Review: FRIENDS! THE MUSICAL PARODY, Aylesbury Waterside - Tour
Photo credit: Pamela Raith
In Friends! The Musical Parody, we join the six famous pals (and Gunther) as they take us on a whistle stop tour of the ten seasons of the well loved sitcom.
Billed as a musical parody, Friends! is sometimes more musical and sometimes more parody. With moments of brilliance when the two come together, the show shines when it lovingly pokes fun at the sitcom’s quirks, questioning how Monica affords her apartment, and asking why the pals never pay for coffee during their daily visits to Central Perk.
With such well known characters, it’s hard to imagine that anyone could come close to portraying all the quirks and mannerisms of the cast, but they really do. Daniel Parkinson couldn’t BE any more Chandler, capturing his physical comedy perfectly. Eva Hope wears Rachel incredibly well, bringing her spoiled naivety to life. At times, it really is like watching Perry and Aniston in action. Enzo Benvenuti and Alicia Belgarde as the Gellar siblings are both impressive, bringing the skittish and over the top actions of Monica and Ross. Amelia Atherton as Phoebe and Ronnie Burden as Joey play more supporting roles and despite a quick rendition of ‘Smelly Mama’ (cat is copyrighted!), we don’t see as much of them on stage - there’s not a whiff of the Joey and Rachel coupling in sight, which is a shame, as many Friends aficionados would say that is perfect material for a gentle mocking!
The show is a bit uneven at times, never really following a consistent format. We start off behind the scenes, complete with a warm up guy, we then have parts of the plot played out word for word, with no parodying, alongside full numbers exclusively mocking the show, which are hilarious. The flipping between the styles feels a bit jarring as we never quite know if we are watching Ross and Monica, Schwimmer and Cox, or a musical re-run of the series itself.
Some of the songs are punchy and are set to the tune of well-known musical numbers (‘Cell Block Tango/Central Perk Tango’), with strong vocals, particularly from the female cast. ‘Two Girls, One Condom’ is an absolute highlight. Some fall a bit flatter, slowing the pace and feeling a little out of place.
With huge potential, this love letter to one of the most popular programmes of all time, Friends! The Musical Parody doesn’t quite achieve the right balance and could handle many more quips about the ‘of its time’ juggernaut show. However, fans of Friends will enjoy this Easter Egg-packed musical, which crams in most of the well-known Friends quotes and characters, taking us on a nostalgic journey through the 236 episodes.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Cara Brazier