Hi everyone and welcome to another review!

We are definitely on the build-up to the festive season and my favourite time of year — pantomime season! However, before that magical time, I got to see a show that was very deep and probably very real to some people.

I was kindly invited to The Mercury Theatre in Colchester to see Lost Atoms, written by Anna Jordan and starring Joe Layton and Hannah Sinclair Robinson!

The story follows Robbie, a struggling single man who one day meets a young woman in a coffee shop — Jess! The story then goes on to tell the tale of their relationship and all the ups and downs that go along with that, with a surprising twist that nobody was expecting.

This show touches on very difficult subjects — from grief and loss to miscarriage and the future that might come as a result. It definitely pulls at the audience’s heartstrings at times, but then comes back with laughable yet relatable “I’ve been there” moments. Both Joe and Hannah do an outstanding job from start to finish. The chemistry really comes across and shines. I loved the fact that they went from a younger couple to becoming more long-term just by the slight change in their voices and mannerisms.

The set design was interesting. It was just a simple light stripe in the centre of the stage in a square, with the same light going around the edge of the set, which consisted of multiple mini metal-looking drawers that would open, and the actors would climb onto them in many different ways. Even though I know the cast had practised this many times, I still had the “please don’t fall” thought in my head! The set also had a platform that rose and fell at many different points. This would take many forms depending on the scene — in one it could be a bed, in another a cliff’s edge, and at one point it even became the floor so the audience could have a “bird’s-eye view” of the actors from above, which was interesting to see.

Props and action were very minimal, consisting only of a couple of armchairs and some photos. I would say ninety per cent of the story was told through dialogue, with a few scenes where sex was implied through dance and lighting. But in terms of storytelling, there was nothing you could miss. There were a few times when the lighting was at its brightest, which was a little blinding for me, but this was only at the end of the first and second acts, so there isn’t too much to worry about.

There are no dark scenes as such, but the lighting is minimal, so some may struggle due to the lack of it. However, the striped lighting mentioned before does change colour to show the mood of the characters at that time.

There are no access performances of any kind here during the run at The Mercury. It is a small run and is going on tour around the country, so I am hoping there will be some at other venues. But I would like the company to think about this, please, for future shows and projects, as this can make your shows appeal to more theatre lovers and make the show even more accessible.

If you have no vision, then I feel you do miss out on some small and tiny elements of this show, but nothing that takes away from the actual story itself. If you are someone who relies heavily on Audio Description, then I would suggest maybe taking a sighted companion with you to help with that. But honestly, the moments you are missing are small and minimal and don’t really add anything major to the story.

If you are someone with useful vision, because of the low use of lighting this might be a struggle for you. But the set is so simple that you aren’t missing anything here. I found the colours of the actors’ costumes were bright enough that I could tell who was who, but you may struggle in other scenes where there is no lighting on the actors and only the strip lighting is used. I would suggest sitting in Row D or E at The Mercury. Sadly, for other venues I can’t comment, but do speak to your box office staff and they should be able to advise.

I thoroughly enjoyed this show! It tackled some really hard topics but nothing that wasn’t realistic. Both Joe and Hannah did an amazing job, and you couldn’t help but feel for them many times. They had the audience hooked from the very start and carried on that way to the end. I would highly recommend giving this show a go. It’s definitely something different from the norm and will absolutely pull on your heartstrings at times. But it is an interesting and compelling story that has you wanting to find out what happens next!

Lost Atoms is running at The Mercury Theatre in Colchester from the 4th until the 8th of November 2025. I’ll leave a link here for more information. It is also touring around the rest of the UK, so if you are in another area, I’ll leave a link to the show’s website here!

Until next time,
The VI Critic