Photo Flash: SIDEWAYS Opens Tonight at St James Theatre

The European premiere of Rex Pickett's acclaimed comedy SIDEWAYS opens tonight at St James Theatre, directed by David Grindley, for a limited run until July 9. The cast features Daniel Weyman (Miles), Simon Harrison (Jack), Ellie Piercy (Maya), Beth Cordingly (Terra), Anne Kavanagh(Phyllis/Evelyn), Kirsten Hazel Smith (Rosie/Victoria) and Daniel Barry (Chris/Daryl).

"If anyone orders Merlot, I'm leaving!"

Join best friends Miles and Jack on a hilarious journey into the heart of California wine country with Sideways: The Play. Based on his beloved novel, which inspired the Academy Award and Golden Globe winning film, Rex Pickett's stage adaptation fizzes with comedy and heartfelt emotion, and goes down better than a well-aged Pinot Noir. When a neurotic author, who is writing his way into a midlife-crisis, and an actor, who is marrying his way out of his, head out to Santa Barbara for a week of wine-tastings, they find out that there's more to be savoured in California than a few new bottles. For when Miles and Jack meet the equally strong and complex Maya and Terra, the four of them learn just how intoxicating a good glass of wine and good company can be - for better and for worse.

Daniel Weyman's (Miles) stage credits include The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby at the Chichester Festival Theatre, Gielgud Theatre and on International Tour, for which he was nominated for Best Performance in a Play at the TMA Awards, Calico at the Duke of Yorks Theatre, The Comedy of Errors at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, As You Like Itat the Sheffield Crucible and RSC Swan Theatre, King Lear and Kafka's Dick both at the Theatre Royal, Bath, Julius Caesarat the Barbican and on International Tour, The Crucible at Bristol Old Vic and 4000 Days at the Park Theatre. Daniel's screen credits include Foyle's War, Poirot, Midsomer Murders, Dunkirk and Van Gogh: Painted with Words, Great Expectations, Millions, Just Ines and Art In Heaven.

Simon Harrison's (Jack) stage credits include As You Like It, The Comedy Of Errors, The Last Days of Troy and Henry VI Parts I, II & III at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, The Changeling and Thomas Tallis at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, The Man Who Pays the Piper and The Conquering Hero at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond Somersaults at the Finborough Theatre, A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Milton Rooms, Journey's End at the Duke Of York's Theatre and on UK Tour,The Picture and Private Lives both at Salisbury Playhouse, Reclining Nude with Black Stockings at the Arcola Theatre, Epicand They Have Oak Trees in North Carolina at Theatre503, The Importance of Being Earnest at the Manchester Library Theatre, Days of Significance, Pericles and The Winter's Tale all at for the Royal Shakespeare Company, The War On Terror for the Bush Theatre, Noises Off and Dr. Faustus at the Liverpool Playhouse, A Lie of the Mind and Feeding Time at the Battersea Arts Centre and Bus and Twelfth Night at the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Simon's screen credits includeDoctors, Gallipoli: When Murdock Went To War, My Shakespeare, London Has Fallen and Everest.

Ellie Piercy's (Maya) stage credits include Eventide at the Arcola Theatre, As You Like It, Blue Stockings, All's Well That Ends Well, Liberty, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Romeo & Juliet all at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond, Much Ado About Nothing at the Royal Exchange, Manchester,Taming The Tempest and A Touch Of The Sun at Salisbury Playhouse, How To Be A Giant, The Eyes of Marie and The Best Town all at the Unicorn Theatre and Plunder at the Watermill Theatre. Ellie's screen credits include Brothers Of War, Doctors and The World of the Impressionists.

Beth Cordingly's (Terra) stage credits include Love's Sacrifice and The Jew of Malta for the Royal Shakespeare Company, Mobile 4, Sauce for the Goose, Once Bitten, Monkey's Uncle and Othello at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond,Children's Children at the Almeida Theatre, A Round Heeled Women at Riverside Studios and Aldwych Theatre, Salt at the Royal Exchange, Our Man in Havana at the Nottingham Playhouse and on UK Tour, Bedroom Farce and Vagina Monologues both on UK Tours, Breakfast with Johnny Wilkinson at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Semi Monde at the Lyric Theatre. Beth's screen credits include Suspects, Family Affairs, Man Down, How TV Ruined Your Life, Casualty, Merlin, Material Girl, New Tricks, Funland, Doctors, Casualty, Dead Set, Secret Diary of a Call Girl, Lifeline, Heartbeat, The Bill and Trial and Retribution.

Anne Kavanagh's (Phyllis/Evelyn) stage credits include Groupie at the English Theatre Of Vienna, The Mousetrap at the St Martin's Theatre and on UK Tour, Dancing at Lughnasa at the Garrick Theatre and on UK Tour, Brand at the Aldwych Theatre, Island, Burnt by the Sun, Never So Good, August: Osage County, The Year of Magical Thinking and Present Laughter all at the National Theatre, Goodnight Mister Tom and The Grapes of Wrath both at the Chichester Festival Theatre and UK Tours, My Mother Said I Never Should and The Gift and The Glory both at the Duke's Theatre, Lancaster,The French Lieutenant's Woman and The Shell Seekers both on UK Tours, Equus at the Coliseum Theatre, Oldham,Tartuffe, The Aspern Papers and On Golden Pond at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, Macbeth at the Clwyd Theatr Cymru and on UK Tour and As You Like It at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. Anne's screen credits include Doctors, Footballers' Wives and Insiders.

Kirsten Hazel Smith's (Rosie/Victoria) stage credits include The Endings at the Papercut Theatre, The Fairy Queen at Glyndebourne, The Truth at Lille Theatre for the Eurotopiques Festival, Top Girls on UK Tour, A Flea in Her Ear at the Old Vic, The Importance of Being Earnest at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, The Six Wives of Timothy Leary at the Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, The Wonder! A Woman Keeps A Secret at Battersea Arts Centre, Yellow Moon at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Home Edinburgh at the National Theatre of Scotland and Amid The Clouds and San Diago both at Tron Theatre, Glasgow. Kirsten's screen credits include Catastrophe, Taggart, Sofia's Diary, The Drowned Rose, Stones, The Boy With A Camera For A Face and Nowhere.

Daniel Barry (Chris/Daryl) has toured with theatre company Cabinets Of Curiosity throughout the UK and Germany since 2011, as both actor and co-director in various productions. He has also written and directed various short films with his own production company as well as collaborating as producer and performer in the audiobook Fairy Tales For Grown Ups, with Sounds Curious. Daniel is also an experienced motion capture artist, improviser and has had sketches included in BBC Radio 4 Extra's Newsjack, as well as a comedy pilot, The Barry Davis Way, for SW1 Radio. Daniel recently completed the short film UnFriend (NFTS). Other credits include Twelfth Night for Strawberry Shot and The Same... But Different for the Richard Hardwick Co.

Rex Pickett (Writer) is the author of the novel Sideways, upon which the Oscar-winning Alexander Payne film of the same name was adapted. His writing career ranges from indie filmmaking, screen and TV, novels and playwriting. Sideways (the play) was first performed at the Equity-waiver Ruskin Group Theater in Santa Monica, California, where it ran for 6 months. It transferred to the 400-seat Potiker Theater at the La Jolla Playhouse where it broke all attendance records for a non-musical in their 35-year history. A graduate of the University of California at San Diego, Rex's papers and films are archived in Special Collections at UCSD's Geisel Library.

David Grindley's (Director) credits include The Gigli Concert at the Gate Theatre, Dublin which was nominated for Best Production 2016 in the Irish Times Theatre Awards, Kafka's Dick and A Steady Rain, both at the Theatre Royal, Bath,Outings at the Edinburgh Festival, Pygmalion on UK Tour, Daytona at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Park Theatre, and on UK Tour, The American Plan at the Theatre Royal, Bath and St James Theatre, Our Boy at the Duchess Theatre, Enron at the Galaxy Theatre in Tokyo, Japan, Copenhagen at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, The Misanthrope and A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Canada, Journey's End on UK Tour and Duke of Yorks Theatre, Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell on UK Tour, Six Degrees of Separation and National Anthems, both at the Old Vic, The Philanthropistand Pygmalion, both at the American Airlines Theater, Broadway, Blackbird on the UK Tour, Journey's End at the Belasco Theater, Broadway which was the winner of the 2007 Tony Award of Best Revival of a Play, In The Club at Hampstead Theatre and on UK Tour, Honour at the Wyndhams Theatre, The Philanthropist at the Donmar Warehouse, What The Butler Saw at Hampstead Theatre and the Criterion Theatre, Some Girls at the Gielgud Theatre, Journey's End at the Comedy Theatre and on UK Tour, Abigail's Party at Hampstead Theatre, the Ambassadors Theatre and UK Tour, Loot at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester and Vaudeville Theatre, Single Spies on UK Tour, Richard III at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester and The League of Gentlemen at Canal Café Theatre.

Book tickets: 0844 264 2140, www.stjamestheatre.co.uk

Below see production pictures by Pamela Raith Photography

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