The originally announced Alison Steadman, who was to have played Nat, has been replaced by Penny Downie. According to a press statement, Steadman "regrettably has had to withdraw from the production prior to the start of rehearsals due to personal reasons." (

The play had also previously been announced for a West End production in 2014 that was to have starred "Downton Abbey" actress Joanna Froggatt, but that staging was subsequently canceled.)

As well as Downie, Hampstead Theatre's production, which will be directed by the theatre's artistic director, Edward Hall, will feature Claire Skinner, Tom Goodman-Hill, Georgina Rich and Sean Delaney.

Lindsay-Abaire's Good People also received its U.K. premiere at Hampstead Theatre, starring Imelda Staunton in a production that subsequently transferred to the West End's Noel Coward Theatre.



In the play, Becca (Skinner) and Howie (Goodman-Hill) are a happy suburban family with everything they could want until a shocking and sudden event turns their world upside down and leaves them drifting perilously apart. Riding the turbulence of domestic life, Becca and Howie must find a way back to each other whilst their unpredictable family tries to bridge the "infinite space between," which life-changing events create.



Skinner was most recently seen in the West End in The Father at Wyndham's Theatre. Other major stage credits include Mrs. Affleck, A Winter's Tale and Othello (all National Theatre), Pinter's Moonlight (Almeida and West End) and The Glass Menagerie (Donmar Warehouse and West End), winning both a London Critics' Circle Award and Time Out Award for Best Actress for the latter. 

Goodman-Hill's theatre credits include The Effect and Earthquakes in London (both at the National Theatre), the original production of Enron (Chichester, Royal Court and West End) and the original London cast of Spamalot (for which he was Olivier-nominated).

Downie's extensive stage credits include seasons at the RSC, and other recent plays include Judgement Day (The Print Room), Butley (Duchess Theatre) and Helen (The Globe). She has been seen in TV's "Downton Abbey" as Lady Sinderby.



To book tickets, contact the box office on 020 7722 9301 or visit hampsteadtheatre.com.