Friendsical: A Parody Musical About Friends continues at Assembly Rooms – Music Hall, Edinburgh until 25 August 2019 and on tour until 2 November.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
The anticipation in the air from the audience pre-show is palpable – one of the best-loved TV shows about to be ‘sent up’ as the countdown begins to go ’On Air’.
The idea here is that Ross (played in a caricature style by Jamie-Lee Morgan) wants to re-tell the complete Friends story as a musical ‘spectacular’. What follows is largely disappointing as Miranda Larson’s script misses more opportunities than it takes.
The show falls between two stools from the get-go. Set in the studio, with scene changes depicting the coffee shop, Monica’s apartment and the lads’ place across the hall Anthony Lamble’s design is rather clever: each location is instantly recognisable.
However, the set changes themselves are a wasted opportunity to show the studio ‘working’ with the floor manager or even the ‘warm-up’ character to involve the audience. Perhaps some kind of musical refrain would help to involve the scene changes as part of the show.
This young cast oozes energy – the musical numbers are precisely choreographed yet fail to maximise the characterisation of the six friends. Monica (Sarah Goggin) and Chandler (Thomas Mitchells) are very well played and try their utmost to keep their characters in place and Phoebe (Ally Retberg) has some well-observed moments, particularly dancing whilst heavily pregnant in her Supergirl outfit.
The ‘ensemble’ (Duncan Burt and Rebecca Withers) frequently steal the show with their renditions of Gunther and Janice in particular. Janice’s big number ‘Like a Foghorn!’ is a comedic and musical highlight.
Both dialogue and lyrics are lost from time to time as speed and pitch are emphasised at the expense of the content.
The idea of the characters being depicted as always happy whilst Ross’ opening monologue suggests that’s just not the case isn’t followed through. More could be made of this dialectic.
Aside from neither looking like nor sounding like Joey, Jordan Fox doesn’t once say “How you doin’?”, one of the most famous lines in the show. Maybe sending it up so much more, even to the extent of the other characters occasionally not recognising ‘Joey’, could make it really funny. As it stands, it’s simply a weakness.
The opportunities for setting up ‘in jokes’ are wasted. If this show was able to lift itself to the next level it could be much more funny, much more enjoyable. Edinburgh Fringe audiences relish a good musical parody: there’s no shortage of good examples around the city.
The audience really wanted to love this show, but it’s way more difficult than it should have been.
Fiona Orr
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