Having been captivated by Frantic Assembly’s powerful productions of Othello and Metamorphosis, I knew I couldn’t miss Lost Atoms. Both plays left a lasting impression with their outstanding choreographically emotional depth, so the chance to see what the company would create next was irresistible. Moreover Lost Atoms is Frantic Assembly’s 30 year anniversary celebration and what a powerful one it is. At its heart lies a deeply human journey through memory, love, and loss, as Jess (played by Hannah Sinclair Robinson) and Robbie (played by Joe Layton) trace the journey of their relationship from an unexpected first encounter to a devastating farewell.
Yet the story begins even before the actors step onto the stage. The audience is immediately confronted by a monumental, Kafkaesque set design (by Andrzej Goulding) that sets the tone for the evening. Towering drawers dominate the space, each one a vessel of memories to be revealed. As they open, they disclose not only fragments of the past but also gateways into the unfolding narrative. These drawers become more than props, they are integral to the choreography, shaping the performers’ movements and embodying the architecture of lives built, remembered, and undone.
As the actors physically climb through their memories (quite literally, not metaphorically), they pull out these recollections into the performance. The set itself becomes inseparable from their storytelling: a panel transforms into a bed or a cliff, while armchairs shift into a car, a bathtub, or even the snug corner of a pub booth.
Anna Jordan wrote their conflict which stems not only from clashing personalities, but also from divergent perceptions of reality shaped by deeply personal experiences. Each memory is recalled differently, from: where they first met, how arguments unfolded, and what those moments ultimately signified.
Memory is subjective, shared experiences are never singular, but they exist in parallel creating shifting narratives.
Personally, I find it stunning how the movement is the heartbeat of this production, as it is in every Frantic Assembly work I’ve encountered. Under Scott Graham’s masterful direction and choreography, the staging pulses with emotion and kinetic energy, transforming physicality into the driving force of the narrative.
Lost Atoms is a work of art in its storytelling, staging and dancing; and takes familiar themes of love and loss into something quite remarkable. It reminds us that memory is never linear, never whole, but a collection of fragments, like atoms. This is not just Jess and Robbie’s story, it takes you through the heavy depths of memory and leaves you aching with the silence of forgetting, an echoing of Beckett’s world.
Do not miss this show, it is one that you will not forget.
Lost Atoms is at Mayflower Studios until 29th November. For tickets and more information, click here.
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