Yen – Octagon Theatre
Connor Goodwin’s production of Anna Jordan’s Yen at the Octagon Theatre is raw, tense, and painfully intimate. The play follows brothers Hench (Adam Owers) and Bobbie (Jonny Grogan), left to fend for themselves in a flat in Feltham while their mother drifts in and out of their lives. Their fragile existence is punctuated by pornography, video games, and a caged dog — numbing routines that barely cover their hunger for love and stability.
The arrival of their neighbour Jennifer (Lucy Eve Mann) disrupts their chaotic balance. Her presence awakens a tenderness in Hench and a defiance in Bobbie but also exposes just how unprepared the boys are for connection. Vicky Binns, as their mother Maggie, delivers a performance that is both heartbreaking and infuriating — her fleeting warmth undermin...