It has been 30 years since the original Friends series aired for the first time. Since then, the series has become synonymous with the definition of a sitcom, with adaptations and reunions keeping its legacy alive after its ending in 2004.

A laughter-filled time travel back to 90s New York

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre premiered FRIENDS! The Musical Parody on 13^th October 2025 with quite a busy theatre filled with fans of all ages. This was an experience in itself! Before the show, people queued up to get themed merchandise like turkey keychains and tote bags that read ‘Can I Interest You in a Sarcastic Comment?’. The iconic orange sofa from Central Perk stood below the screen displaying the poster of the show, giving the audience the chance to get engaged right from the moment they enter the theatre.

The show summarised 10 seasons in two hours, all the while managing to keep the audience’s energy levels at an all-time high. The credit for that goes to Edward Leigh, who not only played the roles of two characters (Gunther and Tom Selleck), but also led the show with his enthusiastic crowd work before each act.

Act 1 began with the original score ‘Friends Like Us’, almost mimicking the first episode and setting the scene for the rest of the play. The set had all the essentials, such as Monica’s kitchen, Central Perk’s door and sofa, all of which were mounted on wooden platforms with rollers, which resulted in smooth transitions between scenes that blended in with the songs and dance. The detailing behind each character’s costume, makeup and hair made the cast look very similar to the original characters, and thus easily recognisable. Their uncannily realistic voices and mannerisms made it feel like watching the original series being enacted live, just with a lot more music and dancing, obviously.

Each character has a song dedicated to them

It seemed as if each character had a song dedicated to them, filled with related humorous lyrics and famous puns from the series. Even Gunther and Janice had their own songs and solos towards the ends of Act 1 and 2 respectively. ‘How You Doin’ truly captured the essence of Joey’s character as he taught Chandler and Ross how to charm and flirt with women. Between songs, the plot progressed quite speedily, highlighting all the popular scenes from the show, such as when Rachel mixes up her orders during her initial days at Central Perk, when Ross comes back from China with a girlfriend, how Ross and Rachel start eventually dating, and so on.

After the intermission, we were yet again greeted by Edward and his refreshing trivia quiz that readied the audience for the second half. We were then transported back to Monica’s apartment and meet a human-sized Marcel, Ross’s pet monkey. The pace slowed down for some time following that scene, however it took off again with the song ‘Classic Sitcom Situation’ based on the popular ‘they don’t know that we know they know’ dialogue. This song and performance reminded me of Andrew Garfield and Vanessa Hudgens’s song ‘Therapy’ in Tick, Tick…Boom, with its hand gestures, extreme pitches and overlapping, repetitive lyrics. This brought back the audience’s attention to the play. Another brilliant scene was Joey’s dream sequence with his pet duck and chicken. These were puppets being handled by two members of the crew, present on the stage and voicing these animals. It was interesting to see them dance and sing flawlessly while handling the puppets. Another sweet moment was Chandler and Monica’s proposal with candle lights on the TV for romantic background effect.

The finale began with all six friends dressed in black and white as seen during the show’s title sequence, with brightly coloured umbrellas and a huge fountain added to the set as finishing touches. ‘I’ll Be There For You’ brought the crowd in as everyone put their hands up waving and clapping to the beat. Just when we thought this nostalgic experience was coming to an end, Monica and Ross broke into ‘the routine’ to give us a final treat before the curtains drew.

FRIENDS! The Musical Parody was just what we expected, a laughter-filled time travel back to ’90s New York to reminiscence on iconic scenes from the much-loved show, with a fresh twist of live music.

Rating: 4/5

FRIENDS! The Musical Parody plays at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre till 18 October 2025.

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