FRIENDS: The Musical Parody

Review by Brad

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Last night's performance of Friends: The Musical Parody at the Wimbledon Theatre was an unbridled, nostalgic joyride for the hardcore fanbase. The production perfectly understands its audience, delivering a mix of loving absurdity and sharp humour that lands almost every time.

From the first song to the final bow, the show is packed with pitch-perfect dedications to the series' most iconic moments. It’s hard not to get swept up in the fun, especially with musically intriguing, hilarious songs like a song dedicated to PIVOT-ing and a delightfully absurd Janice techno dance break. The cast is excellent, with Chandler being an exceptional, heightened portrayal of the beloved character, Ross remaining perfectly mopey and pathetic for maximum comedic effect, and Rachel’s impression being spot-on, nailing Jennifer Aniston’s iconic characterisation. Gunther even gets his moment as he yearns to be part of the group, delivering a hilarious rendition of ‘Part of Your World’ - why not?!

While the show is strongest when lovingly poking fun at the original characters and memorable moments, a few of the more original punchlines do fall flat. Furthermore, the use of cameras and screens felt somewhat under-utilized, and the warm-up guy bordered on the pantomime side but successfully engaged the audience nevertheless.

Overall, Friends: The Musical Parody is an evening of consistent laughs, great musical moments, and strong vocals. It's sure-fire fun for any fan of the original series, proving the show still knows its audience perfectly.