friend

FRIEND   The one with Gunther ****

This is a streamed production of a performance at Wilton’s Music Hall and concerns the characters in the long running Sitcom “Friends” {it ran for 236 episodes} The group of young people – six very close friends living in New York – is still the World’s favourite Sitcom after twenty five years. 

I do not believe there are many people in the world who do not feel a kind of friendship with Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, Monica, Chandler and Joey. However there is one character who has been in nearly every episode and yet is not counted as one of the famous six

That one person is Gunther the guy who runs the coffee bar they all frequent, amusingly titled “Central Perk”

So along comes Brandon Murphy who rushes to the aid of the unfortunate  Gunther, to release his attitudes to the six stars and not only help him with psychological uplift but also give him a back story. Wow. Brandon shares a hair colour with his hero who was known as The Boy With the Sunshine Hair because of his impressively blond locks. Gunther calls himself the seventh friend and mourns the disappearance of the other six when the series ended in 2004.

As Gunther, he talks of his life to a living and lively audience, occasionally inviting them on stage to become part of his story.

He is still carrying the torch for Rachel who he has always adored. He seems to spy her in the audience and drags up a girl in a mask. Together they do a well choreographed dance routine – (he describes this as unrehearsed)

He decides she is not his adored one after all and asks her to leave the stage.

He met Rachel in the very first episode when she arrived in a wedding dress having left her future husband at the altar. He gave her a  job in the Cafe, praising her and ignoring her many mistakes in handing out coffee.

Brandon is a talented comic and he gives a wonderful  resume of the six characters as seen in Gunther’s eyes beginning with an impression of Joey’s agent who is sending him for a job in England – to be on Top Gear

He gives his impressions of each one and the characteristics that make the audience keep watching.i

Monica Geller used to be fat, so she is therefore  funny ,

Chandler the Impish Clown. makes jokes and works at something to do with computers.

Phoebe is all alone in the world having only a twin sister, a brother, a sister in law, and a mother. She makes her money by singing in the Central Perk.

Rachel, the face of a super model, is an angel, who is unfortunate having an  on and off relationship with Ross.

He does wonderfully funny  impressions of Ross, who he hates. He has really got under the skin of Gunther, having a special dislike of him because of Rachel.

He adds a compilation of the many homophobic things they said. What was acceptable in the nineties

”Friend” is available on line from 19th July until Sunday 25th. Running time seventy minutes without interval.

This is a good fun performance friends of “Friends” will love it and the Wiltons atmosphere is perfect for this show

Which was written by Brendan Murphy, directed by  Hamish Macdougall and presented by Seabright Productions.