Review by Steve Bennett

The Harri-Parris offer a warm, charming and affectionate look at rural life in West Wales. Their musical playlet hasn’t got all that much comic bite, but that would surely spoil the cosy atmosphere of the intimate family home they have faithfully recreated.

We, the audience, are house guests, helping bid farewell to Anni Harri-Parri, set to escape small-town existence and head for the bright lights of London. Her cousins discuss the pros and cons of such a move, with the camp worldy-wise Deiniol wants her to expand her horizons, while for stay-at-home Ifan, a life beyond Haverfordwest is a terrifying prospect. The household is completed by   Branek, a Slovak who provides ‘funny foreigner’ comic relief as well as translating the few Welsh phrases that drip into the script.

Mixed with the familial bickering are several musical numbers, celebrating the parochial attractions of local nightclub Rumourz, or making mild parody at the expense the invading weekenders who love the idea of village life, if not the actuality.

This is not an hour belly-laughs – though the Beyonce dance is pretty damn funny – and it may even be misfiled in the comedy section of the programme.  However, it’s a convivial experience, from the moment we’re offered cake on the way in, to us waving the cast farewell at  the end.

The mild-mannered characters are as endearing and convincing as anything Ruth Jones or Rob Brydon might have created, and exude an appeal that makes the show more than the sum of its parts.

Review date: 22 Aug 2012
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Zoo