Bank of Dave is the new kid on the block for musicals and is the latest Made at Curve show in partnership with ROYO, Future Artists Entertainment and Lowry. It started life in a series of workshops with the exceptional pairing of Pippa Cleary and Rob Madge as they worked out how to best tell the story of Dave Fishwick – an everyday Burnley lad and working class hero who took on the big guns of the banking world.

Directed by Nikolai Foster this was always going to be a corker as Nikolai has the ability to get into the truth of a piece. This was evident in Billy Elliot and Sound of Music amongst others and I wasn’t disappointed as he brought his caring ways to this show. I have yet to see a show from Nikolai that I haven’t enjoyed and this one is no exception. From the very beginning I was grinning, chortling, laughing, guffawing and crying from the fun that emanated from that stage. The only time I wasn’t was during the two heartfelt moments when Dave told us about his dad and when Maureen (Claire Moore) sang about her husband and how life had got in the way of their dreams. Both beautifully done and they brought goosebumps to my arms. There was one more occasion that I felt gut-wrenched but I am not going to spoil it for anyone as it is a heartbreaker.

For the performance I watched there had been a last minute stand in for Dave (usually played by Sam Lupton) and, as it is such a new musical, the understudies haven’t really had a chance to get their feet firmly under the table with their extra roles. This was explained to us by Nikolai before the show started but they really had nothing to worry about. Just three hours before the show started, Adam Colbeck-Dunn stepped in to fill some pretty big shoes and he was amazing! Even on the odd occasion when he had a script it wasn’t noticeable. So much kudos going to Adam for the way he pulled this off.

I am not wanting to give too much of the story away but suffice it to say it is one of the most heartwarming stories I have watched for a long time. It is also one of the funniest. The sense of home, the feeling of belonging to Burnley was immediate as the cast launched into ‘Burnley Born and Bred’ and this sense of belonging was a continual thread throughout. You could feel the frustrations of the patrons of the local pub as they pulled together to survive in a town that had had its heart ripped out by the closures of the mills. There is some profanity throughout the show but this makes everything more believable. It is based on real life and this production doesn’t shy away from using this everyday profanity in a very funny way.

There were some eye-popping moments – apart from the entire performance of Colbeck-Dunn – and I think it will take me a little while to recover from seeing Mark Peachey in Cher’s iconic black catsuit and a raft of cast members as not-quite-flying pigs (don’t ask!) during the almost ‘Muppetesque’ “Put Your Trust In Us” (think The Muppet Movie and Tex Richman).

The entire cast is strong and believable and, if you have read many of my reviews recently you will see how important it is for me to believe in them….and in this new musical I absolutely did believe in them. It did help that I was lucky enough to meet the real Dave Fishwick after the show and he is a genuinely nice guy.

Looking through the programme I see some iconic names involved with this production. The set, designed by Amy Jane Cook, is versatile and the scene changes are very cleverly and smoothly done. The choreography by Ebony Molina, Ben Cracknell’s lighting design and sound by Tom Marshall all bring together a plethora of talent to create this experience of joy, love, adversity and fun.

There is so much silliness in this show and it almost feels frivolous and it is definitely bonkers but, in these days of uncertainty in the real world, it is a beacon of light that is so very needed. I loved it and am hoping the word will spread, that Bank of Dave will defy the odds in both real life and with this production. It deserves to become a fan favourite.

Bank of Dave is running at Curve Theatre, Leicester until Saturday 30th May and tickets can be bought here. Go – get them. You won’t be sorry.