Still More Theater Saturday - Friends the Musical

We were given free tickets to Friends the Musical for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Friends the Musical

Where: St. Luke's Theater
             308 W. 46th St.
             New York, NY

Who: Teens and Up

Mom's view: If you like the Friends TV show, you will probably enjoy Friends the Musical. If you did not enjoy the TV show or you are unfamiliar with the show, you may still enjoy the show, but definitely not as much. Although it is hard to cram a ten year TV series into  a 2 hour musical, the writers of this show do an admirable job of it. Aside from the six main characters we all know and love from the show, there are appearances by many of the shows best remembered guest or recurring characters including Gunther, Janice and even Marcel the monkey. Many of the TV shows most familiar plot points are touched upon in the musical as well including major plot points like Phoebe giving birth to her brother's triplets, Monica and Chandler's secret affair, the whole Ross and Rachel will they or won't they and minor plot points like Ross' sandwich,  his leather pants and Ross and Monica's routine. The song list which includes songs like How You Doin'?, We Were on a Break, and Pivot is a nostalgia trip all on its own without even hearing any of the song lyrics. Chandler's catch phrase is even turned into a beautiful duet for he and Monica called Could I Be Any More in Love With You? For a complete list of the songs and scenes see below. The set, costumes and even the hairdos are all really spot on too. The acting is good. Some of the actors do a better job of portraying their characters than others. The actor who plays Ross in particular does a really great job, and really has all the characters annoying mannerisms nailed down. This is not a good show for young children due to the subject matter which is even more inappropriate in the musical than it was in the TV show. However, if you are not a young child and you are a fan of Friends, you will want to hurry and get your tickets because even though the show only officially opened two days ago on November 2, it is already very popular.

ACT I 

Mid 1990’s 

Scene 1: The Fountain in Central Park 

Friends Like Us………………………………Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Rachel 

Scene 2: Central Perk 

Typical Day at Central Perk…………………Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler 

Central Perk Tango..........................................Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Rachel 

Scene 3: Central Perk Stage

Dead Mommy……………………………… Phoebe 

Scene 4: Monica’s Apartment 495 

Grove Street…………..……………………Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Rachel 

How You Doin'?.............................................Joey, Ross, Chandler 

Will They or Won't They…………………    Ross and Rachel with Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler 

Scene 5: Outside Central Perk 

Gunther's a Jerk……………………………Phoebe 

Scene 6: Central Perk

I Know!..........................................................Monica with Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey Chandler Identical Twins……… …………………… Phoebe, Ursula 

Will They or Won’t They (reprise)……….....Ross and Rachel with Joey Pros and Cons List……………………………………........Ross and Rachel 

Scene 7: Monica’s Apartment 2 Girls 1 

Condom……………………………………Rachel, Monica, Tom Selleck, Ross 

Scene 7: Monica’s Apartment (the next morning) 

Pivot! .............................................................Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Rachel 

ACT II 

Mid 1990’s 

Scene 1: Monica’s Apartment 

We Were on a Break ........................................Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Rachel 

Scene 2: Monica’s Apartment 

The Fetuses Song..............................................Phoebe 

I'm Gonna Hump You………………………. ..Marcel with Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Rachel 

Scene 3: Central Perk 

What a Classic Sitcom Situation….................Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Rachel Moistmaker…………………………………...Ross 

Oh. My. God……….………............................Janice with Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Rachel 

Smelly Cat Mom……………………………....Phoebe with Ross, Monica, Joey, Chandler, Rachel A Chick and a Duck…………………………….Joey and Chick and Duck Scene 4: Monica’s Apartment Ballad of Fat Monica.. ...................Monica, Ross, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler, Rachel 

Will They or Won't They (reprise)…………….Ross, Rachel 

Could I Be Any More in Love With You?...........Chandler, Monica 

The One Where They Make a Million Dollars an Episode.

.............................................................................Full Cast

For more information or to purchase tickets visit stlukestheatre.com/2017/08/02/friends-the-musical

And that's our view. Tune tomorrow for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits: All Friends production photos by Russ Rowland