Review! Lost Atoms by Frantic Assembly at Lyric Hammersmith

Celebrating 30 years and returning to the Lyric Hammersmith, Frantic Assembly bring us Lost Atoms, written by Succession and Killing eve writer Anna Jordan and directed by Scott Graham (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). The play is an intimate exploration of love, memory, and the fragile connections that bind people together. Blending naturalistic dialogue with striking physical theatre, it follows Jess (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) and Robbie (Joe Layton) as they navigate the quiet joys and painful fractures of a long-term relationship. Visually inventive and emotionally ambitious, Lost Atoms invites its audience to consider how even the smallest moments can leave lasting marks.

The staging is impressive from the moment you walk in: a full wall of filing cabinets dominates the space, which the actors climb and open to retrieve memories. These drawers reveal moments from the couple’s shared past, from when they first met to the first “I love you,” making it feel as though we are watching their future selves, perhaps in therapy, or simply reflecting after two life-changing events. The structure encourages the audience to piece together their story as fragments rather than a straightforward timeline.

As a two-hander, the show feels intimate, realistic, and romantic. Watching the characters meet immediately engages the audience and draws them into the journey. As happy memories unfold, flashes of conflict interrupt the nostalgia, most strikingly when a character suddenly shouts, “That’s not how that happened” or “you said that differently.” These moments leave us questioning whose version of events we are watching and who we should be rooting for. In the first act, we don’t yet know why the couple broke up, only that they have parted ways for a reason.

The physicality of the show, particularly the climbing of the cabinets, is genuinely impressive. There is also a door positioned at the centre of the set moves up and down and is used primarily as a bed; the performers’ navigation of this shifting space, sometimes using harnesses as it moves, is so assured that the illusion it creates feels exquisitely real. The lighting is also finely executed, with sudden cuts to black that land like gut punches. At times, however, the sheer strength of the visual and physical elements risks overshadowing deeper dramatic development.

The two lead actors share strong chemistry, though Sinclair often outshines Layton in emotional depth and audience engagement. Whether intentional or not, Jess feels more relatable, played with warmth and vulnerability. Sinclair portrays a character who bends and reshapes herself to make the relationship work, often at her own expense. The couple’s differences are revealed through shared memories, such as meeting each other’s families and discovering clashing tastes and values. Layton delivers strong moments when playing opposite Sinclair, though he at times seemed vocally strained, making him difficult to hear and slightly diminishing the sensuality of the performance.

The second act tackles far more hard-hitting material. Trigger warnings for pregnancy loss should be considered before attending, as the subject matter is emotionally intense. That said, it is handled with sensitivity and raw honesty, resulting in moments that are deeply affecting and difficult to watch in the best possible way. A major plot twist reveals the true reason behind the couple’s breakup, and it is compelling to see how the tender moments leading up to it take on new meaning. The final scenes, in which the characters idealise their imagined futures, are particularly heartbreaking, offering the audience hope right up until the very last moment. They have a long moment with a lightbulb as they are sharing the memory, with this eventually going out.

Overall, Lost Atoms is a visually striking and emotionally resonant piece of theatre that showcases Frantic Assembly’s physical storytelling at its best. While the reliance on movement and staging occasionally overshadows the play’s deeper dramatic development, the raw honesty of its themes and the powerful central performance from Hannah Sinclair Robinson leave a lasting impression. By the end, Lost Atoms reminds us that relationships are built not only from grand moments, but from the small, fleeting memories that stay with us long after they are gone.

Catch this at the Lyric Hammersmith from now until 28th February 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Book here 

Reviewed by Emma Knott