The world premiere of Bank of Dave The Musical has been announced, with performances set to open in May 2026 at The Lowry in Salford and Curve in Leicester.
Based on the Sunday Times best-selling book, BAFTA Award-winning documentary, and hit Netflix film, Bank of Dave The Musical tells the true-ish story of Dave Fishwick, a self-made millionaire from Burnley who set out to create a community bank.
The musical features a book and lyrics by Rob Madge (My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?), Cabaret) and music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary (The Great British Bake Off Musical, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾). It will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster (Kinky Boots, A Chorus Line).
Tickets for The Lowry go on sale from 24 September, with Curve tickets available from 7 October.
Bank of Dave The Musical is described as a feel-good, home-grown British musical packed with northern grit, humour, and what Dave himself calls “the best songs in any musical ever.”
The show follows Dave’s journey from Burnley to London as he challenges the banking elite with the help of a posh but principled lawyer named Hugh.
Dave Fishwick said:
“This all feels very surreal! I left school at 16, absolutely useless with no qualifications whatsoever. I started work on a building site as a builders’ labourer, and went from builders’ labourer to building the first new high street bank for 150 years in Britain. Then Hollywood turned up, not just once but twice! And now the magical world of theatre has arrived; from Burnley to Broadway – via the magnificent Lowry in Salford and Curve in Leicester first of course! Watching myself on telly was unbelievable; however, watching someone play me live on stage will be totally surreal. I am just an ordinary lad from Burnley, who does extraordinary things, and if I can make it happen, you can too! Always have the courage to follow your dreams!”
Rob Madge added:
“A couple of years ago Pippa Cleary and I were asked to turn Dave Fishwick’s inspirational story into a musical (I know! You weren’t expecting that, were you? But, much like Miss Saigon, Dave too has a helicopter, so a musical seemed a natural fit). Safe to say, it has been nothing short of a joy. I am deeply proud to be telling this special tale of community, hope and perseverance. In a world that seems more fractured every day, I am so thrilled to be offering an alternative where our Dave and his brilliant company of players can help mend the broken pieces. As he himself would say, rule number 1: never give up. Rule number 2: never, ever give up.”
Pippa Cleary said:
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be developing this brand-new musical with the amazing Rob Madge. The whole process has been filled with laughter and a real sense of purpose, just like Dave’s story itself. Writing these songs has been such a joy, capturing the humour, grit and heart that makes this tale so uniquely British. We’ve had an absolute blast bringing Dave’s fight for fairness to life, and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it for themselves next year.”
Bank of Dave The Musical is produced by ROYO, Future Artists Entertainment, Curve and The Lowry.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
