“A joyously crafted piece of work, performed by two very talented actors.”
Tucked into the upstairs nest of Islington’s The Old Red Lion theatre, a joyous audience encountered an epic story of platonic and familial love, swear words, potential kidnapping and buckets full of northern wit.
Part of FreshFest (The Old Red Lion Theatre’s 4th-year-running festival that celebrates new writing) Ché Tligui’s Concrete had only been previously exhibited at twenty minute scratch nights. Upon entry, the performance is already in action. The scene is decorated with remarkable detail, and the costumes, sound and lighting also follow with such professionalism. It only takes a couple of minutes and a sense of calm concentration settles over the audience, as Joe Stanley who plays Craig delivers a humorous and convincing introduction to the play. The relationship between Craig and Tristen (played by Callum Burns) is electric, and I applaud both the acting talent and direction for such detailed characterisations- Tligui really does make the performance feel concrete.
With many funny side-stories and plot devices along the way, their is a neatness embedded within both the convincing realities of the two boys, alongside key references to socio-political contexts. Physical indicators of the times including the CD player, flip phones and colourful sports tracksuits certainly aid a discussion of the context of the pairs worlds. References to Thatcherism and implied right-winged newspapers cleverly works to create tension between both Craig and Tristen and the audience are left with question of the personal vs the political. Where the groundwork of the play is the pair’s relationship, I think the dilemma opened up reaches beyond deciding to stay or move to London, it offers a chance for the audience to question their own priorities.
Concrete really did demonstrate a grounded representation of everyday struggles, and though hesitant at first to its rather abrupt ending, I think it strengthed the core exploration of the pairs relationship. However, here the plot points and structure felt so strong, I wondered at times if important moments could be pushed further, or pulled back in some cases. As we learn of the future of the baby, the reaction to this moment felt a little small. This also ties in with the audiences little understanding of Craig and Tristen’s background, and it would have been even more compelling to understand how they got to their position today. Nevertheless, a small cuts to running gags and a push to the context would only greaten such a joyously crafted piece of work, performed by two very talented actors.