Entertainment · Books & Arts · 3 hrs ago
Keira Knightley stars in London stage version of The Lives of Others
The Lives of Others has been adapted for the stage in London, with Keira Knightley among its cast.
Knightley plays actor Christa-Maria Sieland, alongside Luke Thompson as writer George Dreyman and Stephen Dillane as Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler.
The story is set in East Germany, where the secret police monitor Dreyman and Sieland and suppress artistic freedom.
Wiesler is assigned to spy on the couple but secretly changes sides as he sees corruption within the system.
The production stages much of the drama in Dreyman’s apartment, using Wiesler’s physical presence to show how surveillance invades the couple’s private life.
The review says Knightley gives a committed performance but finds her character underwritten, and argues that Wiesler’s change of heart is not clear enough.
The play is based on the 2006 German-language film, which won an Oscar, and no further plans are stated.
Keira Knightley, Luke Thompson and Steven Dillane appear in a London stage adaptation of The Lives of Others.
The production is directed by Robert Icke and is staged at the Adelphi theatre.
The play adapts the 2006 German-language film about Stasi surveillance and the suppression of art in the former East Germany.
Thompson plays writer George Dreyman, Knightley plays his girlfriend Christa-Maria Sieland, and Dillane plays Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler.
The Guardian review said the stage version presents the film’s subtle story in a more melodramatic way.
- Who
- Keira Knightley, Luke Thompson and Steven Dillane star in the production.
- What
- A stage adaptation of The Lives of Others, directed by Robert Icke.
- When
- The Guardian review was published on 2 November 2026; the production date is not stated.
- Where
- Adelphi theatre, London.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The German-language film The Lives of Others was released.
Spiegel published an article about the London production.
The Guardian published a review of the production.
- Theatre
- Adelphi theatre, London
- Director
- Robert Icke
- Writer George Dreyman
- Luke Thompson
- Christa-Maria Sieland
- Keira Knightley
- Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler
- Steven Dillane
- Original film
- 2006 German-language romantic thriller
3 sources
The Lives of Others first night review by PATRICK MARMION: Keira Knightley is a beautiful enigma in this slick portrayal of Stasi surveillance
The Lives of Others review – Keira Knightley brings star power to Robert Icke’s Stasi drama
Keira Knightley, Luke Thompson, Steven Dillane in »The Lives of Others« in London: Im Visier der Stasi