FRIEND (The One With Gunther)
FRIEND (The One With Gunther) toured the UK & Ireland in 2024 before playing the Edinburgh Fringe.
Played to sold-out houses at Edinburgh Fringe seasons in 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2024.
Made international debut at Adelaide Fringe 2020.
Debut London season at Wilton’s Music Hall in 2021. Returned to London in May 2024 at the King’s Head Theatre.
One barista, ten seasons, seventy minutes. The entire 236 episodes of the hit 90s TV show, FRIENDS, retold through the eyes of Gunther, Central Perk’s very own ‘seventh Friend’.
Settle down in Gunther’s café to hear the true insider story of what happened to Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Monica and Joey from the FRIENDS character who kept them caffeinated through all the highs, lows, love affairs and failed auditions along the way!
Winner of Best Play at the World Wide Comedy Awards, the show has been created by acclaimed comic actor Brendan Murphy who also created and performs Buffy Revamped. FRIEND (The One With Gunther) is performed by Joseph Maudsley.
Writer Brendan Murphy’s credits include The Crown Dual (King’s Head), The Crooners (Pleasance Edinburgh), Potted Potter (US Tour and CAA Theatre, Toronto), King Kong – A Comedy (The Vaults), Twelfth Night (Orange Tree Theatre), Enter the Bagman (Gilded Balloon), Knightmare Live (Uderbelly, Southbank Centre), Lost Property (Soho Theatre), The Adventure (Lyric Hammersmith, Royal Exchange), Accomplice (Menier Chocolate Factory) and Newsrevue (Pleasance Edinburgh). At this year’s Fringe, he also appears in The Crown Dual and BattleActs, both at Gilded Balloon.
‘Virtuoso’
Guardian
‘Excellent comic timing.’
Broadway Baby
‘Riotously funny! Expressions as malleable as putty.’
ThreeWeeks
Director Hamish MacDougall’s recent credits include The War Of The Worlds (New Diorama/North Wall /Tour), Willy by William Andrews (Soho/Pleasance) Hammerhead by Joseph Morpurgo (Soho/Southbank /Pleasance/Tour and winner of The Brighton Comedy Award and Pleasance Best Comedy Show 2018) Soothing Sounds For Baby by Joseph Morpurgo (Soho/Pleasance and nominated for Edinburgh Comedy Award, named as Time Out number one comedy show of the year) Life and Rhymes by Abandoman (Udderbelly/Edinburgh/Soho/Melbourne), The 24 Hour Plays (Old Vic), The Narcissist which he co-wrote with Graham Dickson (Underbelly/ Amsterdam/BAC) and Zoo by Lily Bevan (Theatre503).
‘Joseph Maudsley is a master of subtle and effective humour.’
Theatre Weekly
Joseph Maudsley has performed all over the world with the Olivier Award-nominated show Potted Potter including in Las Vegas where the show won Best New Show in The Best of Las Vegas Awards. Other recent work includes a UK and Channel Islands tour with Oddsocks Theatre Productions playing Adrian in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors as well as a UK tour with The Reduced Shakespeare Company performing their William Shakespeare’s Long Lost First Play (abridged). His most recent TV appearances include ITV’s Grantchester. He debuted in FRIEND (The One With Gunther) at Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 before a 2024 spring tour and run at the King’s Head Theatre in London.
Written by Brendan Murphy
Directed by Hamish MacDougall
Performed by Joseph Maudsley