I wonder how you’d choose to spend your share of a £24million Lottery win if your numbers were to come up this week? Luxury Holiday? Yacht in Montecarlo? Copious amounts of Champagne? Perhaps the more important question is – would it make you happier? This is the conundrum faced by five humble supermarket employees in Kay Mellor’s latest (and final – for Mellor sadly passed away in May 2022, shortly after adapting this piece for the stage) play. The jumbo jackpot lands just at the right time for our characters as their jobs and livelihoods are under threat from a megastore takeover. Will their newfound fortune prove to be the making of them or will the filthy lucre simply serve to exacerbate their woes?
The directing mantle has been picked up by Mellor’s daughter Gaynor Faye, who brings to fruition this theatrical adaptation of the 2012 BBC television series of the same name. This is clearly a labour of love for Faye and the warmth and affection that all involved have for the piece, and in turn for the talent of Mellor, radiates from the stage at every moment.
Samantha Giles stars as long serving employee and dog loving downtrodden Denise. Giles (formerly of the parish of Emmerdale) has, as you might expect, an excellent handle on Mellor’s trademark north of England wit and quick-fire dialogue, serving up some corking lines with absolute relish. Another soap stalwart, Brooke Vincent gives us Amy who is sassy and yet vacuous and works superbly well with on stage partner Stuart (Benedict Shaw). Shaw conveys the good-hearted but disillusioned everyman to perfection. He is pitch perfect in the role, driving the story and carrying much of the emotional heart of the show. Vincent’s Amy has some fabulous lines each of which has this opening night audience in hysterics. Their chemistry together is wonderful and ever so tragically believable. Rosa Coduri-Fulford plays mysterious colleague Leanne who is not necessarily all she seems. Her story is particularly well told.
Faye also stars in the show as lottery representative Kay, a part that she delivers with flair and a joyous energy. Her real-life son (and original Syndicate TV cast member) Oliver Anthony makes his stage debut as Stuart’s little brother, loveable rogue Jamie, who has a penchant for causing trouble but gets away with it because of his charm. He is awesome in the role and possesses a charisma that draws the eye whenever he is on stage.
My favourite of the motley crew is manager Bob (William Ilkley) who approaches life in all its ups and downs with a trademark heroic stoicism. Ilkley absolutely nails this archetypal northern bloke. You’ll be quite sure that you know him from the off.
Set design by Bretta Gerecke is colourful and homely, the simple shop offering plenty of light and shade much the same as the script. It is a versatile space that is utilised well especially in the second act when the exact same footprint transports us to Stuart’s new home with just a few small alterations. I especially love the way that the character’s costumes change as the story proceeds helping to illustrate the way that the individuals themselves are changing after their brush with lady fortune. The soundscape (Max Pappenheim) during scene changes is fun too – we are treated to a range of money related pop songs such as Simply Red’s Money Too Tight To Mention and Money, Money, Money by Abba which serve to remind us of the central theme of the play (not that we’re in any danger of forgetting!).
The piece covers a lot of big questions around relationship issues, financial worries, the true nature of friendship and the humdrum nature of everyday life. There really is something for everyone to identify with here. Absolutely typical of Mellor’s work, the key strength is that the characters are all utterly relatable. These are people we all know. We love to love them and at times we love to hate them. Nobody writes character better than Kay Mellor. Ultimately, it is a joy to spend the evening in their company. Does money make you happy? If you have enough of it to buy a ticket to see this play, then the answer is ‘yes’! Now, where did I put my lucky dip…?
The Syndicate plays at The Theatre Royal in Nottingham until Saturday 8th June 2024.
It was a fantastic production tonight. The brilliant script, well executed with a cast that bounced off each character, all without exception, stood out. Staging props supported the story well, and the music gave an essence of thought. Well done, team syndicate. What a fantastic night, thought-provoking to the characters ‘ prisons yet funny with people we can relate to in our walks of life. The irony is we were meant to attend last night and forgot to go, so Rea booked today; the money was well worth it. I’m glad we saw it. Have a well-earned Champaign out of the props fridge, lol 😆