Writer: Kay Mellor
Director: Gaynor Faye
Kay Mellor was one of the most respected female writers for television over the last few decades. Here one of her later series, The Syndicate, originally shown over four series on the BBC, has been adapted for the stage and directed by her daughter Gaynor Faye. Having never watched the series, this reviewer is unable to gauge how accurate it is to the series, but the basic premise of series one is certainly very similar.
Set in a small supermarket in Leeds, the staff find out that the company has been bought out by a bigger chain and they will need to reapply for their jobs. Each of the staff have their own financial worries. Stuart, the Assistant Manager, is struggling as his wife is due any day with their second child and has moved to live with her mum instead of with Stuart and her mother in law. Stuart’s younger brother Jamie is in trouble with local drug dealers. The four staff members and manager Bob have a lottery syndicate. Due to their money troubles Jamie, with Stuart’s assistance, plans to rob the store after closing on the Saturday. Unfortunately Bob returns during the faked robbery and ends up in hospital. The following morning, while Bob is still critical in the hospital and the police are investigating the robbery, comes the surprise news that the syndicate has won the lottery jackpot, sharing £24 million between the five of them.
The problems with this production are numerous. The writing and characters are cliched, with several of the characters being closer to a two dimensional parody of a person than realistic. The abbreviated plot (less than two hours down from several episodes) is unimaginative.
There are a couple of bright spots in the show. Benedict Shaw’s Stuart is mostly well acted, emapthetic and well rounded as is Rosa Coduri-Fulford’s Leanne. However, these are the only two characters that have any feeling of realism. Brooke Vincent’s Amy defines the term Chav in the worst possible way while Oliver Anthony’s Jamie is hackneyed in the extreme. Designer Bretta Gerecke has created a neat set which uses the space well and does its job without being excessive.
Some of the blame here must fall on Director Gaynor Faye. Perhaps being too close to her mother’s work has meant she has been unable to take a step back and make the directorial changes necessary to improve the function of the play. It’s a play you want to like but looking at it as a piece of theatre it is lacking in any impact. However, the audience loved it and it will do well on tour on the sheer strength of being an adaptation of a TV series. For this reviewer though, it needs a lot of work before it can fulfil its potential.
Runs until 19th May 2024