‘Falstaff’, the name itself conjures up certain epithets and expectations around the notion of ‘rollicking’ and ‘full blooded’. He was Shakespeare’s great hit, a character that took on a life of its own and demanded two further plays, Henry IV part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor in order to satisfy the public demand. That is all the public, high and low; he was even then in 1596, the embodiment of ‘Merrie England’. . .

“. . . 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?