Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Bank Of Dave The Musical is warm, funny, full of heart and bursting with community spirit

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We were invited to Lowry in Salford to see Bank Of Dave. Our reviewer, Lizzie Johnston had a fantastic night out at the theatre. Read what she had to say about this wonderful new musical...

There’s something really special about walking into a theatre where you can already tell the audience is completely up for it before the show has even started, and that was exactly the atmosphere for Bank of Dave The Musical at Lowry. You could feel the excitement buzzing around the auditorium, and honestly, by the end of the night it felt less like a normal theatre trip and more like one huge celebration of community, Northern spirit and good old-fashioned feel-good entertainment.

Based on the real-life story of Burnley businessman Dave Fishwick and his mission to create a community bank for ordinary people, Bank of Dave The Musical takes what could have been quite a serious story and transforms it into a funny, uplifting and massively entertaining night out. It’s packed with humour, heart and toe-tapping tunes that leave you grinning from ear to ear.

The show really thrives on its Northern identity and some of the biggest laughs of the night came from the running North versus South jokes throughout. The digs at London bankers and corporate culture absolutely landed with the Salford audience, with huge laughs echoing around the theatre all night. It never feels nasty or overdone though, instead it leans into that warm, familiar Northern humour that instantly makes the whole audience feel part of it.

The music is excellent and genuinely one of the standout parts of the production. Every number feels lively, energetic and full of personality, with several songs already feeling like pub-singalong classics. There’s a brilliant mix of emotional moments and upbeat ensemble numbers, and it’s the kind of score that keeps your foot tapping without you even realising.

The set design was another huge highlight for me because it perfectly matched the community feel of the show - the whole stage was a proper local pub complete with a function room stage. Rather than relying on massive flashy scene changes, the production uses tables, chairs and simple props which are constantly rearranged by the cast to create different locations. It gave the show so much charm and personality whilst also keeping the pacing really slick. The lighting played a massive role in this too, completely changing the mood from lively pub scenes to more emotional moments in seconds.

Leading the cast is Sam Lupton (Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, Only Fools and Horses) as Dave, who brings so much warmth and charisma to the role that you instantly root for him. He captures that larger-than-life personality brilliantly whilst still making Dave feel genuine and grounded. Alongside him, Hayley Tamaddon (Coronation Street, Chicago, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) is fantastic and brings a huge amount of humour and heart to the production. Together, they’re a really solid pair.

Lucca Chadwick-Patel (Mean Girls, Mamma Mia!, Legally Blonde) absolutely steals every scene he’s in as posh banker Hugh, delivering some of the biggest laughs of the night with his brilliantly over-the-top South versus North moments. He plays the role with just the right level of smugness and sharp comedy timing, making Hugh hilariously unlikeable whilst still somehow oddly charming by the end.

The cast as a whole is a brilliant mix of people and personalities, representing a real community from the friendships to the family support. It’s one very talented group bringing Dave’s story to the stage.

One of my favourite things about the production was how uplifting it felt. The audience around me were laughing, clapping along and completely swept up in the atmosphere from start to finish. It’s funny, heartwarming and just incredibly easy to enjoy.

Bank of Dave The Musical is exactly what a feel-good musical should be. It’s warm, funny, full of heart and bursting with community spirit. Add in a brilliant soundtrack, clever staging and a cast clearly having the best time on stage, and you’ve got a proper crowd-pleasing night at the theatre.

WE SCORE BANK OF DAVE THE MUSICAL...