‘Friends’ pop-up lets fans explore key props
NEW YORK — Could “Friends” fans BE any luckier?
Those who have snagged tickets to the New York
City Pop-Up experience based on the comedy favorite get to plop down on the orange couch at Central Perk, play foosball in Joey and Chandler’s apartment and marvel at Rachel’s haircuts through the show’s 10 seasons.
Visitors enter a nondescript downtown building in a trendy Manhattan neighborhood, not unlike where friends Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross,
Joey and Chandler lived on the show, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this month. There are different sections to walk through in 8,500 square feet of loft space, where more than 50 original props from the show are on display.
There are complete replicas of Joey and Chandler’s living room and Central Perk’s counter and lounging area. Original costumes such as Monica’s chef uniform, Phoebe’s funky suede jacket and Ross’ infamous leather pants came straight from the Warner Bros. archives.
While those items are behind glass, much of the exhibit is interactive. There are seven opportunities for fans to insert themselves into familiar “Friends” scenes for selfies and posed photos.
The Pop-Up opened in early September and runs through Oct. 6. Tickets sold out in three hours.
Maggie Wheeler, who played Janice on the show, said she’s expecting fans will be satisfied by the experience.
“It’s very rare to be able to kind of walk into a set, a place that lives in your memory, that you have all of these associations with, and sit here and touch this couch and look at this table and feel yourself living in the environment where all of these characters lived,” she said.