Review: LOST ATOMS, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre

There’s nothing like a great love story. Jess and Robbie met and instantly fell head over heels for each other – well, almost. Then, it was bliss until it wasn’t. Stuck in a liminal space, they disclose their own versions of the facts. Frantic Assembly take on romance and loss in their new production, which originally premiered in Leicester last year.

Lost Atoms candidly analyses the everyday tragedies that bring a relationship to an end. It’s uplifting, moving, and desperate in all the right moments. Written by Anna Jordan and directed by Scott Graham, the show doesn’t hide a grander purpose. There’s no apocalypse, no war, no climate emergency that’s being directly addressed – we just have two people trying to make it work. And that’s their crux.

Jess (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) and Robbie (Joe Layton) are at odds from the get-go. Opposites attract, but to what degree? Jordan makes it plain to see that her characters are not meant to be together long-term. She’s bubbly, whimsical, funny, loves a good night out, and isn’t afraid to share her feelings. He, on the other hand, is emotionally closed off and introverted, grounded and reserved, but lovely nonetheless. There’s no doubt they love each other fiercely. Yet, her enthusiasm lies in meeting friends and partying, while he prefers to enjoy a cup of tea on the sofa. Their differences are evident.

Their incompatibility starts off as a chasm and becomes an open wound. They slip in and out of the timeline, correcting one another and steadying the official record. The couple often disagree and, in an attempt at keeping the account accurate, they interrupt and interject with casual cruelty. Frantic Assembly’s signature physicality drives and emboldens the narrative. The writing isn’t as reliable nor as poetic as it believes it is, but the direction makes up for it. Graham has the pair clamber over each other’s bodies against a large, towering structure that resembles an apothecary cupboard or a filing cabinet designed by Andrzej Goulding. They climb the drawers, picking out memories, entering a balletic rhythm. 

Sinclair Robinson and Layton (one energetic and sparkling, the other excellent at playing insipid) are mesmerising during these physical sequences. Whether they’re dancing to simulate intimacy or putting distance between them by scaling the back wall like rock climbers, the curation of the movement is utterly sublime. Their emotional state materialises into motion while the script unfolds in phases, sparse and delicate at times, more decisive and discursive in other spots. It’s overall suitable for the subject matter, but it doesn’t say much more than what’s already there, and that’s completely fine. Not all pieces of theatre need to be about big things; sometimes we need to be confronted with normalcy.

Trauma floats to the top in the second act, revealing the compromises and personal adjustments that were made in their relationship. It’s all very sad and commonplace, but the visual allegories from the start finally come back. Graham uses small lightbulbs as symbols, something we wish we’d seen more of throughout. Goulding’s exquisite set design works overtime to add intrigue and the direction saves the project from dullness altogether. Jess and Robbie are endearing enough, and perhaps the strength of their plot is the fact that they’re a totally conventional couple next door. It’s all very human, relatable, and easy to commiserate.

Lost Atoms runs at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre until 28 February.