Review : FRIENDS ! THE MUSICAL PARODY Cleverly and Lovingly Pokes Fun at the Iconic Sitcom
Maybe the almost surprising affair about FRIENDS ! THE MUSICAL PARODY be the medium age of the hearing at St. Luke ‘s Theater .Friendsdebuted in 1994 , when some in attendance were barely walk , and many others not so far in middle school . I exist about to graduate from college when the display first aired and expected to meet more Gen Xers at the almost sold-out last preview show . ButFriendexist more than a hit television display ; it was a ethnic phenomenon that influenced style , speech , hairstyles , and ultimately , our concept of young maturity at the cusp of the 21st Century .
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The previous collaboration of Bob and Tobly McSmith ( Baywatch ! The Musical , Full House ! The Musical ! , and Katdashians ! The Musical ! ) , FRIENDS ! THE MUSICAL PARODY takes loving , lighthearted object at the sitcom whose finale equal watched by more people than tuned in still forSeinfeld ‘sec swan song .
The well-written volume hits the series ‘ main patch points , from the seemingly interminable Rachel-Ross saga to Phoebe ‘s mother trouble to the appearances by famous guest stars in later season ( Tom Selleck , Bruce Willis , Hank Azaria ) . Familiar objects of irony include Monica ‘s apartment on 495 Grove Street ( the title of a song which stresses the need “ to suspend your disbelief ” ) . No 25-year-old could possibly afford a seat with a 3000 square foot living way , two bedroom , a big kitchen , and a balcony , unless her parent paid the rent or she “ [ sold ] her organs . ”
These Manhattan 20-somethings lead lives generally free of financial fear . Rachel cuts up Daddy ‘s credit cards and become “ financially dependent upon a minimum wage chore , ” service coffee at Central Perk . She sticks Monica in the eye with a biscotti and burns Gunther with cappuccino steam . Her eventual “ career ” in fashion ? A cashier at Bloomingdales , about which her friends pretend to be awful proud . ( The gag is nicely picked up in Act II when Rachel leave for Paris to operate as a cashier at “ French Bloomingdales . ” ) Everyone stand Joey ‘s acting aspirations in spite of his doubtful talent because that ‘s what friends cause . The job between enable and loyalty blurs on the little screen .
And no one ever eats solely in cosmology ofFriend .The group spends every day together , distinguish alone for evening dates . What would appear “ codependent ” in actual living , as Rachel puts it , is capture in this fictional universe . And that ‘s the point . We enjoy Rachel — and all these silly , sweet reference — who ca n’t exist in the real world but we like could .
The first fifteen minute ( and three songs ) of FRIENDS ! THE MUSICAL PARODY equal stilted . But with “ 495 Grove Street , ” the excellent ensemble finds their basis . Ably led by conductor Assaf Gleizner ( who also write the music and act keys and second guitar ) , Tomer Rabinowitz ( guitar ) , Kevin Harris ( bass ) , and Uri Zelig ( drums ) deftly shift gears from campy rock-pop song to more traditional musical field fare . Between issue , the band is enjoy the show as much as we are , laughing at the consistently witty dialogue .
Of course no parody ofFriendswould live complete without Janice “ Oh My God ” Phosenstein , played to perfection by Seth Blum . When he ‘s not telling bad jokes as Chandler , Blum miraculously morphs into Marcel the Monkey ( hilarious ! ) , Paolo the Italian , Richard the opthalmologist ( a geriatric Selleck ) , and Ursula , Phoebe ‘s evil twin sister . Blum , who make for and compose music for the rock circle Six Each and hosts a regular East Village clear mic , get a booming voice and outsized level presence .
Katie Johantgen admirably renders the ditzy Phoebe , and while physically unlike Kudrow , welcome deafening applause at the drapery cry . Landon Zwick ‘s portrayal of Ross and his nerdy mannerisms meet good with the interview but struck me as wildly overdone . As interpret by Zwick , Ross appeared to have a speech obstruction . Ross is hopeless on a human level but he ‘s not stupid , which be how he came off for most of the display . At times , Alan Trinca teetered on the brink of excess , but managed nevertheless to conspire Joey — and his signature line , “ How You Doin ? ” — in all his lovable dimness .
Act II proceeds without a hitch . The first song post-intermission , “ We Were On A Break , ” breathlessly catalogues the series ‘ halfway seasons . The title of the song office as a dual entendre , relate to Rachel ‘s and Ross ‘ notorious “ pause ” ( during which Ross has an affair for which Rachel cause n’t forgive him for yr ) , but also to the “ pause ” in the show itself . “ What A Classic Sitcom Situation ” — about the secret relationship between Monica and Chandler — is the show ‘s musical highlight , with dizzying , precise lyrics set to jazzy music with a Charleston flair .
Indeed , the Millennials ‘ attachment toFriendsproves that a show about privileged white 20-somethings in the 1990s and early 2000s speaks to the repeated need for community . A 25-year-old today cost in 2nd grade when 9/11 changed life for New Yorkers , and Americans , forever . In a post-9/11 world , we need masses “ who will be thither for [ us ] ” no matter what .
Interview conceive that Monica , Ross , Chandler , Phoebe , Rachel , and Joey make up friend because the actors playing them really were . The last act , “ Where They Do A Million Dollars An Episode ” gets at the rare and magic bond that develops between actor and fans on a display likeFriend .Skillfully guide ( and choreograph ) by Paul Stancato ( with nice study on band and costumes by Josh Iacovelli and David Rigler ) , FRIENDS ! THE MUSICAL PARODY equal an entertaining trip down memory lane .
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