Can you imagine winning the lottery and becoming a millionaire overnight? Well… you’ve got to be in it to win it!
Written by the late, great Kay Mellor, The Syndicate is based on the hit BBC series of the same name. Critically acclaimed, Mellor was renowned for her string of hit television dramas, such as Band of Gold, Fat Friends, Playing the Field and of course The Syndicate. Her sharp, true to life writing of ordinary people, usually set in the North of England, have been much loved by us all over the years.
The stage adaptation of The Syndicate follows five supermarket workers (Denise, Bob, Jamie, Stuart and Leanne), each with their own story to tell and, perhaps predictably, all with reasons for needing money. Their jobs are all in threat as the supermarket is set to close and brothers Jamie and Stuart concoct a plan to rob the shop when everyone else has gone home. This all goes horribly wrong when their boss, Bob, turns up unexpectedly and ends up in hospital. The next day the five colleagues realise their syndicate has won the £24 million jackpot.
Despite being written by Mellor, I felt a real disconnect from her usual writings and portrayal of characters. Rather than the naturalistic, ‘real’ feel to the characters, as we are used to, sadly the play served up rather caricatured stereotypes, with little originality. That being said, it was perhaps hard to cram an entire series’ story into a two-hour stage production, but that real depth of each character’s backstory was missed. Making her solo directorial debut was Mellor’s daughter and soap icon, Gaynor Faye (Coronation Street, Emmerdale). Having worked closely with her mum from the infancy of the production, Faye ably brought Mellor’s vision to life. I particularly liked the artistic choices when we learned of Jamie’s car crash and the final, money falling sequence. The action, though, was generally all on one level and lacked injections of pace. At times the story felt very slow thus struggling to keep my interest. Faye also starred in the production as lottery representative Kay (the character name was a lovely nod to Mellor and not lost on me). She, of course, had great charisma, looking at ease with the role. I do question, however, whether a director should also be in a production as they can’t then step away and observe the whole piece to see what we, the audience, see.
Generally, the play was very well cast. Brothers Jamie and Stuart were played by Oliver Anthony and Benedict Shaw, respectively. They gave believability as disgruntled siblings with Shaw, particularly, displaying a great range of emotions. It was interesting to read that Anthony, who portrayed the stereotypical bad-lad Jamie with presence, is Faye’s son – clearly a very talented, artistic family. William Ilkley, as Bob, clearly had vast experience and gave a strong performance. Brooke Vincent (Coronation Street) brought a comedic brashness to Amy, but I felt her performance lacked a little light and shade, with her voice getting very high and pitchy a little too often. Rosa Coduri-Fullwood’s portrayal of Leanne, gave a great antithesis to Amy. However, I feel her character, particularly, was let down by the script. The real star for me was Samantha Giles (Emmerdale) who had personality, energy and wonderful comic timing in the role of Denise. It is testament to Giles’ acting, and indeed the costume department, that she wasn’t easily recognisable in the role. Her expressions and one-lines brought about the most humorous moments of the show.
The set was a triumph, courtesy of designer Bretta Gerecke, changing from supermarket in Act 1 to plus mansion in Act 2. A real highlight of the production.
Overall, I must admit I came away a little disappointed. Perhaps this was down to my high expectations, given how much I love Mellor’s television shows. I felt the story just didn’t quite work when translated from screen to stage. That said, the soap star names packed out the auditorium, so I’m sure it’ll be a great commercial success. It was generally an appreciative opening night audience in Salford, who were provided with a good night of light entertainment.
Reviewer: Paddy Darnell-Walsh
Reviewed: 17th May 2024
North West End UK Rating:
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