By Leyla Demirel
Soon to be running their latest musical production, Kinky Boots, Basingstoke Amateur Operatic Society (BAOS) are throwing everything they have into rehearsals before their opening night at the Haymarket Theatre in Basingstoke on the 30th March. And if the rehearsals are anything to go by, the full show itself will be a treat.
I was lucky enough to be invited to a rehearsal evening to get a glimpse into what the BAOS company has spent the last few months working on, and what I saw only left me wanting more.
As they finish their physical warm-up and move into performing the final number, the energy and excitement is palpable. Every day that passes brings them one day closer to the opening night, so these final few rehearsals are not so much rehearsing, but more finessing the final details, so audiences in the Haymarket will have a joyous night out.
What’s so heart-warming about watching the rehearsal process is the dedication and hard work of so many people coming together to make something special. These are people who are giving up their free time to pull a show together. Amateur dramatics doesn’t have the money the west end does, but it does have the determination and passion.
Kinky Boots is a fantastic show in its own right, and after watching ‘The Most Beautiful Thing’, ‘Raise You Up/Just Be’, and ‘In This Corner’, I was left filled with excitement for the full show. Anticipated to see how this rehearsal – the most enthusiastic and hard-working people using an out-of-hours library with chairs outlining their stage and the room swallowing the sound – will turn into a fully-fledged musical performance at the Basingstoke Haymarket theatre.
If I got one thing from the rehearsal snippet I saw, it’s how amazing the whole performance will be. The BAOS run of Kinky Boots is a short one, just running from the 30th March to the 2nd of April, so it really is a case of blink, and you’ll miss it. The BAOS kinky boots performance sounds like it will be a fantastic chance to support amateur dramatics again and I, for one, am really looking forward to being there and watching the finished show.
Kinky Boots runs at Basingstoke’s Haymarket Theatre from the 30th March to the 2nd April. You can buy tickets for BAOS’ Kinky Boots here: https://www.anvilarts.org.uk/whats-on/event/kinky-boots
