Keira Knightley stars in Robert Icke's Stasi surveillance drama

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 2 Nov, 09:09 · Archive

Keira Knightley stars in Robert Icke's stage adaptation of The Lives of Others at London's Adelphi Theatre.

Robert Icke's stage adaptation of The Lives of Others, the Oscar-winning German film about Stasi surveillance in East Germany, has opened at the Adelphi Theatre in London with Keira Knightley in the cast. The production follows Gerd Wiesler, a Stasi officer whose career has faltered, as he is assigned to spy on Georg Dreyman, a young playwright suspected of subversion. Dreyman's girlfriend, actress Christa-Maria Sieland, played by Knightley, becomes central to the story when a government minister develops a jealous obsession with her.

Icke's direction employs distinctive theatrical techniques to draw audiences into the surveillance narrative. The show opens with stage lights still blazing as a Stasi officer addresses the audience directly, explaining interrogation methods used on suspected dissidents. City AM praised the production as gripping and stylish, awarding it four stars and highlighting Stephen Dillane's portrayal of Wiesler as brilliant, showing wistful melancholy with flashes of steel beneath the surface.

The Guardian offered a more qualified assessment, acknowledging the production's suspenseful stagecraft but arguing it struggles to match the subtlety of the original film. The review noted that Luke Thompson's performance as Dreyman feels too puppyish, while Knightley gives a committed performance despite the character feeling overheated and underwritten. Both critics agreed the adaptation brings high-prestige talent to the material but diverged on how effectively the stage version captures the restrained emotional power of Henckel von Donnersmarck's film.

How it is being reported

• The Lives of Others: Keira Knightley makes striking return to the stageKnightley is outstanding in Robert Icke’s new adaptation of the Oscar-winning film at the Adelphi TheatreEvening Standard · 2 Nov, 11:24
• The Lives of Others review – Keira Knightley brings star power to Robert Icke’s Stasi dramaAdelphi theatre, London Theatre wunderkind’s adaptation of the Oscar-winning film has plenty of suspenseful stagecraft but struggles to match its subtlety Another new show, another old story. This film-to-stage adaptation is from the 2006 German-language romantic thriller about Stasi surveillance and suppression of art in the former GDR. The accompanying, now almost obligatory, high-prestige screen actor is Keira Knightley, presumably whipping up ticket-selling frenzy and stage-door brouhahas. Except this production is helmed by theatre wunderkind Robert Icke, whose work is marked by the…The Guardian · 2 Nov, 00:05
• The Lives of Others: Keira Knightley stars in gripping adaptationKeira Knightley stars in Robert Icke’s tense, stylish The Lives of Others, a gripping Stasi-era drama at the Adelphi; read the review.City AM · 1 Nov, 23:58

In this story: Keira Knightley · Robert Icke · Stephen Dillane · Adelphi Theatre · East Germany · The Lives of Others

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