Friends: The Musical Parody – Review – Bradford Alhmabra Theatre

By Christine Goode, January 2026

January is dark, rainy, and freezing cold, and everybody is ready for a bit of sunshine and warmer weather. We all need our friends to keep us focused whilst helping to take those January blues away, so I head to the theatre with my own friend to see Friends The Musical Parody.

Most people I know have watched Friends at some point in their lives; even my kids, as teenagers, loved it. The iconic hit TV show first aired in 1994 and followed six friends in their 20s and 30s navigating life in Manhattan. I remember meeting up with my own besties and excitedly chatting about ‘last night’s episode’, and with 236 of them and around 90 hours’ viewing time, I did wonder how they were going to make this musical work.

However, it does! Bob and Tobly McSmith have managed to bring the most iconic bits of the hit series together in a fun-packed show, with hilarious songs, a touch of audience participation and, of course, fantastic casting.

“Boundless energy”

The show is set in a TV studio, and we (the audience) are the live studio audience. We have a warm-up man and a countdown before the show goes live: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… There they are! In Central Perk, all our favourite characters, with an uncanny resemblance to the original TV cast we know and love. Wig and make-up designer Craig Forrest-Thomas has brought our favourite characters to life, especially the girls.

Monica, played by Alicia Belgrade, and Rachel, played by Eva Hope, both look and sound exactly like Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston. Their tone of voice, facial and physical expressions were incredibly believable; even when singing, they sound like their given character. However, the rest of the cast also do not disappoint.

Amelia Atherton brings the lovable and ditsy Phoebe to life, playing her offbeat songs in Central Perk. I loved the scene with ‘Smelly Cat’ and the puppet (reminiscent of my very own stinky feline!). Daniel Parkinson has boundless energy and trademark sarcasm as Chandler; he is superb, and sounds just like him. Surprisingly, he also comes to life as Janice, which has the entire theatre in uproar.

Lovable lothario Joey is perfectly portrayed by Ronnie Burden, who shines in his own song-and-dance routine, ‘Chick and Duck’. Ross, played by Enzo Benevuti, completes the friendship group and is great in ‘The Ballad of Fat Monica’. Edward Leigh demonstrates incredible versatility, switching between Gunther, Tom Selleck, Paolo and the warm-up guy with ease, displaying a range of accents and personalities.

“Catchy and funny”

The stage design resembles what you would find in a television studio, starting with simple wooden pallets that are turned into the iconic set everyone recognises. Both the characters and the stage crew, who also play the roles of TV crew, move these set pieces together.

The songs are catchy and funny, and with a nod to other musicals, my favourites were ‘Central Perk Tango’ (Chicago) and Gunther singing ‘Part of Their Gang’ (The Little Mermaid).

With a run time of 2 hours 15 minutes, which simply flies by, avid fans of the TV show and any musical theatre fans will love this funny, feel-good show. It was clearly shown as we were all up on our feet at the end, clapping and cheering.

This was the escapist tonic we needed for a cold, miserable winter’s day. Which leaves me one question… where did I put that DVD set?

Friends The Musical Parody runs at Bradford Alhambra Theatre unti 31st January

Christine Goode( Writer )

Christine Goode founded her own dance school – The May School of Dance & Theatre Arts over three decades ago. Her dedication to teaching and love of dance, has created many successful artists in the industry, and she is delighted that many of her former students have now returned with their children, allowing them to also discover this beautiful art. She has choreographed, produced and directed shows over the last 36 years, and is devoted to all live theatre and music. Now in her third year of writing about her obsession with the arts, Christine loves to encourage everyone to see as much live theatre as possible.
maydanceschool.co.uk

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