Bank of Dave: The Musical, Leicester Curve 21^st May 2026

The true story of Dave Fishwick, the Burnley businessman who attempted to set up a new bank that better supported the needs of his local community, has already been the subject of TV and film, such is the appeal of a story that promises to get one over on the greedy elites who pull all the strings of the financial world. After the financial crash of 2008, Dave took the decision to loan his own money to those increasingly likely to be turned down by the banks, as Burnley became one of the most deprived areas in the country. Dave’s story has now been reimagined at Leicester Curve as Bank of Dave: The Musical by Rob Madge (Book and Lyrics) and Pippa Cleary (Music and Lyrics) whose previous collaborations have met with critical acclaim.

The main stage has been transformed into the interior of Maureen’s (Claire Moore) Burnley pub where we initially find Dave (Sam Lupton) breaking the news to his wife Nicky (Hayley Tamaddon) that he wants to open the country’s first bank in 150 years in their formerly thriving Lancashire town. It’s clear from the opening number Burnley Born and Bred that this is a proud community and Dave is the modern day hero who is set on saving them all. However, to take on the might of the Financial Services Authority, Dave needs to enlist the help of London solicitor Hugh (Lucca Chadwick-Patel) whose reluctance to venture up North is not helped by a singing Sat Nav in the toe-curling number Past the M25. The arrival of a Southerner to the wilds of Burnley allows the writers from here on to trot out a compendium of clichés about the North/South divide which quickly wear thin. 

As Hugh warms to Dave’s ideas, London’s financial rich boys double down to thwart his plan. At the helm is Sir Charles Denbigh (Samuel Holmes) who is delightfully sneery and showcases an impressive voice during one of the evening’s musical high points, Rich Boys Club. As Hugh finds himself falling for the delights of Burnley, he also finds a love-interest in over worked doctor with dreams Alex (Lauryn Reading), whilst Dave’s quest hits several bumps in the road. 

Bank of Dave is a show with great heart, with some uplifting music and true showstoppers such as Can You Hear the Mill at the end of Act 1 and Hugh’s mighty What Heroes Do. The cast universally bring great passion and energy to their roles but are let down by a weak script that feels like a parody of Phoenix Nights without the belly laughs. The narrative is stretched to its limit whilst references to Ted Robbins and Beadle’s About are so outdated that they go over the heads of even those who lived through that era. 

As Dave and Hugh, the talents of Lupton and Chadwick-Patel shine through and hold everything together, whilst Tamaddon’s Nicky feels under used until the very end during her rendition of For Better or For Worse. The ensemble includes Mavis (Hannah Nuttall), a foul-mouthed Hilda Ogden/Mrs Overall hybrid, and the incongrous Cher/Clarence (Mark Peachey) who is part of the local constabulary by day and a female impersonator by night. Supporting roles lean too much into Northern caricature talking about banal subjects such as whether the milk or tea goes in first or the ingredients of a ‘slippery nipple’. The references to Burnley’s glory days through rose-tinted spectacles adds little to the action yet manage to skim over the fact that rich mill owners also had a track record of exploiting the working classes in those apparent halcyon days. 

Directed by Nikolai Foster, Bank of Dave runs until May 30th.