Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Musical parodies of FRIENDS and THE OFFICE offer an inspired blend of craft and silliness

• By drediman
• July 30, 2021
• No Comments

Despite the steady flow of in-person performances in New York as of late, there have only been a handful of productions that have sustained steady, multi-week runs. Two of these have been musical parodies at The Theater Center’s Jerry Orbach Theater in midtown – Friends! The Musical Parody and The Office! An Unauthorized Musical Parody. Both were written by the team of Bob and Tobly McSmith, who have all but cornered the market on musical parodies of popular television series and movies over the years (their body of work includes Bayside! The Saved by the Bell Musical, 90210! The Parody Musical!, Showgirls! The Musical Parody, Full House! The Musical Parody, and Love Actually! The Unauthorized Parody Musical).

It may be easy to dismiss these works as lazy or derivative. Don’t be misled, however – the creators know what they’re doing, and both Friends! and The Office! manage to offer a blend craft and silliness. Not only is their obvious knowledge of both series as deep as a well, but their fandom of musical theater history and form is also equally impressive. Indeed, these shows operate not only as loving homages to the underlying television shows, but also to the Broadway musical (incorporating clear references to show-stopping songs like “My Shot” from Hamilton, “Seasons of Love” from Rent, “Cell Block Tango” from Chicago). Of the two shows, perhaps the more challenging assignment was The Office, which was already a parody to begin with. Messrs. McSMith doubled-down on the parody, and their risk has payed off – The Office! is inspired, often outlandish zaniness. Although their work on Friends! (which takes off on a national tour after its limited stint in New York) takes a more formulaic comedic approach, it’s nonetheless very entertaining and awfully funny.

Both productions are currently being performed with flair by a pair of young casts, who shine with both their heightened impersonations of well-known television characters, as well as their musical theater chops. Particularly hilarious are AC Rutherford as Chandler (and a bevy of the show’s miscellaneous characters) in Friends! and Emma Brock as an unhinged Michael Scott in The Office! There were several moments when each cast threatens to blow the roof off the Jerry Orbach Theater, which seems a tad too small to contain their enthusiasm. Additionally, the productions have been scrappily designed and feature witty, fast-paced direction by Assaf Gleizner (The Office!) and Tim Drucker (Friends!).

Both RECOMMENDED

FRIENDS! THE MUSICAL PARODY and THE OFFICE! AN UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY
Off-Broadway, Musical / In-person
The Jerry Orbach Theater at The Theater Center
Both approximately 2 hours (with one intermission)
The Office! is set for an open run / Friends! is scheduled to end its limited New York run on September 19