Matthew Fox led a cast of marooned travelers for nearly six years on the television series "Lost" but will now lead a cast of two: He will play Bobby, a crass American carpenter in the inaugural production next year of "In a Forest, Dark and Deep" by Tony Award-nominated playwright and filmmaker Neil LaBute. "The West End has always been a dream," Fox said Monday of the London area famous for its world-class theaters.

"I always hoped I'd have the opportunity to work here." "Forest" will center on the sibling rivalry between Bobby and his university dean sister, Betty, to be played by Olivia Williams, the British actress known for her roles in movies such as "The Sixth Sense» and "The Ghost Writer." The move from screen to stage isn't without its challenges, Fox said, "but I find challenges in every new thing I do."

It is not Fox's first role on stage, but it is his first in Britain, far away from his family. "The hardest thing about this was taking the time away from my wife and children," he said. "But I couldn't shake this feeling that I was the right person to play Bobby."