Here I am, back at Leeds Grand Theatre for a second tv show transfer to the stage. Unlike Drop The Dead Donkey, this is not a case of getting the band back together, rather a play based on the original idea of a group of supermarket workmates winning the lottery. Having said that, it is written in an almost tv style format with the first episode taking up the hour before the interval, revealing the back story, although only partially in one case, and the syndicate learning of their good fortune, but leaving us with a cliffhanger for part two.
The story is about five supermarket staff who find out that their branch is to close as it has been acquired by a large chain and is being redeveloped. Although they have been told that they will be considered for jobs at the new store, they will be unemployed until its completion or, seemingly worse still, given a transfer to the Holbeck branch!
The manager, Bob, played by William Ilkley, has been offered early retirement and is looking forward to spending time with his wife; single mum Leanne, Rosa Coduri-Fulford, plans to return to her native London with her daughter. Denise, the syndicate manager, played by Samantha Giles, is undecided about her next step, and everything else in her life, whereas the hapless Stuart, Benedict Shaw, has money problems and to add to his burden, his wife Amy, Brooke Vincent, gives birth to their second child on the same day. Things are so bad that they are living with their respective parents, being unable to afford a deposit on a flat, not only that but he is five weeks behind on his syndicate payments. Finally there is Oliver Anthony, who plays the flash Jamie, Stuart’s brother, deep in debt to a money lender and on his final warning.
Once this scenario has been set out, we learn that Jamie has decided to appease the money lender, known as Boss Man, by agreeing to rob the supermarket at close of business on the Saturday night when there will be a lot of money in the safe as, apart from it being a busy day anyway, it is a double roll-over on the lottery so that will boost takings even further. He persuades the reluctant Stuart to help him carry out the plan, which has unforeseen consequences, resulting in the appearance of DCI Newall, played by Jerome Ngonadi, to investigate the crime.
The first half ends with the news that the syndicate has won £24,000,000, being just under five million each, but their being informed by Kay, the lottery company representative, played by Gaynor Faye, that, as one member is in arrears, the others will have to vote to see whether they still want to give him his share.
Denise – Samantha Giles, breaks the good news to Stuart – Benedict Shaw, Leanne – Rosa Coduri-Fulford and Jamie – Oliver Anthony.
The second half deals with the effect that the money has had on each of the winners as well as the police investigation of the robbery. There are also several relationship issues which come to the fore, one of which is that between Stuart and his wife whose profligate spending makes Vivian Nicholson look like Ebeneezer Scrooge – that is a comparison for the more mature readers.
Sadly, I didn’t find this play as good as the others I have seen by Ms Mellor, although she did set a very high bar for herself. Some of the characters were a bit unbelievable, mainly the detective who wandered around with an air of detachment and sometimes looked lost. I realise it worked for Columbo, but not for Newall.
There was also a glaring fault in a pivotal part of the plot when Kay says that she can’t pay out the money until a vote has been taken and, should the syndicate not be able to come to a decision as to whether Stuart’s arrears can be ignored, the jackpot can’t be released. I realise that the lottery company is called Mercury Millions, rather than its being the National Lottery, but the internal machinations of a syndicate have no bearing on the payment of a prize. Tickets can only be bought in the name of one person and so what they do with the money is up to them. They should have an agreement in place but that is not a legal requirement. As a footnote to this, I would advise all lottery syndicates to draw up an agreement, not only because it is legally binding, but, as the winnings are only paid out to the person buying the ticket, thus being tax free to them, when they distribute the proceeds the other shares might be treated as income so Jeremy Hunt will want his cut as well. You’re welcome.
Aside from the above, I found that the production suffered from the cast members not being fitted with microphones, causing them to shout rather loudly. In the dafter parts of the play this didn’t matter too much, but the more intimate scenes, especially in the second half, lost all sense of subtlety.
The set design by Bretta Gerecke, who also did the costumes, was very inventive with the stage split into three parts during the first half, the centre was the supermarket shop floor, the right hand side, Bob’s office and the left hand side being the maternity ward or staff cloakroom. The creative use of lighting, by Lighting Designer Jason Taylor, concentrating the audience’s attention on the appropriate part of the set. In the second act it became Stuart and Amy’s over-the-top opulent pad where the celebration party was taking place. The Sound Designer was Max Pappenheim.
In conclusion I would like to say that The Syndicate is what it is, a comedy with the range of well defined characters in a somewhat contrived situation, but it could have been so much more. You have no idea how difficult that bit was to write.
The Syndicate, written by Kay Mellor and Directed by Gaynor Faye, is at Leeds Grand Theatre until Sunday, 28th April, 2024. For more details and to book, please go to https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/the-syndicate-2024/
To see what else is on at Leeds Heritage Theatres it is https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/
All images from Leeds Heritage Theatres, photographs by Dave Hogan
Tyke It To The Limit 