After two sell out runs in California, Sideways the play made its European premiere at London’s St James theatre last month.
The modern theatre with steeply raked seating, makes an intimate home to the play which, without cars and acres of vineyards, focuses tightly on the players and their interaction. Daniel Weyman as Miles and Simon Harrison as Jack make the parts so completely theirs that within minutes you’ve forgetten that anyone else every played them.
Ellie Piercy is a tender Maya and Beth Cordingly a vivacious flirtatious Terra.
Miles is divorced, impecunious and waiting to hear from his agent whether his novel has been accepted by the 60th publisher approached. Jack is a voice-over actor about to get married to a well-off woman. Miles, who is a wine geek and Pinot lover, takes Jack in the week before his wedding to taste Pinot in the Santa Ynez valley. Jack knows nothing of wine; his focus is on finding as much sex as he can before he ties the knot. Jack’s flirting pays off and soon it seems both men have found true love, but in vino veritas and hearts and bodies are broken.
Neither men are attractive human beings, but their friendship is firm and their situations frequently funny. The language is smart and witty.
There is plenty of wine talk at a geeky level, numerous bottles are opened and copious glasses swigged of juice which cannot be alcoholic.
Without panoramic vineyard scenes the play is focused and fast with a simple set that turns to make restaurants out of bedrooms and tasting rooms from toilets.
Kirsten Hazel Smith has fun with accents by playing four different women and Daniel Barry makes all the other male parts including baring all for his craft. Anne Kavanagh plays both Mile’s mother and his agent.
But there’s another star on the stage and that’s Miles great love: Pinot Noir.
The play was much better than I expected, funny yet moving, with plenty of wine talk and if you don't know who Hugh and Jancis are or what Tache or malo is, the wine geek next to you will
While they’re not drinking real wine on stage, the theatre bar stock Sanford Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Santa Ynez, or for those unconvinced by Miles, a Napa Valley Merlot.
At the St James Theatre, London, (nearest tubes Victoria & St James Park) till 9th July, seats from £15.