Director & Writer: Miranda Larson
Composer: Barrie Bignold
Fifteen years after the final episode aired, a new musical tours the UK ready to entertain the fans who still need their Friends fix. Stopping off during the Edinburgh fringe, this fun show brings some of the famous scenes from the ten series brought to life on the stage.
In this production, Jamie Le-Morgan plays Ross. Ross gathers up the old gang to create a musical extravaganza about how he and Phoebe got together. He gets the rest of the gang to not only play themselves but other famous characters throughout the show.
The script is messy but it’s intended to be. It’s inetention is to represent a haphazard attempt at a production made by amateurs. That’s exactly what it does. It cleverly weaves infamous moments from the past, alongside other commentaries by the characters as if they were real people into this storyline about creating a musical. It’s enjoyable and it leads to some comical moments. If you’re a fan of the show or not, you can appreciate the humour and chaos that is happening on stage.
The set design adds to this tone. It’s recognisable as the flat and the cafe, but equally, it’s clear it’s not intended to look professional. Huge set pieces move to the side by cast members in low lit settings that are add to this illusion that the characters are on stage, trying to put on a performance.
The sound and voice mix was off, mainly due to the quality of the microphones available. While the voices are made out, it isn’t perfect. The specially created music wasn’t really something you could remember, but it was corny and whimsical which adds to the whole idea of the show. A dream sequence that allows the show to fast forward through time is a particularly enjoyable moment, as was the rework of the iconic theme song.
With some changes to the sound quality, this would be a great piece of theatre. It’s fun, it’s enjoyable and it’s perfect for the fans of the show. It could bring in a new audience into theatres and is sure to entertain them for 90 minutes. This is a production that doesn’t take itself too seriously to create a lively, easy going afternoon out.
* Decision based on a ticket price of £16 and an 80p booking fee. For more info on this value for money rating please visit here: Introducing a new kind of rating
The Theatre Twittic 
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