Bank Of Dave: The Musical Review: Burnley bash is a colossal investment
- Jack Davey
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
21 May 2026 I 19:00 I Curve Theatre, Leicester
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I PR - Invite
Dave Fishwick's extraordinary journey has been documented in many forms of media. It's broken news headlines. It's been adapted into a Channel 4 series and major Netflix film. Now comes the debut of Bank Of Dave: The Musical. Directed by Nikolai Foster, with book by Rob Madge and music by Pippa Cleary, this world premiere turns it up to eleven with energy.
Dave is no ordinary man. He is a self-made millionaire and champion of the community. He left school at 16 with no qualifications, and fast became Britain's biggest minibus supplier. Following the 2008 financial crisis, Dave was empowered to open Burnley Savings and Loans, a lending organisation designed to help everyday people and local businesses secure funding, with profits going to charity. Taking on the banking giants of the North and fighting for a fairer deal, this really is a David vs. Goliath tale!
In true Fishwick fashion, this is in-yer-face and bursting with pride. Dave's exuberant personality translates into a maximalist production that occasionally throws too much at the wall. Rob Madge's book is hilarious, though it doesn't always find its balance. The first act delivers back-to-back gags with ease, but there are so many that audiences need room for air, where Madge's tonally accurate Northern and sweary humour exhausts itself too soon. The interval is a reset as Act Two takes on the role of the emotional anchor, slowing in pace and bringing a tear to the eye with the penultimate DaveAid concert.
It's rare to see portrayals of living public figures in theatre, as we seek for likeness in the celebrities we are familiar with. Sam Lupton's Dave is scarily accurate, never slipping into caricature and finding every nuance among Dave's explosive vocal delivery. The character is loud and brash, but Lupton is able to find the humility that we admire. He is supported by the criminally underused Hayley Tamaddon as his wife Nicky, who endears with her grounding and warm presence.
Snobbish London lawyer Hugh is instrumental to the bank's success, assigned to take on Dave's 'impossible' mission. Portrayed by Lucca Chadwick-Patel, he earns the spotlight as the unexpected star of the show, as his hot-shot Southerner mellows into a loveable and goofy companion. Notable performances also come from Samuel Holmes' devilish panto villain Sir Charles, and Lauryn Redding's impressive singing skill as over-worked doctor Alex.
It takes a village for this kind of musical to be achieved. As a diverse ensemble enter in the opening number, clad with labourer's uniforms, Amy Jane Cook's costume design makes the Burnley community believable as the underpaid grafters that Dave is fighting for. One moment there are tap-dancing pigs, another Dave struts around as Elvis in a sales pitch, merging realism with glittery theatrics.
Cook's set design sees a fixed pub, fronted by the indomitable landlady Maureen (Claire Moore). There's a locality to it, broad enough to be a relateable place of comfort, with more personal embellishments on the walls. There is also a mini 'stage' to the back and extra set pieces brought in. The upper half of the walls function as a video screen (design by Duncan McLean), which is briefly nice, though visually too chaotic among all the other elements and ultimately an unnecessary addition.
In the final moments of the show, Lupton comes forward and breaks the illusion that 'life isn't a musical', and that Fishwick's journey wasn't as glamorous as just shown. We see images of the real Dave Fishwick, and the 15-year journey that still isn't complete. I don't plan to open a loans company anytime soon, but its message of determination and grit is hugely inspiring. And the audience clearly adored the evening.
Bank Of Dave: The Musical is packed with geographical humour that is spot-on, including Rosie Strobel's singing Sat Nav that warns of the gammon-eating Northerners. There are cameos from Gail Platt, Cher and Margaret Thatcher... it definitely has moments of excess. None of the content is unlikeable, simply that some scenes call to be dialled back 10% to avoid being too visually and audibly overwhelming. Pippa Cleary's score really allows this adaptation to prosper, and I thoroughly recommend taking a chance on this energetic new musical! At Leicester's Curve Theatre until 30th May.
Tickets and Information: https://bankofdavemusical.com/
