Review: FRIENDS - The Musical Parody (New Wimbledon Theatre / UK Tour)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than 20 years since Friends aired its last episode, and Rachel got off the plane. Despite there being no new episodes for over two decades, the show has never been on a break, remaining just as popular in 2026 as it was in 1996. A whole new generation continues to discover it, repeats of the show are always on TV, and fans flock to The FRIENDS Experience in London every year. It was only a matter of time before the beloved sitcom made its way to the stage, and that is where we find FRIENDS - The Musical Parody. As a huge fan of the TV show, I couldn’t resist seeing it when it arrived in London for a week at New Wimbledon Theatre. I mean, could I BE any more excited? But how would this musical be doin’ compared to the TV show, and would it be able to effortlessly pivot for the stage?

Created by Bob and Tobly McSmith, FRIENDS - The Musical Parody debuted off-Broadway in 2015 and has since toured internationally, crossing the pond for multiple runs in the UK, including at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show attempts to cram in all ten seasons of Friends, cherry-picking some iconic and fan-favourite moments for one pacey. madcap performance featuring those six best friends… and Gunther. Expect the relationship between Ross and Rachel, Chandler and Monica, Chandler and Janice… and, of course, Phoebe and Joey (though not together).

I imagine your experience at FRIENDS - The Musical Parody will very much depend on how familiar (or obsessed) you are with the show. The most casual viewer of the TV show will be able to pick up on the iconic character traits, while anyone who watches every episode repeatedly will be looking out for specific jokes, but then what about those who have inexplicably never seen an episode of Friends? They do exist, supposedly. I fall into the category of a huge lover of the series, who watched every episode as it aired, and have continued to watch the repeats in the decades since. Each episode had me laughing out loud, even if I had seen it 20 times before and knew what was coming, such is the skill of the writing of the series. Unfortunately, this parody did not have the same effect.

Though there were a couple of moments where I did let out a little laugh, there was nothing riotously funny about this parody. Theatre is subjective, and so too is humour - while there was undoubtedly a large percentage of the audience laughing far more than I did, it always felt quieter and polite, with nobody seemingly having their ribs tickled or sides split. Almost like a laugh out of obligation, or as a nod to the original writing, as opposed to the version presented here.

Overall, I found this to be an incredibly poorly written show. If you are going to parody something, you need to really go for it, hamming up all the moments and making it far more exaggerated. This didn’t quite do that - feeling safe at best and lazy at worst. Cobbling together multiple storylines and making them feel no more than a passing reference, there seemed to be no consideration for how to craft a joke or riff on the themes of Friends, foolishly thinking that merely referencing it would be enough. There wasn’t any subtlety in the mocking of the themes or characters of the show, and I got the impression the creators of the show found it funnier than the audience.

With Friends running from 1994-2004, there is obviously an issue of how dated some elements are, with certain aspects making me cringe on rewatch for how inappropriate it is. Rather than comment on this, FRIENDS - The Musical Parody somehow makes it even worse, adding more homophobia into the mix. The lack of diversity among the original cast of Friends is perfectly represented in the cast, and an unnecessary joke about Chandler being dead should have been cut owing to the sad passing of Matthew Perry, showing the lack of taste or care that has gone into this production. The biggest concern, however, is the presentation of “Fat Monica”. Problematic enough in the original series, a throwaway comment about how inappropriate it is comes after a, quite frankly, disgusting song titled ‘The Ballad Of Fat Monica’, which essentially laughs at her for being fat in a far worse way than the TV show ever did. Joey also gets fat-shamed in this production, making me compare the writers more to childhood bullies than anything else.

This is a musical, and the songs prove to be a mixed bag. Act One closer ‘Pivot’ is perhaps the most irritating thing I have ever heard, while ‘Classic Sitcom Situation’ was a particularly low moment in the show. There were some better moments dotted throughout, however. Namely ‘Part Of Their Gang’ written by Jake Bringer and Pippa Cleary, two writers with a much better hit rate when it comes to comic abilities. Other decent moments among the numbers were the harmless but effective ‘Friends Like Us’, and ‘I Know’. There are musical theatre references to be found as well, with Chicago being sent up in ‘Central Perk Tango’ and an extremely ill-advised parody of ‘Seasons Of Love’ from Rent, where the cast talk about how much they are paid each episode. If you listen carefully, you may be able to hear Jonathan Larson turning in his grave during that number.

The whole framing device of this show is pretty poor as well, with a cast member coming out to act as a warm-up guy as if we were watching a live taping of an episode of Friends. The problem is it doesn’t work as a narrative, particularly in a venue of this size. Perhaps it would go down better in a smaller fringe theatre, but shove FRIENDS - The Musical Parody in the 1,670 capacity New Wimbledon Theatre and it shows off its inadequacies and flaws. For a show that ran from 1994-2004, I didn’t quite understand why the warm-up guy was asking audience members to complete the lyrics of 1980s songs, and a trivia section before Act 2 was painful to experience. These sections went on too long, when the show should have just been left to exist as a parody, rather than this questionable device.

One element that did work fairly well was Myles Brown’s choreography, while Andrew Exeter’s set design further played into this theme of the live taping of an episode by turning around hidden sets on the stage, recreating some of the more recognisable locations in the series. Jennie Quirk’s costumes also recreate the classic looks from the series, transforming the cast into these iconic characters. And as for the direction, apparently it exists.

The cast has an uphill battle with the cards they have been dealt, trying to make the most out of the poor writing and questionable direction. The fact that some of them don’t look or sound like the characters is more to do with the creatives than their own talents, though Amelia Atherton gets some standout moments as Phoebe Buffay, and Alicia Belgarde is a great Monica Geller. Eva Hope proves to be the real standout as Rachel Green, dominating the scenes and showcasing a great stage presence that extends beyond this questionable material. The men fare less well, though Daniel Parkinson delivers a great version of Janice as well as exhibiting some of Chandler Bing’s classic mannerisms in his dual role.

There are many out there who are sure to love FRIENDS - The Musical Parody. Ultimately, it is a harmless bit of fun and will be a great sense of nostalgia for anyone who loves the series and wants to reminisce. I wasn’t sure in what way to review this - as a piece of theatre, as a musical or as a parody. Sadly, it falls short on all accounts, feeling like it’s always stuck in second gear. I love a good parody, and this was not it. I’d have also loved a great tribute to the show, which this failed to be, and as for a musical, the elements just aren’t good enough. As poor a concept as Rachel hooking up with Joey in season 8, this problematic parody is not the one that I want.

FRIENDS - The Musical Parody plays at New Wimbledon Theatre until 24th January and then continues its UK tour. Tickets avaialble here

Photos by Pamela Raith