Ophelia Lovibond cast in The Stepmother at Chichester

Casting has been announced for the upcoming production of The Stepmother by Githa Sowerby.

The show opens at the Chichester Festival Theatre in August and will be directed by Richard Eyre. Ophelia Lovibond will play Lois Relph, while Will Keen plays Eustace Gardon.

The rest of the cast are David Bark-Jones, Kaye Brown, Simon Chandler, Joanna David, Macy Nyman, Eve Ponsonby, Samuel Valentine and Sharon Wattis.

Keen is making his Chichester debut and his recent credits include The Crown, Wolf Hall, Sherlock and in Eyre's production of Ghosts.

Lovibond is known for her appearances in W1A, Elementary, and in The Effect at Sheffield Crucible and The Libertine opposite Dominic Cooper.

Sowerby's play is set in 1924 in Surrey, where orphan Lois Relph accepts a marriage proposal from an older man, Eustace Gaydon. Their successful marriage – and Relph's career as a dress maker – is interrupted when one of her step daughters calls on her for help.

The Stepmother runs at Chichester Festival from 17 August to 9 September with previews from 11 August.