The one where… an original and unique new parody musical inspired by the gang in Friends, the iconic TV show, comes to the New Theatre.
When Ross’s wife leaves him for another woman, he fears he will never find love again. But then Rachel runs back into his life… will he end up with his one true love?
With original new songs such as ‘(He’s her) Lobster!’, ‘Richard’s Moustache’ and ‘You’re Over Me, When Were You Under Me?’, the gang take on naked Thursdays, a power cut, and a dinosaur convention! What could possibly go wrong?
This loving parody (not to be confused with the Warner Bros Entertainment Inc. series Friends) is now on until Saturday March 7.
The playwright and director Miranda Larson tells us about bringing everyone’s favourite sextet of friends to the stage and what you can expect from new musical Friendsical.
“Well, it’s a loving parody of the iconic American TV sitcom Friends. Basically it follows Ross, and retells the story of his and Rachel’s relationship but with the support and the ins and outs of the other characters along the way. We cram 10 years of story into just two hours!
“We’re all massive fans of the show – the cast are, the crew are – we started rehearsals every day with a Friends quiz, and playing YouTube of the Friends episodes was a daily occurrence. I’m a first generation fan, so I have watched it for 25 years and I still laugh at the same gags.”
So with so much material to work on Miranda says they had to treat it like an adaptation in order to work out what would make it into the musical.
“When you adapt a book it’s not about leaving stuff out, it’s about making your story work. That’s the only way to look at it otherwise you drive yourself crazy trying to fit everything in.
“Because I’m a big fan, things came to me naturally. I wasn’t researching something I didn’t know. I started in a very boring way by thinking, ‘What story is it that we are telling?’ Then I texted very close friends of mine and said: ‘Tell me your top 10 Friends moments.’ I just started making a list. When people found out I was working on it they’d ask, ‘Have you got this or that moment in?’ So I was constantly making lists and adding to them.
“There are things that have ultimately been left out and characters that aren’t seen because the show’s only two hours long. It’s difficult. I’m pretty sure there’s enough in there. I can’t think of any big moments that we’ve left out… and I can’t really think of any small moments either.”
We’ve all got our favourite moments from the series so which one is Miranda’s?
“One of my favourite episodes is getting ready for the dinosaur convention, which is the second half of our show. The first half is set on Games Night which is inspired by the boys and girls playing for the apartment. But I think, in terms of moments, it’s the reference to ‘We were on a break’. How they feed that back in season after season, it’s just genius.”
Now if Friends just wasn’t for you it doesn’t rule you out of seeing this musical. Miranda says if your own friends drag you along to see the show it will still be a great night out.
“Absolutely! For somebody that doesn’t know the TV series it will just be a really funny story, but for fans there are also references literally every time you blink. Being a parody, we’ve played with the timelines, so things don’t necessarily happen in the order that you expect. And we acknowledge that throughout the show. Monica doesn’t like it because she’s very neat and organised, and Joey, well, he just doesn’t understand it.”
Friendsical is on at the New Theatre on Broadway in Peterborough every night until Saturday March 7 when there’s also a matinee performance. To book your tickets call 01733 852992 or head to – www.newtheatre-peterborough.com/events/friendsical/