Keira Knightley and Bridgerton star to lead ‘completely thrilling’ new ’80s drama

Keira Knightley and Bridgerton‘s Luke Thompson are set to star in an upcoming stage adaptation of The Lives Of Others, marking the Pride & Prejudice star’s first West End role in 15 years. 

They’re joined by Game of Thrones actor Stephen Dillane in the new production, which adapts the Oscar-winning 2006 film of the same name.

Keira made her West End debut in a 2009 production of The Misanthrope before starring in the revival of The Children’s Hour two years later. 

In her latest stage role, Keira plays an actress who, along with her writer lover (Luke Thompson), is placed under state surveillance in 1984 East Germany. Meanwhile, Stephen plays the Stasi captain who spies on their relationship for evidence of subversion. 

The Lives of Others is definitely on my list of must-see theatre shows this year. Not only is the play produced by the company behind smash hit shows Paddington The Musical, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and The Book Of Mormon, but it also marks Oscar-nominated Keira’s return to the stage in almost two decades. Plus the show reunites Luke with playwright Robert Icke, who directed the Bridgerton actor in 2015’s Oresteia and 2017’s Hamlet. 

Keep reading to find out more…

What is The Lives of Others about? 

The upcoming play, adapted and directed by Robert Icke, will run at the Adelphi Theatre in London from October 2026 until January 2027.

It’s adapted from Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s acclaimed film, which won the Oscar for best international film, the BAFTA for best film not in the English language and the British Independent Film Award for best foreign independent film.

The show is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions and is set to tell an “epic and intimate” story about kindness, according to Sonia. 

“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,” she said in a statement. 

“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 realise 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.”

She continued: “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.”