Keira Knightley, “Bridgerton” star Luke Thompson and Stephen Dillane (“The Hours,” “Game of Thrones”) are set to lead a stage adaptation of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-winning 2007 film “The Lives of Others” on London’s West End.
Adapted and directed by Olivier winner Robert Icke and produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, the play will world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre on Oct. 29, with previews from Oct. 14, and will run through Jan. 9, 2027. The film, which won the international feature Oscar, centers around the covert audio surveillance of East Berlin residents by a senior operative for East Germany’s secret police, aka the Stasi.
“Listening changes everything,” the play’s plot description reads. “1984. East Germany. A writer and an actor are placed under state surveillance. From the attic above their apartment, their Stasi man listens for evidence of subversion. But to observe a life is to risk changing your own.”
“The Lives of Others” is the latest collaboration between Icke and Friedman, who has produced his acclaimed works including “Oedipus,” “Manhunt,” “Hamlet,” “The Doctor,” “Oresteia” and “1984.” It also marks a reunion for Knightley and Friedman after “The Children’s Hour.”
The set is designed by Hildegard Bechtler with lighting design by Jon Clark, sound design by Giles Thomas and original music from “Hamnet” composer Max Richter.
I’ve been obsessed with The Lives of Others ever since I first saw it — Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s exquisite, haunting, and completely masterful film, and there is no one better than Robert Icke to bring this to life onstage. He has this rare ability to combine huge ideas with real emotional truth, and I know he and the company will find a way to realize it that feels both unexpected and completely thrilling.
“Set in East Berlin in 1984 — a world where nothing is private, every word carries consequence and the state holds power not just over lives, but over thought, speech and imagination itself, this world premiere is a reminder of how fragile those freedoms are, and of the cost and courage required to hold on to them,” Friedman said in a statement. “What I love most about it is that it’s both epic and intimate — incredibly beautiful, sad and deeply moving — and at its heart, it’s an unlikely story about kindness. A story about connection and compassion in the most unexpected places.”
Friedman added: “To have a company led by Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson at the Adelphi Theatre this autumn makes it all the more special. And in an extraordinary coup, we’re incredibly excited that Max Richter will be composing new music for the production. Max is one of the great composers of our time, and his work has a depth and emotional truth that has the potential to break our hearts. I really can’t wait to share it with audiences.”
Tickets are now on sale via the play’s website. Prices start from £25, with over 36,000 seats (25% of those available) selling at under £35.
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