Dr Leanne Calvert, a folklore expert and history lecturer at Hertfordshire University, agrees adding, “the ‘dead dog in a suitcase’ story thrives in urban areas arguably because it is a social comment on unreasonable bosses and the pressures of work and crime and distrust in cities. Would you ever take a stranger's offer to carry your bag off a train in London? That's a red flag for most people.” Dominic Marsh's Macheath has sufficient reserves of baby-faced charm to get away with murder. Carly Bawden's peerless Polly Peachum is the prim heir to a pilchard fortune, and there's a fine turn from Rina Fatania as her vulgarian mother, who turns out to be the real criminal mastermind of the operation. The macabre concluding tableau is either a thrilling alternative to Gay's slightly pat ending, or a grotesque over-compensation. But true to form, Kneehigh have come up with a piece that is not the Beggar's Opera so much as an opera which beggars belief. A compelling piece of theatre… One of the most joyful experiences you’ll have in a theatre this year.”– Haus of Phag Echoing Gay’s original, the live score plunders the sounds of our times. Trip hop combines with folk, Renaissance polyphony with psychedelia, ska with grime and dubstep to create a gorgeous and powerful musical mix. The white and tan Staffordshire bull terrier cross was discovered inside a purple-wheeled holdall, partially wrapped in a child’s pink fleece top in a wooded area in Alexander Street on Sunday, November 12.

You don’t realise quite how much this play has grabbed you till the closing moments. Absolutely brilliant. Another fantastic example of the quality theatre that HOME is bringing to Manchester.”– Quiet Man Dave The body of the dog found in Sheffield will be taken to a vet for further examinations to determine the cause of death and to try to establish the identity of the owner.Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and Other Love Songs) is, as the title suggests, a musical, and the music regularly interspersed throughout the narrative is fitting and borrows from a range of genres; the songs serve to further the narrative and add something to the audience’s understanding of the characters. The music, composed by Charles Hazlewood, is performed live on stage and creates a music concert feel to the piece and allows for a repartee between the band and the actors; indeed some of the band take on roles as part of Mac’s gang and the actors themselves all play an instrument to contribute to the soundscape. In the same spirit of immersion, the set designed by Michael Vale is a fantastic and intricate scaffolding that the actors climb up and down and repurpose to suit the needs of the scene, all done underneath an ever present noose that hangs as a warning and reminder of our characters’ inevitable fate. An exceptional piece of theatre not to be missed… The finale is truly explosive, whipping the audience into an immediate standing ovation.”– Canal Street Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs) director Mike Shepherd discusses his research and vision for the production. An investigation has been launched after children found a dead dog stuffed in a suitcase in Airdrie. One day, she came to the apartment and found the dog lying dead in the middle of the living room. When she knelt down and examined the dog, she found a big bone lodged in his throat. He must have choked to death on the food she left during the night.

Fabulously crazy characters, great dialogue, delightful set design, flashes of genius in the stage craft… Be prepared to be blown away.”– The Good Review When Carl announced the title was to be ‘Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs)’ there were raised eyebrows and pleas for us to change it to something more “accessible” but we held out. It seemed an important statement of intent that he wasn’t simply adapting John Gay’s original but radically re-writing it. Having been fired up we now wanted to leap far away from the comfort zone. As Carl wrote at the time: “….the story of a dead dog in a suitcase is a famous urban myth (google it) It’s a modern folklore and that feels like what our Beggar’s Opera is too. If John Gay’s was highwaymen, prostitutes and street thieves then ours is about the mythic underbelly of NOW-corporate conspiracy, hit men, weirdowarped Robin Hood types, the end of civilisation, dead dogs in suitcases…I mean what the HELL is the world coming to?” For instance, you certainly don’t believe that Macheath could be as bad as everyone says he is, despite watching him murder someone in the opening scenes. Dominic Marsh is sexy and alluring throughout and we are won over by his charm, just the same as poor Polly and Lucy and all the other girls he’s deceived. The Peachums follow a Macbeth style tragic trajectory as their corruption and greed gets the better of them and they sink further into depravity and anarchy, which is delicious to watch. Rina Fatania as Mrs Peachum is sinister and silly in equal measure – an incredibly disturbed and disturbing portrayal of a power-hungry manipulator. Stand out performance goes to Georgia Frost as the put-upon Filch, who acquires a series of increasingly severe injuries throughout Act One as the Peachum’s dogsbody. Frost also multi-roles a range of distinctly different characters that are integral to the plot, and provides some stunning vocals in her solo song. Wild and anarchic and often very funny… The cast works as a perfect ensemble. It’s all very entertaining… Very much of and for our time. ”– British Theatre GuideRobyn Myszor added: “We are appealing for anyone who has seen someone with this particular holdall within the area around that time. As well as Carl, it’s been thrilling to work with Charles Hazlewood whose score, great skill and spirit have taken us further than we dared, and I’m indebted to the brilliance of my creative team and the pioneering spirits of Gemma Bodinetz and Deborah Aydon of the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse for making this happen. Thank you! I’ve listened to The Damned, Jimi Hendrix, Kate Tempest, Purcell, John Taverner, PJ Harvey, Portishead, Tom Jones, Monteverdi and Mozart.

We are in the Age of the Profoundly Stupid and I long, with all my heart and soul, for change and a new age of enlightenment where we can all be global citizens. Second Floor and You the Living, Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief his Wife and her Lover, Breaking Bad, the Marx Brothers and Jan Švankmajer. I stumbled across a Punch and Judy show and thought that Mr Punch (the Lord of Misrule and anarchy personified) was like Macheath. One summer, a young woman was house-sitting for a family who were away on vacation. They lived in a large downtown apartment and she was tasked with taking care of their dog, a golden retriever. Inspector for the charity, Robyn Myszor, said: “The dog was a white and tan male entire Staffordshire bull terrier cross. Read More Related ArticlesThe Dead Dog in the Suitcase is an urban legend about a young woman who discovers that a golden retriever she was supposed to care for has passed away. In 1917, the exact same story was being told during World War I,” says Dr Clarke – only the wallet is dropped on the underground, and the man it belongs to is German, and warns about a bombing raid on Halloween. It’s a rumour that feeds the xenophobia that often rears its head during insecure times of war and terrorism, perpetuating any fear already present in the individual listening and perhaps later sharing.