(CHATHAM, NJ) -- The Chatham Community Players will begin their 103rd season with the dramatic comedy, Sideways by Rex Pickett from September 20 to October 5, 2024 at The Chatham Playhouse 23 North Passaic Ave. Chatham. Christopher Peterson of South Orange is making his Chatham Playhouse Main Stage directorial debut.

“This play is a buddy comedy and road adventure at its heart, of course, but also gives the audience a chance to see these two epicurean pleasure seekers on a journey over the course of which they make mistakes, pay for them, and ultimately are changed for the better,” explained Peterson.

A wine-tasting road trip to salute the final days of bachelorhood careens woefully sideways as two friends hit the gas enroute to mid-life crises. The comically mismatched pair, who share little more than their history and a heady blend of failed potential and fading youth, soon find themselves drowning in wine and women. Emerging from a haze of Pinot Noir, wistful yearnings, and trepidation about their future, the two inevitably collide with reality. This play has been adapted for the stage by Rex Pickett from his 1998 novel of the same title, also released as a critically acclaimed film in 2004. Director, Peterson shared that, “the Chatham Players seek to transport their audience back to another place and time, when phones still flipped open, Y2K loomed, and no one had ever posted on social media.”

(L to R) Emily Miller of Jersey City as Terra, Lonny K. Friedman of Springfield as Jack, Andrew Froehlich of Summit as Miles and Katy Cockrell of Fanwood Maya in rehearsal. Photo taken by Christopher Peterson

The talented cast includes actors from all around New Jersey: Andrew Froehlich of Summit as Miles, Lonny K. Friedman of Springfield as Jack, Katy Cockrell of Fanwood as Maya, Emily Miller of Jersey City as Terra, Alan Ellis of Florham Park as Brad/Chris, Jodi Maloy of Cedar Grove as Phyllis/Evelyn and Missy Renwick of Summit as Barbara/Victoria.

Rounding out the director’s talented production team, Co-Producers are Bob Denmark & Leslie Williams Ellis, Stage Manager is Geneviève Anderson, Assistant Stage Manager is Anna Cave, Scenic Designer is Roy Pancirov, Costumes is Beth Amiano Gleason, Lighting Designers is Andrew Blais, Sound Designer is Joe DeVico, Scenic Artists are Dean Sickler & Gordon Weiner, Painting is Joëlle Bochner, Props & Set Decoration by Carol Saso, Intimacy Coordinator is Katie Toledo and Fight Choreographer is Steve Ruskin.

Box Office Information – Online Ticketing: Performance dates are September 20, 21, 27, 28, October 4 & 5 at 8:00pm and September 29 at 3:00pm. All performances are at the Chatham Playhouse, 23 North Passaic Avenue, in Chatham. Online Ticket Presale is $27 for Adults & $24 for Seniors/Students with In-person Purchase Day of the Show is $30 for Adults & $27 for Seniors/Students.

Tickets for all performances can be purchased online by accessing the theater’s online ticketing service, where you can now reserve your particular seat, simply go to chathamplayers.org/tickets. The service is available 24 hours a day. For information regarding box office, please call the box office number at (973) 635-7363. Patrons with special needs requiring seating accommodations should contact the Playhouse at least 24 hours prior to the performance. Without prior notice, accommodations cannot be guaranteed.

Special Private Wine Tasting Event: Amrish Vakil of “Main Street Wine Cellars” will be hosting a wine tasting prior to the Saturday, September 28 show at the Chatham Playhouse. Doors for the event will open at 6 pm with wine and hors d'oeuvres. Your ticket that night is your ticket in!

The Chatham Community Players has been entertaining residents of Morris County and the surrounding area since 1922. The organization’s mission is to produce high-quality theater for a diverse audience, while elevating its standard of excellence and providing a creative outlet with educational opportunities and outreach programs.

Funding has been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. 

(L to R) Emily Miller of Jersey City as Terra, Lonny K. Friedman of Springfield as Jack, Andrew Froehlich of Summit as Miles and Katy Cockrell of Fanwood Maya are rehearsing for a memorable wine-tasting road trip to salute the final days of bachelorhood in the dramatic comedy, “Sideways” by Rex Pickett. 

 Photo taken by Christopher Peterson