Friends is one of the most well known television shows of its time, and the musical parody, Friendsical, opened to a packed MAST Mayflower Studios’ audience last night (5 September 2022).
We are transported back the 1990s to Central Perk, where all six friends – Ross, Rachel, Joey, Chandler, Monica and Phoebe – sit around the famous brown couch and take a trip down memory lane.
The best bits of the iconic series’ ten seasons are packed into the show, with all the nostalgia that goes along with it, including naked Thursdays, the leather pants and the turkey on Monica’s head.
The focus is very much still on the on-off relationship between Ross and Rachel – told from Ross’ perspective.
The actors do a good job playing their character and portraying their quirks and mannerisms, so much so that I couldn’t always decide if they sometimes went a little too far. Sarah Michelle-Kelly, who played Monica, was exceptional, I’m not sure she could have been any more convincing in her interpretation, and her likeness was a little more than uncanny.
The secondary characters are also impressive, especially Tanveer Singh Devgun as Gunther, who had the audience wrapped around his finger on more than one occasion.
All of the cast can belt out a tune, after all it’s a musical parody show, along with former Eternal member, Louise Redknapp, who made a cameo of celebrity guest appearances across the evening until she finally got to sing about Richard’s Moustache.
The songs are all original, my favourite of the night was the one about what they didn’t know – I couldn’t figure out what it was called, or how the cast kept up with its high energy tempo, but it was truly brilliant!
Let’s be clear, this is not Friends… it’s not supposed to be. Friendsical is a little bit confusing at times, and a little bit corny, but it is absolutely full of laugh out loud moments and a fun musical tribute for fans of the show wanting to relive some of their memories, and the comedy, of the much-loved TV series!
Tickets for Friendsical (5-7 May) are on sale at mayflowerstudios.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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