I tell myself that I like art that challenges me. I don’t know how true that is, but I know I definitely want the art I consume to emotionally punch me in the face. Fisherman’s Friends, touring to the New Theatre this week, is a musical based on a 2019 film, which is, in turn, based on a 2010 hit album/feel-good news story, and is perhaps the most painless viewing experience I’ve had this year, for better and for worse.

So what’s the plot here? In a tiny Cornish fishing village, a crew of rough-round-the-edges fishermen pass their long days singing classic sea shanties, a pastime that continues in the evenings at their beloved local pub. Businesses here are multi-generational family affairs, and the pub is something of a financial burden for the young married couple who own it. Meanwhile, the local B&B is owned by three generations of the same family. This includes Jim, the unspoken leader of the fishing crew, played with a gravel-voiced Harrison Ford-esque gruffness by James Gaddas, and his spirited but wounded daughter, Alywyn (Parisa Shahmir), whose mother abandoned the family for big city life, when she was a child, and who harbours long-neglected musical dreams of her own.

The plot kicks off when the family’s B&B ends up hosting a self-assured, down-on-his-luck music exec, Danny (Jason Langely), whose early success was derailed by addiction. The melodious tunes of the sailors become a siren song for Danny, and he convinces himself this will be his ticket back into the fast lane. And it will, but not before a lot of sharp words and inevitable sparks fly between him and Alywyn, and he learns the importance of community and honesty, and everyone involved grows as people, the plot threads tied up as neatly as a fishing net.

Fisherman’s Friends’ tagline is along the lines of ‘The incredible true story of the chart-topping Cornish buoy band’ - so, you know from the moment the curtain rises that this journey will be a successful one. There’s something relentlessly familiar about this story - not just the tale but the telling of it. Audience members will already know at least a handful of the shanties - which is very satisfying. The musical is masterfully performed, with the band doubling as an ensemble and impressively melded into the choreography of the scenes. The show deals with classic themes - grief, the importance of staying true to your roots, and second chances - with a Disney-style warmth, deliberately corny jokes and conversations composed entirely of platitudes.

It’s very aware of its brand and true to it. And arguably this unchallenging amiability is the antithesis of what I crave from art, or tell myself that I do. But in all honesty: I don’t really want to be challenged, I want things that reflect my own experiences and suspicions about the world back at me with greater clarity and artistry than I can muster, and moves me in the process.

And for its own target audience, Fisherman’s Friends does that beautifully, an older crowd filled the many seats of the New Theatre and engaged with the work wholeheartedly and clearly felt entertained and moved throughout.

So in short: if, for example, you’re the kind of person who found the 2008 boy-meets-labrador movie Marley and Me sickly sweet, steer well clear. But if you enjoy heartwarming, unabashedly sentimental stories, performed with enthusiasm and professional sleekness, don’t miss this.