Inside American Pie

 3^rd March, 2026

Curve, Leicester

“Still getting together in rooms like these”

Somewhere at the back of my mind was the bit of music trivia that Don McLean’s 1971 global hit ‘American Pie’ is about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly in 1959. But, even with the very singable chorus, I hadn’t properly considered the lyrics to any of the song and its six verses. Luckily, that’s where a small theatre company from Prince Edward Island on the east coast of Canada comes in. Mike Ross and Sarah Wilson of Harmony House, based in a community with a population of about 400, have devised the enchanting Inside American Pie, part-concert, part-documentary which provides a deep-dive into the lyrics, the man behind them, and the musical sensibilities of the era. Borne out of the pandemic, the show has become a hit in Canada where’s it’s played several successful summer runs in P.E.I. and also in Toronto. Thankfully, it was here that the artistic team at Curve spotted it and, with the help of Mirvish Productions, it’s now making its European premiere in Leicester.

Co-Creator Mike Ross, playing an upright piano, sings the first verse of the song before (teasingly) taking a step back to tell us the story of the horrific plane crash that inspired it (also killed were The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens). With the initial inspiration now within our knowledge, we hear those lyrics again, this time spoke line by line, and their meaning becomes clear. Ross occasionally goes back to magnify his focus on certain words or lines. His unshowy, matter-of-fact delivery is part of the charm, leaving the emotion of McLean’s words do the talking. We hear Wiki-style bits of history behind the lyrics of lines such as “I can't remember if I cried/ When I read about his widowed bride” referring to Holly’s pregnant widow (who turns 94 this year). But, more interestingly, we hear Ross’ interpretation of more opaque phrases. Is McLean’s teenage chronic bronchitis behind the spoonerism ‘broncin’ buck’? Could the line actually be ‘drinkin’ whiskey in Rye’ referring to a place in New York? Might a reference to Lenin actually be referring to John Lennon? These digressions lend a greater depth to the song’s intrigue and is a reminder that music is subjective.

Peppered through the show are carefully selected songs from that era. Some like the opener ‘Come On, Let’s Go’ by Valens and a later number ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ by The Rolling Stones help to tell the story, placing us in a specific time and place. But others are more evocative of mood, helping to paint a picture of changing social movements and musical tastes. ‘Imagine’, beautifully sung Brielle Ansems and arranged by Ross, is a good example of this. Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They are A-Changin’’ speaks to a wider theme of change. ‘American Pie’, more than just about a plane crash and the effect that had on McLean as a teenager, is about nostalgia and change. It represents a shift from the innocent 1950s to darker times. The way Ross and Wilson build that picture thematically and musically through fairly prosaic storytelling and using just one song as a jumping off point is impressive.

The show is musically exhilarating. A cast of five singer-musicians including Ross, Ansems, Alicia Toner, Greg Gale and Kirk White bring the songs to life. It has the electric feel of a music gig but has a cunning theatricality. At one point, Ross puts on some glasses and, with his blue jacket, I couldn’t help but picture Buddy Holly. This is probably unintentional, but speaks to a bigger effect of Inside American Pie in that it subtly evokes such images and reflections whilst you’re sat there having a great time. And a great time you’ll surely have!

Inside American Pie plays at Curve, Leicester until 14^th March. For more information, please visit https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/inside-american-pie/

Mike Ross in Inside American Pie. Credit: Dahlia Katz

Legally Blonde

 12^th February 2026

Curve, Leicester

“Keep it positive!”

Let me begin by saying I love Legally Blonde. It’s fluffy and feel-good. Yes, it has been dismissed as bubblegum feminism, but the message it sends out to women and girls is commendable; celebrating supportive female relationships and the importance of staying true to yourself. And everyone loves a good courtroom drama, right? I have watched the film more times than I’d care to admit… so when it came to seeing Nikolai Foster’s latest production of Laurence O’Keefe, Neil Benjamin and Heather Hach’s 2007 musical I admit that I was predisposed to enjoy it. And having seen Curve’s previous production of Legally Blonde nearly exactly 10 years ago, I’m pleased to say that this latest venture proves just how much the company has grown as a producing theatre under the direction of Foster and Chief Executive, Chris Stafford. The show is as slick as any in the West End, and the technical and design aspects are at an all-time high.

 

The pre-show playlist features several songs from the recent Barbie movie, setting the tone for the evening. The theme bleeds into many of the design elements, with Colin Richmond’s set incorporating cute miniature buildings of the Delta Nu sorority house, the hallowed halls of Harvard Law School, and even the trashy caravan inhabited by Paulette’s ex, Dewy. The doll’s house aesthetic perfectly fits the pristine world in which we first encounter Elle, with more substantial sets slowly inhabiting the stage as our heroine begins to ground herself in more real, ‘serious’ realms. The Barbie influence is a natural stroke of genius, with even the neon show curtain feeling reminiscent of the classic toy logo. Similarly, Tom Rogers’s costumes are colourful and glam adult-size versions of the dress-up outfits we all enjoyed playing with as children.

 

Exuberant performances, and energetic choreography perfectly matches the effervescent production design. The ensemble is extremely hard-working and display true triple-threat talent, especially the female cast members. Amber Davies is an extremely likable Elle with a nicely understated comic touch that ensures the character feels contemporary and never strays into caricature territory. She is backed up by solid supporting performances from the likes of George Crawford’s bookish Emmett and a scene-stealing Karen Mavundukure as the kind-hearted but down-trodden salon owner, Paulette. Mavundukure’s rendition of ‘Ireland’ is both funny and touching, bringing a depth to the character that has perhaps been overlooked previously.

 

The more-than-game audience lapped up the humour, the camp, and the sass on display, with the second half especially gaining a rapturous response. ‘There, Right There’ being a particular highlight in which the whole ensemble shine. I’ve also come to the conclusion that there really is nothing an audience likes more than seeing a dog (or two) on stage – guaranteed ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’! Sprout (Bruiser Woods) and Milo (Birthday boy, Rufus) earned every penny of their appearance fee!

 

It’s heartwarming to spend an evening enveloped in the fluffy, girly world of Elle Woods and I came out of Legally Blonde humming the songs and feeling slightly better about the world. As a piece of good-natured, poppy musical theatre it’s nigh on impossible to dislike, and with the current scheduling a perfect Galentine’s treat!

 

Legally Blonde plays at Curve until 21^st February before touring the UK and Ireland.

For more information and full tour dates please visit: Tour Information - Legally Blonde

 

Amber Davies as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Credit Marc Brenner 

The Sound of Music

 27^th November, 2025

Curve, Leicester

“Silver white winters that melt into springs”

Often voted amongst the public’s favourite musicals, the film adaptation of The Sound Of Music is a staple of many a festive TV schedule. And while sweeping shots of the Austrian hills, singing nuns and Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer’s sizzling chemistry has entertained my family for decades, it comes as a surprise even to me that I had yet to see the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic on stage. Thus it was with delight that I took my seat for Curve’s annual Christmas treat with great anticipation, ready to have my goosebumps tingled and my cockles warmed. And, as is often the case, Nikolai Foster and the creative team do not disappoint, offering an evening filled with spectacle, drama and glorious music.

Fearing that she is not cut out for convent life, young novitiate, Maria, is sent by her Mother Abbess to be a governess to a widowed Captain’s seven unruly children. Maria soon embeds herself into the von Trapp family life and romance ensues against a backdrop of political unease and the threat of Nazi occupation.

Foster has reassembled much of the team behind last year’s critically acclaimed production of My Fair Lady, not least it’s two stars, Molly Lynch and David Seadon-Young, who make for an incredibly likeable Maria and Georg, displaying an easy chemistry that has the audience rooting for them from the off. Lynch’s Maria is free-spirited, with a rebellious edge. Coupled with the choice to perform with her natural Irish accent, Lynch immediately puts all thoughts of Julie Andrews’ iconic performance aside. Seadon-Young is less brooding than audiences are perhaps used to, but I enjoyed his slight awkwardness in his portrayal of the Captain. There’s an insecurity to the strict, stuffed-shirt persona displayed when Maria first meets him, which makes the thawing of his character even more endearing. The two leads receive fine support from a kindly Joanna Riding as Mother Abbess (the relationship between her and Maria has a real warmth), Aviva Tulley’s earnest and suitably youthful Liesl, and Minal Patel’s jovial Max Detweiler. The child cast are wonderfully down to earth, enhanced by Ebony Molina’s choreography which places an emphasis on childlike joy.

Foster’s production eschews any tweeness associated with The Sound of Music, instead embracing a darker tone, at times reminiscent of Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret. Michael Taylor’s superb set stages the action amidst the Austrian hills – complete with a copse of birch trees and running waterfall – an ever-present reminder of the bucolic idyll that is threatened by the impending fascist regime. The Act One finale in which the Mother Abbess sings ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ with the intention of comforting and inspiring Maria to embrace her true self, is imbued with a sinister foreshadowing as Nazi stormtroopers infiltrate the distant hills. While not quite as chilling as Cabaret’s infamous ‘Tomorrow Belongs To Me’, Foster strikes a similarly disconcerting tone by juxtaposing hopeful music with nightmarish imagery.

While the 1965 film adaptation expands the story, allowing time for the central romance to breathe, the fast-paced nature of this stage production successfully creates a sense of the tensions and doom-laden inevitability of pre-WWII Europe. The show hurtles towards its conclusion in the manner of a thriller, completely at odds with the care-free idealism of the opening scenes. This production has made me look at an all time classic with fresh eyes – no easy feat – while retaining many of the feel-good aspects we all grew up loving (‘My Favourite Things’, the curtain to clothes transformation, fun singing lessons, and thunderstorm frolics). Curve have yet again produced a musical treat for the festive season, for audiences of all ages to enjoy and contemplate.

The Sound of Music plays at Curve until 17^th January 2026.

For further information please visit: The Sound of Music - Curve Theatre, Leicester

 

 

The von Trapp family in The Sound of Music - Photography by Marc Brenner

To Kill a Mockingbird

 Curve, Leicester

28^th October, 2025

Following a West End run, Bartlett Sher’s acclaimed Broadway production of Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s 1960 classic novel comes to Leicester as part of its UK tour.

“Our darkest days are always followed by our finest hours”

…So says Scout, our narrator and the daughter to Atticus Finch, the lawyer trying to prove the innocence of a black man wrongly accused of rape. But whilst Sorkin faithfully keeps the setting in 1930s Alabama, the above line has a searing prescience and timeliness. It’s also been used before by Sorkin. The line pops up in different iterations in his HBO series The Newsroom starring Jeff Daniels (who originated the role of Finch on Broadway in 2018) and in a personal letter the writer wrote to his daughter following the first election of President Donald Trump, in 2016. The line resurfaces throughout Sorkin’s writing just as America’s darkest days themselves seem to return.

The book is a syllabus staple but even those unfamiliar with Lee’s novel probably know the outline of the plot, which is remains intact in its transition to the stage. In the small town of Maycomb, Tom Robinson is accused of taking advantage of and beating a local girl despite there being proof he couldn’t have done it. Her father, a racist and member of the KKK, leads the charge against Tom. It is Atticus Finch, all round nice guy and not, by trade, a criminal defence lawyer, who is persuaded to represent Joe to do the right thing for him and indeed the law itself. We see this through the lens of his children Scout and Gem and their friend Dill (played respectively by Anna Munden, Gabriel Scott and Dylan Malyn, all brilliant). The decision to cast adult actors in this production is a smart one. Their narration carries the show and the actors strike the right balance childhood innocence and wiser-than-their-years shrewdness: Scout will typically tell the audience one thing before correcting herself after her brother disagrees followed by Dill chipping in with some hilarious commentary of his own. As they’re exposed to the reality of injustice and the complexities of the 1930s American South, their childlike understanding of human nature is tainted. Innocence and injustice, then, are key themes in To Kill a Mockingbird, and as well as come characters’ violent outbursts of racism, it’s striking that Sorkin and Sher bring to the fore many sympathetic characters who are innocent, marginalised individuals in society. One of the criticisms now given to Mockingbird is that Finch is a typical white saviour whose romanticised plan of saving Tom naively exists to test the machinations of law and to advance his understanding of racism in that time and place. This production isn’t innocent in correcting that, but Sorkin cleverly expands the role of Finch’s maid (who’s like a sister to him) to give a voice to that criticism.

Sher’s production is paced like a thriller, and this is a hallmark of Sorkin’s adaptation. One of the key structural decisions he’s made is to weave the courtroom scenes throughout. This is no surprise given he’s a heavyweight at courtroom dramas such as in films like A Few Good Men and The Trial of the Chicago 7. It gives the play a sense of weight and urgency even during scenes set on the porch and around sleepy Maycomb. The courtroom scenes, in particular, are pin-drop theatre and Sorkin’s dialogue and control of the audience’s attention is masterly. Played out on Miriam Buether’s atmospheric set, most of the set pieces are wheeled or flown in which neatly reflects the narration recounting the story.

It’s thrilling to see a play peopled with such a large cast, brimming with talent. Richard Coyle as Atticus Finch is excellent: in a cream suit (costumes by Ann Roth), he’s dependable, amiable, approachable but with the right air of authority. Munden, Scott and Malyn, with their honeyed southern accents, have a warm rapport with each other and the audience (Munden in particular is very impressive). Evie Hargreaves as the victim, whose interrogation in the court comes towards the climax on the first act, is also very watchable: twitching as she sinks in her chair in the dock, her eyes of full fear and scepticism that’s been instilled in her by her dad (Oscar Pearce). But this is an ensemble piece and something could be written about each of the actor’s performances. Even the non-verbal reactions the jury give are detailed, truthful and individual, such is the care and attention that Sher has imbued in his cast.

There’s a reason this production is the highest grossing American play in Broadway history. Its story is a searing dramatization of racial injustice in America which is still relevant today, but it’s also suspensefully and glossily told in a first-rate staging.

To Kill a Mockingbird plays at Curve, Leicester until 1^st November as part of a UK tour. For further information, please visit https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/to-kill-a-mockingbird/

Richard Coyle (Atticus Finch) Anna Munden (Scout Finch) in To Kill A Mockingbird. Photo by Johan Persson

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

 Curve, Leicester

23^rd October, 2025

“Martha's a devil with language. She really is”

In the middle of the night, we’re invited to spend a few hours of fun and games with history professor George and his wife Martha, along with a young couple they’ve invited back for an after party. As the play progresses the reality of their academic and liberal life becomes increasingly precarious and we spiral into their claustrophobic, booze-fuelled world of bitterness and disappointment. Cathy Tyson and Patrick Robinson give powerhouse performances in this timely Made at Curve production directed by Cara Nolan.

Edward Albee’s 1962 Tony winning play is an American classic up there with Death of a Salesman and A Streetcar Named Desire. What’s staggering then is that it was his first full length three-act play. We’re in a small New England college town: respectable, liberal, full of young blonde-haired optimism. These values are characterised by the younger married couple Honey (Tilly Steele) and Nick (George Kemp) when they first enter the home of George (Robinson) and Martha (Tyson). What they walk in to is a world of explosive arguments, manipulation and failed dreams. George is a struggling associate history professor unable to have lived up to his father in law’s (who is head of the college) expectations. Martha torments him, reminding him of his failures every chance she gets, whilst living her own fantasy life fuelled by alcohol. The title alludes to a parlour game at the party earlier in the evening, becoming a motif, sung childishly throughout the play. As Nick and Honey are toyed with, becoming embroiled in George and Martha's cruel games, we are similarly drawn into their trickery and backbiting, the rug repeatedly being pulled from under our feet. Albee’s dialogue is rhythmic and cyclical, full of squabbling and revelations that are delicious to watch. Martha and George turn everything from heartache and painful memories, indeed marriage itself, into a game.

As the play progresses, Albee destabilises the ideals of marriage and the American Dream: career success, the nuclear family, a stable marriage. At a time when America is looking in the mirror at those values, its identity and its Dream, Nolan’s production couldn’t be timelier. Her direction is well-paced and revels in the vitriol of Albee’s language, drawing out excellent performances from the cast. Tyson in particular is quite the force as Martha, bringing out her monstrous cruelty, her ability to exploit George, but also evoking a well of pain underneath. There are points, like when describing someone’s eye colour, where she’s undermining George and relishing every word. And there are other moments, like the guttural scream she produces in the third act after George pops the bubble of her make-believe world, where we sympathise with her. Robinson has a natural stage presence, making George’s dry wit and glibness Martha’s perfect match; I loved the way he offered to pour Martha another glass of rubbing alcohol. And Steele gives a standout performance as Honey: initially meek and passive, she gains confidence the more sloshed she gets, revealing the cracks in her and Nick’s seemingly perfect marriage. This is all played out on Amy Jane Cook’s set: a handsome living room strewn with books and peppered with liquor bottles squirreled away in dark corners and bookshelves.

There’s delight in watching these four actors give towering performances as characters who refuse to conform to domestic expectations and instead embrace their inner chaos. Over the three hours 20 minutes running time, bottles are broken, alcohol spilt and mascara runs, but Nolan and her cast keep the audience on the edge of their seats with Albee’s vision of a shattered American dream and marital disharmony.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is playing at Curve until 8^th November. For more information, please visit https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/

(L-R) George Kemp (Nick), Tilly Steele (Honey), Patrick Robinson (George), Cathy Tyson (Martha) - Photography by Marc Brenner

Matilda the Musical

 Curve, Leicester

9^th October, 2025

“Just because you find that life’s not fair

it doesn’t mean that you just have to grin and bear it”

What is it about Roald Dahl’s stories that have so captured the minds of theatre makers?

To my mind it is his ability to present moral fables without sugar-coating the truth, often served up with great dollops of gruesome humour and characters that fizz with personality, while never underestimating the reader’s intelligence and imagination. Dahl’s enduring popularity with both children and adults make him the perfect source for family-friendly stage work.

 

The lyrics to ‘Naughty’ succinctly capture of the ethos of Dahl’s work – the underdog overcoming adversity; Robin Hood-ing your way out of a problem; childhood revelry; razor-sharp wit – and in Matilda, Tim Minchin (music and lyrics), Dennis Kelly (book) and Matthew Warchus (director) have created the greatest what is still the Dahl adaptation to date. Now, fifteen years after it first premiered at the RSC, the modern classic is heading back on tour and proving yet again why Minchin and Warchus (and Dahl!) are a force to be reckoned with.

Neglected by shallow parents who’d rather preen and watch endless amounts of TV than spend time with their daughter, five year old Matilda Wormwood escapes into a world of books and make-believe. Her precocious intelligence and determination to do what’s right endear her to her peers and caring-but-timid teacher, Miss Honey (Tessa Kadler). Alongside these new friends she uses her ‘miraculous’ gifts to serve her ignorant parents and bullying headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (Richard Hurst), their long-awaited comeuppance.

 

Minchin peppers the show with catchy tunes and his trademark lyrical wit; the ‘School Song’ is a particular highlight as the nervous newcomers get a lesson in both the alphabet and the perils of the education system. Minchin’s use of homophones is nothing short of genius. Elsewhere, puns a plenty (‘Revolting Children’) and a darn good raiding of the thesaurus - without, may I add, feeling at all exploitative – (‘The Smell of Rebellion’ has a definitive list of every olfactory related synonym in the English language!) exemplify the same skilful wordsmithery which so enchanted me in Minchin’s Groundhog Day (another collaboration with Warchus). While Minchin is a talented showman himself, I can’t help but itch for his next compositional offering, as he has the potential to produce a body of work as exciting and enduring as Sondheim or Kander and Ebb.

 

Kelly’s book is just as absorbing as the musical numbers, allowing each character their moment to shine in a series of anecdotal episodes – Bruce Bogtrotter and the chocolate cake, Lavender and the newt, Amanda Thripp and her pigtails, etc. The subplot in which Matilda narrates the story of the Acrobat and the Escapologist is a beautiful insight into her imagination as well as sweetly revealing her yearning for a loving family. Storytelling imbues much of the aesthetic of Warchus’ production, from the cartoonish stylisation of the Wormwoods and employment of music hall type interaction seen in ‘Telly’, to Rob Howell’s building block-cum-scrabble tile design.

 

Peter Darling’s choreography is punchy with echoes of the original Spring Awakening movement. The kids hurl themselves in and out of angular positions with rebellious verve, while desks, swings and even parts of the walls become platforms upon which to express the constraints and freedoms of the youth. Warchus ensures the fun extends to the very final seconds of the show, with a wonderfully directed curtain call involving scooters whizzing across the stage and an in-character Hurst delivering an arch ‘maggots’ to the audience. I doubt there was a person in the room that didn’t wish they were up on the stage joining in with the uninhibited playfulness of the finale.

 

Hurst has a lot of fun with Miss Trunchbull, relishing in her down right nastiness while revealing a sprightly and surprising vigour such as when blithely flipping over a gym horse or tossing a baton. I particularly enjoyed Hurst’s dry wit and quiet menace, his Trunchbull turns on a sixpence from panto villainy to a very real icy threat with chilling ease, resulting in an unpredictability that invigorates this well-known story. Likewise, Rebecca Thornhill and Adam Stafford have a blast as the despicable Wormwoods, and, though a lad of few words, Samuel Leon had the audience cracking up with his portrayal of Matilda’s dim-witted brother, Michael. Yet, quite rightly, and as ever when it comes to Dahl, the children run away with the whole show. By turns impish, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny, the child cast are impeccable and more than match their adult counterparts. At this performance Matilda was played by Sanna Kurihara and she was tremendous. One of my favourite moments was her Act 2 number, ‘Quiet’, which Minchin packs full of twisting lyrics and complex concepts involving physics and philosophy. Kurihara expresses these perplexing notions with great poise, building up the web of thoughts and noise that both feed and confound Matilda’s brain. We can feel her frustration, and the post-crescendo peace that ensues is ethereally tranquil as a consequence. Kurihara’s performance is one of subtlety and maturity which is a joy to behold.

 

Kelly and Minchin have bottled Dahl’s dual senses of whimsy and justice and Warchus’ spectacular production is filled with now iconic imagery (the use of swings during ‘When I Grow Up’ makes me emotional due to the nostalgia evoked in its youthful simplicity and soaring giddiness) but never feels gimmicky. The kids in the audience were rapt with attention, the adults tickled and charmed in equal measure - Matilda is THE family musical of this generation and a must-see for musical theatre aficionados for Minchin’s score alone. The fun and mischief is infectious and I can’t remember the last time I smiled this much at the theatre.

 

Matilda the Musical is playing at Curve, Leicester until 25^th October as part of a UK tour. For all dates and further information please visit https://tour.matildathemusical.com/

 

The cast of Matilda the Musical including Madison Davis as Matilda Credit: Manuel Harlan

Lost Atoms

 Curve, Leicester

29^th September, 2025

Please note this review contains some plot spoilers

“It feels like we’re suspended in time”

Frantic Assembly’s co-productions with Curve are unmissable. In recent years, they’ve transformed literary classics such as Othello and Metamorphosis, fusing movement and design to drive the story forward, stripping the text and creating startling theatre for contemporary audiences. Frantic’s co-founder and artistic director Scott Graham directs this new play by Anna Jordan, about a young couple plunging into their shared past, scaling the soaring highs and crushing lows of their relationship. Those who saw Jordan’s The Unreturning will know that her plays and Frantic Assembly are a happy pairing. That play delved into perceptions of home and national identity in a production which probed big questions with astonishing physicality. Lost Atoms, which celebrates the company’s 30th anniversary, blends their hallmark physicality and stunning design with Jordan’s more personal story of a couple re-living their relationship.

Andrzej Goulding’s design, an impressive wall of drawers, takes inspiration from the opening stage direction in the text: it ‘should hold memories. The stuff of a relationship’. It’s on these drawers, stacked as high as 14 rows tall, that the couple precariously but skilfully climb and clamber, opening up drawers and fetching memories from their past: donuts from their first encounter, golf clubs from an early date, family photos. They’re the props of everyday life, the detritus of a relationship; all neatly organised, easily retrieved and easily filed away. It provides a canvas where we meet Jess (Hannah Sinclair Robinson) and Robbie (Joe Layton) as they dissect their relationship. We’re submersed into memories from throughout their relationship like the initial meet-cute, awkward first meetings with the in-laws, the highs of falling in love and the nadirs of trauma. It’s easy to invest in the couple, a result achieved thanks to Jordan’s use of language. The dialogue is prosaic, specific and sounds believable in the mouths of a young couple. But their likability is also thanks to Robinson and Layton’s performances. Layton brings out Joe’s quiet vulnerability and pragmatism. When he wins £500 on a scratch card, there are no flights of fancy or major celebration; he seems resigned to the fact he’s likely never going to be able to buy a property. His job teaching disadvantaged youths how to cook is telling of how he’s not without ambition but also shuns any compliments that what he’s doing may be heroic. And yet he’s strongly encouraging of Jess’ squashed ambitions to become a painter. Jess, on the other hand, can be less disciplined and more spontaneous. How the two actors capture their characters’ contradictions, idiosyncrasies and faults is what makes the play so enthralling.

Graham enhances the characters’ relationship through movement. As they literally scale their memories, at times it looks like the pair are suspended in mid-air as they navigate up and across the wall with only small drawer handles as footholds, and under and over each other like acrobats. Graham and his design team make great use of this effect to stage certain memories. A walk along a stormy coastal path to show Jess his mum’s beach hut sets off Robbie’s grief and an admission that he might be depressed. At this point, he is perched on a single draw high on the stage immersed in the memory of being close to the cliff edge (sound design is by Carolyn Downing; lighting by Simisola Majekodunmi). There are funnier moments too, such as one exchange where the couple remember Jess’ parents meeting Robbie for the first time. Being grilled on career prospects, whether he’s a veggie and how much sugar he takes in his tea is choreographed in a way which gives it pace, lightness and humour.

But what is another sign of Graham’s assuredness in Jordan’s play is where he lets the text come to the fore, unaccompanied by any movement. In the second act, after deciding to not go ahead with a termination, Jess suffers a miscarriage. Again, the specificity in Jordan’s text makes the scenes painfully tangible: their memories of being put in a freezing cold holding room, the nurse who couldn’t make eye contact, the sterility of phrases like ‘medical management’. For those familiar with the situation, it strikes a chord. But I suppose that is like so much of Lost Atoms, everyone who has been in a relationship will recognise at least some of the beats in Jess and Robbie’s experience.

As their relationship falters so does the way they remember those hard times. The characters often comment on the previous scene in a space which the text refers to as No Man’s Land. Slight lighting changes reflect this change of perspective as Jess and Robbie disagree on what was said, where they were, and whether one felt supported by the other. In this way, Jess’ interest in the oral tradition of how fairy tales have morphed over the centuries reflects Jordan’s thematic interest in the fallibility of memory. As their memories diverge and it’s questioned what is remembered versus what is chosen to be forgotten, the fractures in their relationship become more visible. The play ends in a series of hypothetical speeches as to where their lives (might) take them, together or apart. It’s a beautiful piece of writing which melds the specific and the universal in a production which perfectly fuses text, movement and design.

Lost Atoms plays at Curve until 4^th October before touring. For more information, please visit https://www.curveonline.co.uk/whats-on/shows/lost-atoms/

Lost Atoms plays at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre 29^th January – 28^th February 2026.

Joe Layton (Robbie) & Hannah Sinclair Robinson (Jess) in Lost Atoms. Photo Credit Tristram Kenton