A powerful two-hander has taken to the stage at MAST Mayflower Studios this week.
Lost Atoms delivers an unforgettable performance brimming with emotional depth and inventive staging.
Writer Anna Jordan crafts a narrative woven around love, heartbreak and the memory, all set against the unassuming backdrop of a filing cabinet and two chairs.
Leads Joe Layton and Hannah Sinclair Robinson shine as Jess and Robbie, effortlessly transforming the stage into a cafe, train station, bathroom and even a hospital room.
Audiences are drawn into the couple’s world, retracing the story of their love with all its tenderness and turmoil. This is not just a story of falling in love; it’s a raw, honest look at the complexities and, sometimes, the harshness of real life.
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The performances are nothing short of mesmerising. Both Layton and Sinclair Robinson are sublime, fully inhabiting their flawed, compelling characters, who are all the more real for their imperfections. As Robbie, Layton is vulnerable and emotional, a stark contast to Sinclair Robinson’s quick wit and jokes. Their chemistry is clear, with scenes moving seamlessly from playful flirtation to heart-breaking confrontation.
One of the triumphs of this production lies in its minimal staging. Jess and Robbie’s world is created through movement and imagination. The actors’ physicality provides an intimacy that draws the audience closer, with each gesture and glance carefully measured. The cabinet itself becomes a character, its drawers revealing light bulbs, photographs, pieces of clothing. It also transforms into everything from a bed to a window, and even a toilet.
We might not see other characters in the narrative, for instance when we meet the parents, but each conversation is masterfully portrayed by the two actors on stage. Watching them is simply magic.
There’s a real honesty in Lost Atoms about the resilience of the human spirit. What could have been a heavy-handed story, is instead tempered by moments of genuine warmth and humour.
The play is a moving exploration of what it means to love and to remember, reminding us of the fragility and strength at the heart of all the stories that make us who we are.
Lost Atoms is at MAST Mayflower Studios until November 29. Tickets prices start from £15 and can be purchased online at mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/lost-atoms-2025 or by calling 02380 711811.
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