I have been lucky enough to have been invited into a few rehearsal rooms now, yet the feeling never feels any less special; the anticipation feels almost magical, as does the energy from the cast; that feeling that they’re bringing a show, story and characters to life and something special is being created. A feeling that only builds closer to opening night.
Well, I got to feel this all over again this week as I stepped back into a church hall to watch Basingstoke Amateur Theatrical Society’s (BATS) rehearsal of their next stage musical; following their hugely popular previous shows of Sister Act and Shrek The Musical, they are now staging none other than Jonathon Larson’s RENT, which will be running at Basingtoke’s Haymarket Theatre 16th – 20th May.
RENT is a show that could not be more relevant right now, so it feels like a perfect time to bring this show to the Haymarket stage. The rock musical is a loose retelling of the opera ‘La Boheme’, with hit and hugely well-known songs such as ‘Seasons of Love’, ‘La Vie Boheme’, ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ and ‘I’ll Cover You’. RENT tells the story of a group of young, impoverished artists in Lower Manhattan, set within the HIV/AIDS crisis. With such a range of characters within one show, there is something for everyone and someone everyone can see themselves in; it’s a story of community, belonging, love, loss, the struggles people go through daily – and hope.
RENT was a huge hit on Broadway and has huge popularity with theatre fans – so one may think it’s an intimidating choice for an amateur theatrical company to stage…yet BATS are in the process of bringing this show to life beautifully. With less than a week to go until their first show, they are almost stage ready. It’s always a nice, heartwarming feeling when it’s so easy to watch and review something because it’s all so brilliant! The fine-tuning of the show is now underway and those in the audience for the finished performances will be in for a real treat. Watching the entire company pour their hearts and souls out into their performances, I could see them taking such a gorgeous yet heartbreaking show and staging it with so much love, passion and emotion which is integral to making RENT the special musical it is.
It goes without saying that RENT is not an easy show by a long shot. Musically, emotionally and physically. It is heavy and complex – but all handled in such a gorgeous way that narrates the reality of life. Already, the company have completely fleshed out and embodied their characters, cleverly demonstrating all the complexities within the show through their performances in a way that feels authentic and genuine. Furthermore, the onstage relationships have been cemented between everyone and the love and support everyone has for each other is palpable in the room. It is a marvel all on its own that RENT is a tricky show to get right, yet they all make performing it look easy!
RENT is a show about the ups and downs of life, of humanity, and as a company, they have injected so much life into every second of this show. It speaks volumes that by the end of the rehearsal, the cast were in tears, most of the creative team were in tears…and I was also in tears. RENT is such an emotional show anyway, but when people who aren’t even professional performers are giving the same energy, enthusiasm and emotion as west-end performers and doing a stellar job, it’s hard not to get caught up in everything and be moved, to say the least!
Furthermore, this company as a whole has put this whole show together in 3 months; that’s 3 months from the first auditions to the curtain up. For people who have regular jobs and are doing this as an added bonus, it is a huge achievement to take on the mammoth show of RENT and make that happen. At times, there can be a bit of a snobbish opinion when it comes to amateur dramatics; that it won’t be as enjoyable as a major west-end production, but I’d argue that BATS have the passion, dedication and talent the west end shows have; they make shows happen to almost the same standard- just without the same amount of money, and with much less time. Yet despite that, they always put on these incredible shows that wow audiences. And that, in my opinion, is a huge accomplishment and marvel, worthy of well-deserved praise.
Whilst writing this piece I actually had to remind myself to hold back a little, otherwise I may run out of things to say when it comes to writing about the finished show next week! If a company has the power to make me this enthusiastic for a show that’s not even fully finished and on stage yet, I can only imagine how amazing the finished production will be. I cannot wait to see it all pulled together with the set, band, costumes (some of which I had a sneak peek at! A couple of pieces in particular, I LOVED!), and of course – the electric atmosphere that only an audience can bring.
I have just one week left to wait to see the finished show but having now seen their rehearsal, I can already confidently say that everyone who has played a part in making RENT happen – both on and off stage – should be really proud of themselves. I have a feeling this run will be quite an emotional one, for all the right reasons. A gorgeous show that serves reminders least of all that there is no day but today, and love is one of the most important things to remember above all else, BATS’ RENT is a show well worth taking a trip to see. Forget regret*, book yourself in before you miss out!
To book tickets for RENT, click here.
To find out more about BATS, click here.
(Due to the nature of the content in the show, I would recommend the age for viewing be 16+).
*Personally, I’m proud I made it to the end of the piece before trying to subtly slide lyrics in.
One Show at a Time 
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