8 / 10
The actors trace precisely and eloquently the cost this exacts. Thompson’s glossy confidence and boy-next-door bounce gradually drain away as he realises that he’s a pawn; Knightley’s defiantly tilted chin and poised charm give way to brittle, strung-out despair. Dillane, meanwhile, is sensationally good as a man eaten away by the sordid reality of grubbing about in people’s intimate lives.
8 / 10
One of the biggest adaptation changes is that the action nearly all takes place within the apartment, ramping up the claustrophobia. Hildegard Bechtler’s monumental revolving design allows us (and the Stasi) to examine every inch of this space, with sparing use of video projection for private moments like Sieland popping pills or her sickening sexual assault – which, in a nightmarish touch, is drowned out by Cass Elliot’s “Make Your Own Kind of Music”. Giles Thomas’s intense sound design also features eerie mic crackle when we’re listening in.
Starring Keira Knightly, Stephen Dillane and Luke Thompson, Robert Icke's adaptation of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others comes to the West End until 9 January 2027. What did the critics think?
East Berlin in 1984 was not a comfortable place to live. The Stasi created a state of paranoia and acute distrust; estimates are that there was one informant for every 6.5 citizens in East Germany at the time. Robert Icke's utterly compelling adaptation of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Oscar-winning film The Lives Of Others may come to the stage dripping with famous names, but also evokes the haunting beauty of the film, delving into the complexity of when humans are asked to do inhumane things.
All new rehearsal photos have been released from the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Academy Award-winning film The Lives of Others. Check out the photos here!
Sonia Friedman Productions announced the complete cast for Robert Icke's stage adaptation of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Oscar-winning film, starring Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane, and Luke Thompson at the Adelphi Theatre.
Sonia Friedman Productions announced the world premiere stage adaptation of THE LIVES OF OTHERS, starring Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane, and Luke Thompson, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, at London's Adelphi Theatre.
