The Lives Of Others

About The Lives of Others

The Lives of Others is a play at the Adelphi Theatre, a strictly limited West End transfer of the National Theatre production. Robert Icke adapts and directs Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's 2006 Oscar-winning film for the stage, with a cast led by Keira Knightley as Christa-Maria Sieland, Luke Thompson as the playwright Georg Dreyman, and Stephen Dillane as Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler.

The production opened at the National Theatre to strong reviews and Olivier recognition before this West End run from 14 October 2026 to 9 January 2027. Hildegard Bechtler designs, with original music by Max Richter and lighting by Jon Clark. Running time is around two hours including one fifteen minute interval, and the production is recommended for ages 14 and above.

What to expect

Set in East Berlin in the mid 1980s, the play follows a loyal Stasi officer assigned to bug the flat of a celebrated playwright and his actress partner. The long days of listening start to do something to him that surveillance is not supposed to do, and a routine operation slowly turns into a study of conscience, art, and the cost of watching another person's life.

Icke's stage adaptation keeps the film's quiet tension and adds a theatre-specific weight: the audience is, in effect, the second pair of ears in the room. Tickets cover one performance on the date and seat you select from the live Adelphi seating plan, across stalls, dress circle and upper circle. There are no exchanges or refunds once a booking is confirmed.

The Adelphi Theatre and getting there

The Adelphi Theatre, on the Strand in the heart of things to do in London, is an Art Deco house that opened in its current form in 1930 and seats about 1,500. Charing Cross is the closest Underground and rail station, with Covent Garden and Embankment a short walk away. For seating notes, full schedules and other shows at the venue, see the Adelphi Theatre schedule.