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Friends! The Musical Parody Milton Keynes Theatre This Week - Review and Interview Attached

 

Could this BE any more exciting?! The UK & Ireland tour of FRIENDS! The Musical Parody will be entertaining audiences at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tue 13 - Sat 17 Jan 2026.

Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale, and Oskar Eiriksson, in association with The Barn Theatre Cirencester, present the 2025/26 UK and Ireland tour of FRIENDS! The Musical Parody. The side-splitting musical comedy is packed with iconic moments from all 10 seasons of the beloved television series, and performances run at Milton Keynes Theatre from Tue 13 - Sat 17 Jan 2026. Tickets are available now via ATGTICKETS.COM/MiltonKeynes.

Review From Simon Tuck (Early Morning Breakfast)

Friends! The Musical Parody – "The One Where They Sing"

Running for 10 years and spanning 236 iconic episodes, Friends became a "staple diet" for millions. Friends! The Musical Parody manages to condense all 10 seasons into a punchy, two-hour "mega-episode" that is a total delight for fans and newcomers alike. 

As someone who isn't a die-hard fan, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the ride, though the atmosphere was definitely electric thanks to the experts in the audience who knew every line, accent, and prop reference. 

The Cast & Characters
The script gives every character a chance to shine, with characterisations that truly do the originals justice. 

  • Enzo Benvenuti (Ross) and Eva Hope (Rachel) captured that classic "Will they, won't they?" energy.
  • Alicia Belgarde (Monica) and Daniel Parkinson (Chandler) were pitch-perfect, especially during their proposal scene.
  • Ronnie Burden (Joey) and Amelia Atherton (Phoebe) brought all the charm, with the "duck and the goose" puppetry being a personal highlight for me.
  • Edward Leigh was a standout chameleon, expertly multi-rolling as Gunther, Tom Selleck, and Paolo. 

Music & Staging
The soundtrack is incredibly clever, winking at musical theatre fans with nods to Rent and Chicago—particularly a "Cell Block Tango" inspired number. But the real showstopper? "The Janice Song." Oh. My. Gawd! It brought the house down. 

The set is ingeniously moveable, letting the audience feel like they are watching a live TV taping unfold. From the first splash of the fountain to the arrival of the final orange couch, the nostalgia is palpable. 

Final Verdict
Whether you’ve never seen an episode or you’ve watched the series on loop, this show will surprise and delight you. It was "The One I Watched for the First Time," and I’m so glad I did. 

Review from Friends Fan - Nicole Read.

One word: ICONIC. Not just the 90’s TV show of Friends but also Friends the Musical Parody too - because it’s every bit comedic, musical, crazy and iconic in its own right.

As an avid Friends fan, whilst the term “parody” suggests not to take it so seriously, I had high expectations. With a TV show as famous as this, it would be hard to get it wrong.

From start to finish, I was laughing, crying with laughter and felt such joy and nostalgia watching my favourite show I’ve grown up with come to life on stage in the wackiest, over-the-top way possible (in the best way!).

I loved how the stage set was literally a TV set, bringing the audience in on the action and making us feel like the audience too (much like the show itself, where you hear audience reactions). It was a great way to set the mood for the whole show, including some fun Friends trivia.

I was surprised and amazed at how they managed to fit so many Friends moments into a two-act show — but they did. From every lyric and spoken line to the props and characters, I came away feeling like I’d watched all ten seasons.

The first act basically covered seasons 1 to 3, which I think was important to establish the show and introduce the characters for anyone who may not be familiar with Friends. Then, a clever way of speeding things up was — of course — through song, setting up Act 2 before multiple seasons were wrapped together to bring even more comedy chaos from across the ten seasons to life.

Small details like Ross’ stammer, Chandler’s famous “could I BE anymore”, Phoebe’s chaotic energy, Joey’s lovable confidence, Monica’s intensity and Rachel’s growth all came together to create characters that felt instantly recognisable without ever trying to be carbon copies.

Enzo Benvenuti (as Ross), Daniel Parkinson (as Chandler), Amelia Atherton (as Phoebe), Ronnie Burden (as Joey), Alicia Belgarde (as Monica) and Eva Hope (as Rachel) all had impeccable comedy timing and clearly studied and nurtured these characters to bring them to life on stage.

The star of the night? Janice! Aka the same actor who played Chandler (Daniel Parkinson), which took me until Act 2 to realise — because they were completely separate and unhinged in the best way. It was such a clever move to have a male portray Janice so over-the-top. I can’t get her song out of my head.

Another star of the show? The puppets… without spoilers, this was such a clever way of portraying two key characters from the seasons, and I loved the additional tap number with them and Joey (you’ll have to watch to find out!).

Special shoutout to Edward Leigh (as Gunther and multiple characters including Tom Selleck). He tugged on my heartstrings as Gunther, and whilst he’s very much a minor character in the show (which they tease and make fun of a lot), I won’t be forgetting his memorable performance and Little Mermaid-esque moment.

Speaking of songs, as it is a parody, I loved how the show nodded to equally iconic musical theatre moments — from Phoebe pulling off an Elphaba riff, to Gunther’s Ariel moment wanting to be “part of the group”, and a Chicago-style tango between Ross and Rachel. So incredibly clever and it truly scratched both my 90’s sitcom and musical theatre brains.

As a Friends fan, should you see this show? Absolutely yes. It scratched every nostalgic itch, delivered constant laugh-out-loud moments, and felt like one giant love letter to the show — with extra jazz hands. It’s packed with iconic catchphrases, clever musical numbers, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them references and moments that make you think, “oh my god, I remember that episode”. Oh, and just you wait for that finale dance… (if you know, you know) 

Whether you know every line by heart or just enjoy a great night of musical comedy, this show makes you feel like you’re right back on that sofa at Central Perk, except this time, they’re singing, dancing, and being even more ridiculous than you remember. Could it be any more fun?

Make sure you PIVOT your way down to Milton Keynes Theatre to see this show this week, because this parody is the one where you laugh non-stop, leave humming the songs and immediately want to rewatch all ten seasons again.

Listen to the interview with Ronnie who plays Joey

The iconic characters will be played by Enzo Benvenuti (The Devil May Care; Southwark Borough Playhouse) as Ross, Alicia Belgrade (GREASE; UK & Ireland Tour) as Monica, Daniel Parkinson (Jersey Boys; Trafalgar Theatre) as Chandler, Eva Hope (Snow White and the Seven Elves) as Rachel, Ronnie Burden (GREASE; Royal Caribbean Cruise Line) as Joey, Amelia Atherton (SIX The Musical; Vaudeville Theatre) as Phoebe and Edward Leigh (Shrek; Apollo Theatre Hammersmith) as Gunther, Tom Selleck and Paolo. The cast is completed by Lottie Lester and Meg Darcy as Female Ensemble Covers, Jared Thompson and Harry Mallaghan as Male Ensemble Covers. 

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Creative team includes Director Michael Gyngell, Books & Lyrics by Bob and Tobly McSmith, Music by Assaf Gleizner, Set and Lighting Design by Andrew Exeter, Sound Design by Chris Whybrow, Costume Design by Jennie Quirk, Wigs, Hair and Make-up Design by Craig Forrest-Thomas, Music Supervisor by Mark Crossland and Music Arranged by Charles Olins.

FRIENDS! The Musical Parody is produced by Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale, and Oskar Eiriksson under license from Theatre Mogul. Originally produced in New York City by Lynn Shore Entertainment, Theater Mogul and McSmith Family Entertainment. 

Book your tickets now at ATGTICKETS.COM/MiltonKeynes

 

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