Roshi, provided brilliant moments of comedy, while having a touching character arc. The eccentric, farce-like Fish brought a comedic level, too, while Murrain’s interpretation of Mum helped to bring Sonny’s emotions out. Scott’s Wainwright superbly presented the deep humanity of teachers. You could feel that audience really resonated with her as a character.

The production values of Wonder Boy – from writing to acting quality to direction, lighting and sound – were magnificently high. It’s an important, unpatronising and downright entertaining coming-of-age story that works wonders at grasping its target audience as well as branching out to wider groups.

Tag Archives: Jessica Murrain

THE BOY WITH WINGS

★★★

Polka Theatre

THE BOY WITH WINGS

Polka Theatre

★★★

“promises to enchant a new generation with the art of live theatre”