REVIEW: Concrete by Ché Tligui at The Hope Theatre 31 March – 11 April 2026

‘innovative story that tackles class divide’ ★★★★

Concrete is a play by Ché Tligui, a working class writer who wants to remove the elitist barrier from theatre and introduce new stories from backgrounds that are deemed less than.

This play is set in January 2008, in Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, where we are presented with Craig played by Joseph Stanley, sleeping on the sofa and Tristan played by Callum Burns, who walks into the set stressed about his writing. Both of these characters are feeling stuck in their hometown as they feel that there is nothing for them outside of it.

The storyline deeply resonated with class issues that are unfortunately still present in today’s time. Concrete brought a new perspective to seeing England as more than its capital city. This really made the audience look beyond its south focused lenses that most of the media preoccupies itself with. With Tristan facing the choice of renouncing his Northern roots to simply get a foot inside the media industry and then the polar opposite of Craig completely refusing to betray his origins for acceptance.

The acting in this play was amazing. The audience could feel the raw emotion from both of these actors, the way they were expressing their emotions was incredible, the audience really felt for their situation. I felt myself torn between Craig’s and Tristan’s mentality of how to deal with Poppy (no spoilers here). I understood Tristan’s logical manner and how this could benefit Poppy in the long run, but I also felt for Craig and how his heart was telling him that Poppy staying with them would be better. This was a battle between the heart and the mind.

I was a big fan of the stage and its layout. It felt very personal and intimate, like the audience wasn’t simply watching a play but had actually stumbled into their home lives and was witnessing the events go down in person. The way that the actors moved around the set and used the props felt extremely organic, it’s almost like this is second nature for them, not even for a single moment did I think that they were acting, that’s how submerged in the character and story I believed the actors to be.

Overall, this play deserves 4 stars, not only for the brilliant acting and the set, but its innovative story that tackles class divides. 

Concrete by Ché Tligui

The Hope Theatre until 11 April

BOX OFFICE https://www.thehopetheatre.com/concrete

Produced By: A Fly on The Wall Productions

Cast: Craig - Joseph Stanley, Tristan - Callum Burns

Creative Team: Lighting Designer - Brett Kasza Set & Costume Designer - Rebecca Ward

Social Media:

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@thehopetheatre