Despite its iconic references and catchy songs, FRIENDSICAL – A PARODY MUSICAL ABOUT FRIENDS lacks the charm of the original show.
Based on one of the most popular TV shows of all time, FRIENDSICAL – A PARODY MUSICAL ABOUT FRIENDS is exactly what it says on the tin. When Ross Gellar (Nelson Bettencourt) decides to tell the infamous Ross and Rachel story in a musical of his own, he brings our favourite group of six together to create three hours of renowned references, snappy songs, and never-ending nostalgia.
Despite these being perhaps some of the most iconic characters in TV history, the cast of FRIENDSICAL has done perfected their mannerisms and catchphrases. And while they may not always look like our favourite friends, they’ve certainly created fun and enjoyable likenesses. Sarah Michelle-Kelly as Monica and Tim Edwards as Chandler, in particular, stand out, striking the difficult balance between what it means to parody a character and pay homage to them. They embody Chandler and Monica, and whilst the other cast members offer some funny impressions of their characters, they perhaps fall too heavy on the parody side, meaning we can’t always see the beloved character underneath the exaggerated performance. Sario Solomon’s Joey, for example, feels more reminiscent of a cartoonish teenager than the charming soap star that we all know and love.
Ally Retberg, however, takes a different approach to this in playing Phoebe, as whilst we cannot always see the iconic Lisa Kudrow character in her performance, she has almost created her own version of Phoebe, making up for the lack of familiarity for the audience and resulting in what is still an enjoyable performance.
Unfortunately, our Ross and Rachel are not quite the magnetic couple that we saw on our screens. Whilst Nelson Bettencourt perfectly delivers all of Ross’ mannerisms and catchphrases, it ends up being closer to a Jim Carrey impression than David Schwimmer’s agitated palaeontologist. And there is no chemistry to be found between him and Amelia Kinu Muus as Rachel. Whether this is due to the writing or whether Ross and Rachel is a dynamic that simply cannot be created is unclear, but what results is an entirely dysfunctional and unconvincing portrayal of this on-again-off-again couple. FRIENDSICAL lacked the tumultuous ups and downs of their relationship and skipped right to the downs, leaving out the moments of ease and care for each other that came between the thunderous arguments and made us root for them as a couple. Ultimately, Friendsical leaves us wondering why they were together in the first place, which, given that they are intended to be the sole focus of the musical is disappointing.
That being said, Amelia Kinu Muus took a similar approach to Retberg in that she created and moulded her own version of Rachel to make up for the lack of resemblance. This was a much more successful venture, as she took all of Rachel’s mannerisms and wrapped them up in an overly sexual, dramatic, and forceful character that received some good laughs.
Whilst the cast has brought everything required to make a good parody, it is Miranda Larson’s writing that, unfortunately, lets them down. The concept of a Ross and Rachel musical in which the actors play the characters playing themselves is simply too convoluted and distracts from the nostalgia for the audience. Of course, audiences expect that in order to fit 10 seasons of a show into three hours would require some switching around. However, we are constantly reminded throughout the show that the timelines have been changed and that we shouldn’t expect them to make sense. This heavy over-explanation feels patronising to the audience and distracts from the show overall.
In fact, much of the dialogue felt unnecessary and consisted of too many throwaway lines that were clearly intended to be big laughs but were met with painful silence from the audience. The majority of the laughs came from lines and references taken directly from the show, as expected, but even the delivery of these at times meant that they fell just as flat. For a parody of a hilarious sitcom such as FRIENDS to receive little-to-no laughs during the first half of the show is disheartening and goes to show that nostalgia can only get you so far. Whilst the references recalled some of the funniest moments of the show, they simply weren’t following the same momentum that FRIENDS had and were instead thrown into scenes seemingly at random.
This only added to an overall feeling of clunkiness from the show, with characters wandering on and off stage seemingly aimlessly at times; long pauses between scenes whilst the sets were changed over; and jumping in and out of characters-being-actors and actors-being-characters-being-themselves. It all became tiresome very quickly and often felt as though we were watching a “here’s what you missed on Friends” style recap, with characters simply narrating key events of the show. For those that have seen the show – which I would assume to be the majority of the audience – this feels unnecessary and time-consuming for very little pay-off, as it only ends up being re-hashed later in the show anyway.
Each performance of FRIENDSICAL is graced with a special guest star – much like the show itself – and we were lucky enough to have RuPual’s Drag Race UK star Ella Vaday drop in at Salford Quays. And though it was a drop-in role, she stole the show with her hilarious impressions of our favourite side characters such as Office Goodbody, Janine the dancer, and the handsomely mustached Dr Richard. Her comedic timing was excellent and left us wanting more of her in the show. In the awkward silences between poorly timed jokes, Ella Vaday could have provided the smooth delivery and charm that the show so desperately needed.
As a lyricist, Miranda Larson has provided us with some fun and catchy lyrics that feel reminiscent of the 90s sounds that are so associated with Friends. Combined with some classic musical theatre choreography from Darren Carnall, there are certainly some entertaining and colourful musical sequences scattered throughout the performance. However, the songs themselves added nothing to the plot and felt at times as though they were only there to pass the show off as a musical.
When the show moved into the second half, it became clear that it had already gone on for too long. It felt altogether disjointed, and the characterisation quickly became too tired and exaggerated. Rather than speed through what could have been hilarious, fun, and memorable references, it felt as though we were stumbling through all 10 seasons without any real purpose or structure. There were plenty of moments that Larson had clearly set up as both writer and director for big laughs and raucous applause that were instead followed by an uncomfortably long pause and silence from the audience.
For fans of FRIENDS, FRIENDSICAL is certainly enjoyable. It is packed with some of the most iconic references and does its best to poke fun at our favourite friends. There are some very catchy songs and big laughs in there that will make it a fun night out for the truly hardcore fans. If you look past the disjointed writing and make it through the awkward silences, there is real talent there. The cast has done an excellent job of bringing to life our favourite characters and making them their own, and the sets and costumes are sure to inspire a wave of 90s nostalgia in all. It simply lacked the charm of the original show and reminds us that the magic of FRIENDS is one that unfortunately cannot be recreated.
FRIENDSICAL – A PARODY MUSICAL ABOUT FRIENDS runs at The Lowry, Salford, until 5 November 2022.
Megan Hyland is a full-time domestic abuse charity worker; part-time entertainment reviewer; and professional over-achiever. Currently one of ten writers chosen for Northern Broadsides’ Young Writers Forge, you can read more of her review writing at UpstagedManchester, The Custard TV and her blog The Manchester Maverick.
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