“. . . Michael Vale’s set for Dead Dog in a Suitcase brings to mind a chef’s batterie de cuisine. This workmanlike set, not a backwash any more than Charles Hazelwood’s vigorous and eclectic score, gives the actors the tools for this reworking of John Gay’s eighteenth century ballad opera . . . Giles King perhaps being worth a mention for his wayward policeman, Lockit, who galloped around the stage with easily bought enthusiasm. The whole production is a triumph of theatrical creativity which is firmly in the best Kneehigh tradition – a must see. . . “

I originally reviewed this play on its first UK run at the Ustinov. Now back in the main house after a successful run in the West End and with a new cast this is not a reassessment but a fresh review. . . Undoubtedly deserving of its plaudits the play sparkles with rich characters and scintillating, raw dialogue, which entertains and amuses as it provokes. It could indeed, stand as a metaphor for society as a whole– are we not after all, in the broadest sense the members of the same family?

Imagine writing down everything that makes you smile, uplifts you, pleases you, makes you momentarily happy. Now suppose you start the list aged seven (starting with ice cream) and keep adding and adding with everything that delights you and those around you, including first love and abiding love. Like much of what is good in life it is inclusive: so here we find ‘peeing in the sea when no one knows’, ‘the jangling sound of keys’, ‘the smell of books’ and ‘a hairdresser who listens to what you want’. . . To spin gold from a mere list is no mean feat and this show produces it by the yard.