THE Wind in the Willows cast is all set to perform in Basingstoke’s historic Haymarket Theatre next week after the show was postponed due to the pandemic.

Basingstoke Amateur Operatic Society’s highly-anticipated adaptation will run from Thursday, September 23 to Saturday, September 25.

The show is a musical adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s best-selling children’s novel The Wind in the Willows and follows the story of Mole, Rat, Badger and Mr Toad whose need for speed lands him in serious trouble.

Organisers promise the evening, which has been over a year in the making, will be packed full of wit and humour.

The performance was initially meant to go ahead last year but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But 38-year-old director Adam Bayjou said the delay has only left the cast more excited and determined to get back on stage and perform.

Speaking ahead of the show’s three nights of performances next week, Bayjou told The Gazette that being able to rehearse again in person has made a “huge difference”.

Bayjou said the cast is in a “very strong” position ready for Thursday.

He said: “I am extremely excited that we can be back on stage again and it’s a feeling like no other.

“I really cannot wait to see everyone’s faces when they get to experience being back on stage again for the first time.

“It’s nice that we can all be back in a room together and it really is invaluable time that we can spend together”

He hopes that the music can be enjoyed by all age groups and that there is a lesson to be learned within the show for everyone.

He added: “The show I believe really is something everyone can enjoy. It is something for all the family and is set to be an explosion of colour on stage.

“It will be something everyone can relate to, and everyone is represented in some way, from children to adults.”

Talented Bayjou, who hails from Basingstoke, studied at the London School of Musical Theatre and has a packed CV that features four-and-a-half years performing in Les Misérables in the West End.

You can order tickets for the show by visiting the Anvil Arts website.