Atonement description
Atonement is a stage adaptation of Ian McEwan's acclaimed novel, telling the story of a love affair destroyed by a young girl's false accusation.
Spanning from the 1930s through the Second World War to the present day, the story is narrated by Briony Tallis. As a thirteen-year-old on her family's country estate, Briony witnesses a moment of intimacy between her elder sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner, the housekeeper's son. Misreading what she sees and driven by jealousy and naivety, she makes an accusation that tears the two lovers apart and shapes the rest of her life.
Moving between an English country house, the beaches of Dunkirk, and wartime London, it is a sweeping story of passion, class, and the lasting consequences of a single lie, exploring memory, guilt, and the power of storytelling itself.
McEwan's novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and named by both Time and The Guardian among the 100 greatest novels of the past century. It was adapted into an acclaimed 2007 film directed by Joe Wright, starring Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan. This new production transfers to the West End from Chichester Festival Theatre.
The stage adaptation is by Christopher Hampton, the Academy Award-winning writer whose plays and adaptations include Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Philanthropist, and who also wrote the screenplay for the 2007 film. It is directed by Adam Penford, whose recent work includes Punch and The Sound of Music.
Book now to experience McEwan's timeless story of love, guilt, and the search for forgiveness live on stage.