So, no one told you the “Friends” musical was going to be this popular. The Paul Stancato-directed parody production has extended its run for a second time, now with dates stretching through the summer.
“Without a doubt, this has been our most successful parody musical,” Tobly and Bob McSmith said in a news release. The duo previously created the stage spinoffs “Bayside,” “Full House” and “90210,” among others.
Hitting a milestone $1 million in ticket sales this month, the St. Luke’s Theatre production now has shows listed through Sept. 2. Originally, it was set to close on New Year’s Eve and was extended through March 31.
“We were thinking of renaming it ‘The One Where We Made One Million Dollars,’ and based on the infamous pay-per-episode of the original TV cast, we can finally afford to have David Schwimmer in our show for 22 minutes! Call us David!,” The McSmiths said. If the original Ross took them up on the gig, they’d probably have to rename the musical “The One That Never Ends.”
“Friends” fans who haven’t yet seen the musical will have to approach with a good sense of humor — it is a parody, after all. It opens on a “seemingly normal” day in New York City where the only coffee shop in sight is Central Perk (which is actually pretty accurate in the “Friends” universe). Set in the ’90s, the musical features Rachel’s infamous hairstyle making a triumphant return — though Jennifer Anniston is, unfortunately, nowhere in sight. Dozens of songs, composed and arranged by Assaf Gleizner, branch the scenes together. The show stars Patricia Sabulis as Rachel, Seth Blum as Chandler, Lisa Graye as Monica, Katie Johantgen as Phoebe Alan Trinca as Joey and Landon Zwick as Ross. Oh, and it may actually get to the end of that whole “we were on a break” saga.
Tickets for the production start at $44 for general entry and can be purchased at friendsmusicalparody.com. Showtimes are listed Wednesdays through Sundays.
