The London Theatre Review: Operation Mincemeat
By Ross
It begins with a radio broadcast straight out of every World War II movie in existence, with England standing firm against the onslaught of German forces taking over Europe. These pinstriped souls, who maybe once dreamed of becoming pilots, or, at the very least, born to lead, now find themselves standing in line playing for position to pitch ideas to get the odds back in England’s favor. They need to find a way to get Germany to move their troops out of Sicily and into Sardinia, and in this wonderfully sharp and fine-tuned new West End musical, Operation Mincemeat, the idea that is finally listened to is as brilliant as this strongly constructed and hilariously charming new musical.
It’s the weirdest of stories, but one that I realized, as I sat in the Fortune Theatre in London, that I already knew. I had seen the 2021 film that starred Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Penelope Wilton, and the wonderful Kelly Macdonald, which tells the same history book story. But in this SpitLip adaptation that originated out there on the fringe circuit developing into the little gem we see before us (and that is transferring to Broadway this spring), the West End transfer has elevated it into a sharply defined, fully original stage musical, filled with ingenious casting in gender-swapping roles delivering brilliantly funny songs in well-choreographed creations.
It’s an irresistible comedic musical, played sharply and distinctly as directed by Robert Hastie (West End’s Standing at the Sky’s Edge) that is both polished and non-predictable, unless, of course, you know the story and the history that lives quite vibrantly within. The musical, penned by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts, unfolds in a “God, that’s brilliant” manner. “But listen to this,” they tell us, as the crew of exceptional actors dives into the almost improbable idea of tricking Hitler into moving his troops from Sicily before a planned invasion, thus assuring victory where there wasn’t much of any to be found. The ridiculously smart plan involves planting a reformated corpse off the coast of Spain, with a false set of invasion plans handcuffed to his wrist. The hope is that these plans will make their way through the chain of command into Hitler’s hands. And if he truly believes them to be authentic, it might lead him to move his troops to the false invasion spot in Sardinia, leaving Sicily open to a successful invasion. And the rest, as they say, is history.
As the cast takes on the assortment of gender-swapping roles, quite brilliantly, I might add, the musical satire pokes hard at the misogynistic arrogance of the private-school ‘boys club’ mentality that has hampering their success in a war that maybe needed a different, smarter ingredient, “when making a man“. As the overly-swaggering Ewen Montagu (& others), played perfectly pumped up by Emily Barber, (West End’s Backstairs Billy), alongside the always nervous, “devoid of flair” Charles Cholmondeley (& others), played beautifully by Seán Carey (West End’s The Play That Goes Wrong), the energy never falters. This is especially true when two of the unsung women; Christian Andrews (New Wimbledon’s Turning the Screw) as the magnificent Hester Leggatt (& others) and Claire-Marie Hall (Watermill’s The Wicker Husband) as the wonderfully appealing Jean Leslie (& others) from the secretarial pool, join into the creative juice-pool, with a quick hilarious nod to Beyoncé, courtesy of the wonderfully fun choreography of Jenny Arnold (West End’s Spamalot).
And let us not forget the wonderful Chlöe Hart (Regent’s Park Open Air’s Evita) assisting strongly in numerous parts like the captivating Johnny Bevan (& others) surrounded by the tremendously agile design of both set and costumes by Ben Stones (West End’s Standing at the Sky’s Edge), expert lighting by Mark Henderson (Broadway’s The History Boys), and a stellar sound design by Mike Walker (Crucible’s She Loves Me). Each of the five cast members, including those alternatives that I did not see: Geri Allen (Dubai Opera’s Much Ado About Nothing), George Jennings (West End’s Tina Turner Musical), Jonty Peach (The Vaults’ Stranger Sings!), and Holly Sumpton (Finbourough’s Distinguished Villa), work wonderfully together as a unified team of musical and comedic pros, delivering deliciously funny and engaging songs, brought forth delectably through the orchestrations and vocal arrangements of Steve Sidwell (Jim Steinman’s Bat Out of Hell) and dropped into our laps by the solid musical direction and supervision of Joe Bunker (Southwark’s The Rink).
“Is any of this legal?” asks Carey’s non-courageous Cholmondeley. “Good question,” answers Montagu with utter confidence sliced with a tad bit of privileged arrogance. “The answer is, of course, never mind.” And with that, Operation Mincemeat, the new musical, finds the exact right formula for hilarity and loving engagement, telling a near-perfect tale in the most inventive theatrical fashion. I didn’t really expect this oh-so-British creation to make its way over to Broadway, to be honest. But days after arranging my tickets, the announcement came in, so I’m guessing I’ll be seeing this wonderful romp again this fall, but this time in New York City. Curious how it will change its formula for its reception on these shores, if at all, but I’m sure this formidably sure-footed production will find its legs on Broadway, and not drown in the seawater off America’s coastline.
