The Syndicate at The Alexandra, Birmingham - Review

The Syndicate at The Alexandra, Birmingham - Review

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Posted 2024-06-26 by Andy Colemanfollow

Tue 25 Jun 2024 - Sat 29 Jun 2024

Ever wondered how your life would change if you scooped a lottery jackpot? A new house, an expensive car, clothes, holidays? Maybe the biggest problem would be deciding what to spend the windfall on. The five supermarket employees in Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate , on The Alexandra ’s stage until Saturday, June 29, certainly don’t hesitate to splash the cash when they win nearly £25million on the Mercury Millions lottery. They are obviously relieved that their money worries have seemingly been solved, especially as they are all facing redundancy. Some also have debts to pay, growing families and marriage dilemmas. These issues are all explored in the production, which is based on the first series of Kay Mellor’s hit 2012 BBC TV drama. This stage version is the last play Mellor wrote before her death in 2022 and is directed in her honour by her daughter, Gaynor Faye.

Winners: Benedict Shaw, Rosa Coduri-Fulford, Samantha Giles and Oliver Anthony in The Syndicate


As you would expect from a Mellor script, the story has many twists and turns. In the first half, before the lottery win and set mainly in the supermarket, impoverished Assistant Manager Stuart (Benedict Shaw), who is set to become a dad for the second time, and his shelf-stacker brother Jamie (Oliver Anthony – Gaynor Faye’s son, incidentally) hatch a plan to rob the store. It all goes awry when the manager Bob ( William Ilkley ) catches them in the act and is seriously wounded as Jamie makes his escape. The robbery and assault are investigated by dishevelled DCI Newell (Jerome Ngonadi) who interviews all staff members, including long-serving assistant Denise ( Samantha Giles ) and the more junior Leanne (Rosa Coduri-Fulford) who seems to have something to hide.

Interview: Benedict Shaw is quizzed by Jerome Ngonadi


We also meet Stuart’s girlfriend, Amy (Brooke Vincent), who has little to do in Act One, but who comes into her own in Act Two which is set in the couple’s luxury home, rented with some of their winnings. She is sensational as the snobby money-loving social climber who can’t wait to spend, spend, spend. We learn how each winner is using their money, with some of their inner thoughts and feelings revealed through publicity interviews conducted by Mercury Millions representative Kay (Jade Golding).

Money-loving: Brook Vincent is Amy in The Syndicate. Pic: Craig Sugden


There’s a further complication when it is revealed that one of the syndicate members has not been making his weekly lottery payment, so the others have to vote on whether he should receive a share of the winnings.

It's a cleverly staged production and raises interesting questions about the relationship between money and happiness, but unfortunately, I found some of Mellor’s witty lines difficult to hear due to broad northern accents and muffled dialogue. The person easiest to comprehend was William Ilkley, a veteran theatre actor with 20 years of experience with the Hull Truck Theatre Company, who obviously knows how to project lines to the dress circle.

Veteran: William Ilkley is store manager Bob in The Syndicate


Most of the cast members are best known for their television work – Brooke Vincent was Sophie Webster in Coronation Street, Samantha Giles was Bernice Blackstock in Emmerdale for 25 years, Rosa Coduri-Fulford’s CV includes Sexy Beast, The Tower and Lucky Man, and Benedict Shaw was in Hollyoaks and Emmerdale. The Syndicate is Jade Golding’s UK tour debut and Oliver Anthony’s stage debut.

Faultless: Samantha Giles is Denise in The Syndicate


I can’t fault the acting – Samantha Giles and Brooke Vincent are particularly good – but some of the characters are not as believable as they might be. For example, wouldn't a police officer act and dress more professionally when investigating a serious offence? Maybe he thinks he’s Columbo! And Leanne has a secret to conceal but still agrees to publicise her lottery win in newspapers and on social media.

At the end of the day, this play may make you think twice about joining colleagues in a lottery syndicate and whether it's really so great to win a huge amount of money. Or you may just become jealous of Stuart and Amy's luxury home and go and buy a ticket!

Rating: 3½ out of 5




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289162 - 2024-06-26 12:27:58

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