Review: FRIENDS! The Musical Parody at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

★★★★

From the producer of the hit musical, Hairspray, and the director of The Full Monty, FRIENDS!: The Musical Parody is ‘The One Where They All Sing’, offering a new take on the 1990s, New York-based sitcom with an entirely original musical score.

Set in a recording studio, join Rachel (Eva Hope), Phoebe (Amelia Atherton), Monica (Alicia Belgarde), Ross (Enzo Benvenuti), Joey (Ronnie Burden), and Chandler (Daniel Parkinson) as they speed through ten seasons of the sitcom on turbo speed, packing the script and songs full of iconic moments from across all the episodes.

Cleverly written, this musical takes on many of the sitcom’s biggest plot points and introduces some of the most iconic characters; Edward Leigh is dryly funny as Gunther, and Daniel Parkinson’s dragged-up Janice, in particular, is an absolute comedic stroke of genius. In trying to get as many of these storylines, jokes and well-known lines into the show though, attentive fans will likely notice the need to use artistic license, and combine or rearrange parts of the story to make 326 episodes work in a two-hour production. But that may well be “moo point” to an audience too busy laughing at the next joke.

It’s not just the scripting that is jam-packed with references either but also the original musical score (Book and lyrics by Bob and Tobly McSmith, Music by Assaf Gleizner). Some songs work better than others, and those featuring the entire cast such as ‘495 Grove Street’ and ‘Will They Or Won’t They’ are particularly successful, while others including ‘Central Perk Tango’, ‘Moist Maker’, and ‘There One Where They Make One Million Dollars an Episode’ make smart use of showtune parodies, using tunes from Chicago, Fiddler on the Roof and Rent to add to the comedy.

Perhaps this musical’s most impressive feat is the staggering embodiment of the much-loved characters; captured outstandingly with spot-on wigs and make-up design (Craig Forrest-Thomas), and costume design (Jennie Quirk) which changed throughout the production to mark changes in time and advancement through the sitcom’s seasons. Additionally, movement and characterisation bought to life by the actors thanks to choreography (Myles Brown) and Accents and Characterisation work with Jessica Martin really shone. What’s more, the set (Andrew Exeter) features so many of the iconic settings that fans will know and love including: Central Perk, Monica’s Apartment, and Joey’s Apartment.

What lets this musical down slightly is the warm up at the beginning of each act. Although it’s clear why this is done, as a reflection of the recording studio style of the production, it is a little drawn out and could easily be cut down to make the show pacier.

The original sitcom this production is based on – while loved by many as a comfort show – is no stranger to very valid criticism, for many reasons including: its lack of diversity in casting, and its handling of storylines on topics such as gender, sexuality, and body image, particularly on present-day re-watches of FRIENDS. So, how does the musical parody bring these storylines and characters into the contemporary world? Of course, there isn’t time to tackle all the problematic elements of the sitcom and still be funny, however, FRIENDS the Musical Parody does well to poke fun at many of these storylines including jokes about having no Black friends, pointing out how problematic ‘fat Monica’ is in the future, and even taking time to roast holes in the plot; how do they have time to spend every day in Central Perk? And, how does Monica afford that apartment?

Ultimately though, at the heart of the sitcom, FRIENDS! was a tale of the trials and tribulations of adulthood, friendships, family and love, and finding your feet, which this musical captures brilliantly. Brimming with countless memorable moments and references and bringing the much-loved characters to the stage with vivid accuracy, FRIENDS the Musical Parody is silly, funny and full of nostalgic warmth and comfort. Thirty years later, FRIENDS will still be there for you in this new musical which is well-designed for devoted fans of the sitcom.

FRIENDS!: The Musical Parody runs at Wolverhampton Grand until 18th October. It also returns to the Midlands in Coventry later this year.

This review was written following a press invite to the production.