Photo: Pamela Raith
When a TV show is as iconic as FRIENDS, it would be so easy to leave it alone and not attempt to parody. Boy, am I glad they decided to give it a go. Seeing it being brought to life on stage, had the perfect balance of breaking the fourth wall and making jokes that we know and love from the 90’s sitcom.
You could tell it had been created by fans and managed to condense 10 seasons worth of plot and memorable moments into a 2 hour and 10-minute show (including interval).
The beginning is super energetic and manages to keep this up throughout in my opinion. Judging by the audience laughs from start to finish, I think they agreed with me. The transitions were slick and worked well with the ‘Warner Bros crew members’ changing the set from Central Perk to Monica’s apartment etc.
Bob and Toby McSmith given the job of Books and lyrics, had songs that all poked fun at the characters and the storyline. A highlight was the actor playing Chandler, coming on stage as Janice and singing a song called ‘Oh my God it’s Janice’ with a wind fan and confetti for dramatic effect.
The whole cast were fantastic. It was certainly an ensemble effort that made the whole evening such a joy to watch. Each of the actors had their mannerisms down to a tee. From Phoebe’s awkward oddball gestures to Ross’s awkwardness shown through physical humour. My two favourites were Chandler played by Daniel Parkinson and Gunther played by Edward Leigh, who also made me chuckle appearing as Paolo the Italian Guy and Marcel the Monkey (an absolute bonkers but laugh out loud funny sequence)
Jenny Quirk as Costume Designer and Craig Forrest-Thomas as Wigs and Make Up Designer made sure to translate the iconic looks (Jennifer Aniston’s hairstyle included) to the stage and making sure it translated on stage too.
If you’re debating getting a ticket, then debate no more. With the UK Tour to continue after its run at Chester, could there BE a better time to get a ticket? This will be such a good laugh and is bound to make fans of the show reminisce and laugh along.
Friends The Musical Parody runs until Saturday 4th April at Storyhouse, Chester with tickets available at https://www.storyhouse.com/whats-on/friends-the-musical-parody/
Reviewer: Emma Lambe
Reviewed: 30th March 2026
North West End UK Rating:
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