The Syndicate – Review – Bradford Alhambra Theatre
By Steve Crabtree, July 2024
Now, I did have a few mixed feelings about coming to see The Syndicate when I was offered the chance.
As many will know, the play is based on the BBC TV series of the same name. And me? Well, I only watched the fourth series with my wife, but we really didn’t enjoy it. I found it corny, cringeworthy, and although we completed it in the hope that somewhere down the line it’d click and all come good, for us it never really did. (And I don’t really like any Neil Morrissey characters these days either. Not sure why?).
BUT… the stage play was a world away from what I watched on the small screen. This production, based on the first series, is really funny and very enjoyable. I, my friend, and the rest of the audience laughed at it a lot.
The story is about four shop workers and their manager, each one of them with a back story that feeds into the main plot in some way or another. They’re in a lottery syndicate, and the week their numbers come up their lives completely change… though not in the way you might imagine.
“We all know a Denise”
Playing out the story was a fantastic cast up there on that stage. Each one of them were strong, and able to take the limelight as and when the story required them to.
Samantha Giles was very funny in the role of Denise. We all know a Denise, a barmy and lovable middle-aged woman who’s prone to mouthing something funny without realising it.
Then we’ve got Rosa Coduri-Fulford playing the commonsensical, good-natured Leanne, and William Ilkley as the lovely Bob – manager of the shop.
Alongside them are two brothers, Stuart and Jamie who bring the drama to The Syndicate in more ways than one. Stuart (Benedict Shaw) has a life that’s full of stress and drama, and despite being a guy with a conscience, he’s also been guilty of making silly decisions. Life isn’t helped by his trashy girlfriend Amy, a role portrayed with excellence by Brooke Vincent.
“Likeably-unlikeable”
The likeably-unlikeable Jamie was played really well by Oliver Anthony. He was perhaps the show stealer too. His character is the cocky one, the troublemaker, and the one who couldn’t give a damn about anything or anyone. As the audience soon work out.
All together, these characters are like a family. One that gives us drama, comedy, entertainment and even a touch of emotion here and there.
And you also know you’re going to get this with a production written by the late Kay Mellor. Famous for writing stuff with lots of relatable, working class, localised antics; it’s a testament to her daughter Gaynor Faye who rolled with this after losing her mother a little over two years ago. Faye, incidentally, plays the employee from Mercury Millions, whose name is Kay. A lovely nod to a very talented mother and writer.
“Thoroughly entertaining”
The costumes and scenery were believable. Especially before the interval, as we cleverly switched from shop to office, to staff room and back. And the surprise of a hospital ward appearing was smartly engineered too. The upturn in fortune was captured well on stage in Act Two as well, as bottles of Jack Daniels were replaced with Champagne, and clothing went up to the levels of footballers and their wives.
As the play comes to a close, that old question of would your life change if you won the lottery is answered with an emphatic ‘yes’. But do we get the happy ending that we all dream about?
The ending seemed very sudden, and for me, that’s perhaps the only blip I’d put against the production. There’s probably room for another 15 minutes or so to bring the play to a more satisfying and informative conclusion. But, that said, it didn’t mean anyone was left disappointed.
If it were on a slider, you’d put The Syndicate slap bang in the middle of gripping drama and laugh-a-lot comedy. And that’s not a bad thing at all. You come away having enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining, easy-to-love production. Jackpot!
‘The Syndicate’ runs at The Alhambra, Bradford until 20th July.