FRIENDS: The Musical Parody At Storyhouse Chester Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by H Chan
Growing up in the 90’s, Friends was one of the most popular sit-coms. All of my friends watched it; we talked about it between episodes and collected the videos (in the suitcase) like millions.
By the directors of The Full Monty and producers of Hairspray, of course I expected a lot from the show. It was a huge hit in Vegas and New York; would it be a hit in the UK?
We were invited to the Story House in Chester, which is a lovely, modern building not far from the Cathedral. There are plenty of transport links and places to grab food and a coffee beforehand, but the Story House does have a fabulous on-site café. It does get busy, so get there earlier if looking to grab a snack. Our seats were on Row G, right in the middle! They were brilliant seats. I noticed that those on the front row did need to look up and if I’d sat there, being short, I’d have missed some of the on-stage content. Just something to be mindful of.
How do you fit ten seasons, two hundred and thirty six episodes, into a two hour twenty minute stage show? Music of course! Expect a mixture of nostalgia and hilarity as the songs move the show forward. The show covers the most iconic scenes, (think monkeys, being on a break, pivot and sexy Italian guys) whilst taking the mick at the same time, (how did Monica afford that huge apartment?) emphasising character traits and playing on what people remember most about them.
It begins right at the start, where five friends become six. With it being opening night, there were a couple of little slipups but that made the night even funnier. The songs themselves were very clever. Very bizarre, but clever.
Rachel, played by Eva Hope could have been the original Rachel herself. Her voice was strong and her mannerisms on point. Ross was played by Enzo Benvenuti. Honestly, everything that you remember about Ross, will be revived by this man. PIVOT. I don’t know how they turned that into a song, but they did and it was extraordinary. Monica had the most incredible singing voice. She was played by Alicia Belgarde. Perfectly cast, and so full of energy. Daniel Parkinson was brilliant as Chandler, and of course his other character, who I won’t mention as it would spoil things. Absolute genius. Joey was played by Ronnie Burden, and his song How You Doin’ had everyone in stitches. The floopy yet loveable Phoebe, was played by Amelia Atherton. She was so convincing as phoebes, portraying her character so well and her singing voice was wonderful.
My favourite characters overall were Janice and Gunther, who was played by Edward Leigh. I won’t say too much as I wouldn’t want to ruin a thing, but these two are absolutely hilarious. There was a short interval, and I worried that the break would mean that the show would lose momentum, but thanks to Kip the warmup guy, we were back in the show as if we’d never left. It was just the right amount of crowd participation. The second half was better than the first in my opinion.
With musicals based on hit comedy shows, they can either be a huge hit or a flop. I have seen both happen on stage, so I was really hoping that this would be one of the good ones. It was. I was laughing all the way through.
I’d definitely recommend this show to those who were fans of the original series. If you’re new to friends, you might not get all of the inside jokes, but you will still enjoy the show. It’s a parody at the end of the day, so expect them to poke fun at the series, but in a loveable and relatable way.
If you’re thinking of taking children, a lot of the jokes will go over their heads and whilst there is no swearing, there are some obvious sexual references with more adult humour, there are some scenes which are quite loud too so bring ear defenders if you think you might need them.
You can find tickets here. Shows run until Saturday April 4th (inclusive) and there are two shows a day Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at £24.50. Tickets are selling fast! If it’s been on your mind, then book, before you miss it!
You can find out more about the tour here.
I gave this musical five out of five stars.
Rating: 5/5