Yen | Octagon Theatre

Yen is, unfortunately, a very mixed bag of a play, ranging from needlessly edgy depictions of serious issues, to genuine heartfelt moments of tenderness. Streaks of brilliance can be admired in the strong characters and complex dynamics at play, but ultimately the piece falls victim to forced provocation; the piece is at its best when it tries least.

Following two neglected brothers, Hench and Bobby, Yen explores what happens when a new compassion enters a broken home. That is, until it doesn't. At its best, there's a genuine sense of authenticity and pathos: we feel for the boys, laughing and crying with them despite the various hardships they face. Yet the piece, written by Anna Jordan, feels disconnected, bookended by manipulative displays of faux grittiness that neither entertain nor ring true. There's potential here, and its brought to life by a talented cast, but its ultimately let down by too often resorting to cheap tricks of shock value.

The cast of four are, when working with its best material, really strong; Adam Owens and Jonny Grogan sell their roles as the adolescent Hench and Bobby respectively with remarkable convincingness. Expertly treading the line between unhealthy boyishness and mature sensibility, they craft characters that, while clearly in many ways immoral, have a heart and humanity at their core. This takes a while to happen - the opening scene in which the pair watch porn for 5 minutes straight certainly does no favours - but once an empathetic connection is established, the piece finds an engaging stride.

We find even more strength as the titular character, Jenny, is introduced. Jenny - or 'Yen' - played by Lucy Eve Mann is the undeniable heart of the piece, providing a welcome breath of fresh air from the suffocating misery of the piece's earlier scenes. She gives a wonderfully tender performance, entirely believable and a well written catalyst for change. Unfortunately, the same can't be said as much for the pair's mother, Maggie, who feels underbaked and caricaturish at times. Vicky Binns does fantastically with what she's given, and in the character's best written scene of the play offers a portrayal full of depth and conflict, but sadly much of the character acts as a means to an end, rarely doing little more than shouting and causing friction.

This becomes a somewhat repeated issue; while there are plenty of moments in which subtle characterisation shines, plenty of the play's tension devolves into furious shouting and outbursts. Connor Goodwin's direction struggles to bring clarity to the more climatic scenes, and while the use of movement within the confined space often keeps the piece refreshing in its stiller moments, the progression from its more contemplative moments to louder scenes is murky and at times even distracting.

That's not to say this piece doesn't have its strengths though - it's a true mix. There's plenty of potential, and the beginnings of interesting and valuable discussions within the text. This becomes clouded, however, by a bookend of tonally inconsistent scenes that neglect its heartfelt strengths for underbaked scenes of shocking content.

Yen plays at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton until Saturday 13th September 2025.

Tickets and More Information

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review