Operation Mincemeat review: ‘winning’ musical deserves to run and run
This ‘gloriously inventive’ show tells the tale of an audacious wartime deception plot
Based on a famously audacious wartime plot, “Operation Mincemeat” is “a brilliant spy thriller, a brilliant comedy, and a brilliant musical all rolled into one”, said Tim Bano in The Stage. This “exhilarating” production began life in 2019 at the tiny New Diorama Theatre in London, and has since enjoyed several fringe and regional runs and won “a catalogue of five-star reviews (here, have another one)”. Now, with a new director and a tweaked script, it has arrived in the West End “better than ever”.
The story will be familiar to many, said Clive Davis in The Times. In order to trick the Germans into thinking that the Allies’ plan to invade Sicily in 1943 was merely a feint, British intelligence obtained a body from a morgue, dressed it in an officer’s uniform, planted fake official documents on it, and dropped it into the sea off the coast of Spain to be washed ashore. All this is “brilliantly evoked” by a multi-tasking, gender-switching cast of five superb comic actors (three of whom were among the original creators of the show). It’s “gloriously inventive”, and “sometimes the jokes hit you so quickly that you barely have time to laugh before the next one comes sweeping along”.
Musically, there are first-rate pastiches of everything from “Hamilton” and “Six” to Gilbert and Sullivan, Noël Coward and sea shanties, said Theo Bosanquet on What’s on Stage. There are also homages to Monty Python and Mel Brooks; there is even a nod to Flanders and Swann. It manages to feel “utterly contemporary and nostalgically throw-back” while balancing “genuine hilarity with enormous heart”: the evening includes a moving tribute to the memory of Glyndwr Michael, the homeless Welsh man whose cadaver was used.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Robert Hastie’s production is not flawless, said Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph. If the (unrelated) 2021 film about the operation was too sombre, this musical could be accused of submerging the gravity of war, and what was at stake, in a “barrage of jaunty wit”. And at times the rapid-fire “tongue-twisting lyrics verge on indecipherability”. Still, it is a “winning” show that deserves to run and run.
Fortune Theatre, London WC2 (0333-009 6690; operationmincemeat.com). Until 19 August. Rating ****
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Italian senate passes law allowing anti-abortion activists into clinics
Under The Radar Giorgia Meloni scores a political 'victory' but will it make much difference in practice?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine interactive crossword - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine solutions - May 3, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - May 3, 2024
By The Week US Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 spacious homes for car lovers
Feature Featuring a 14-car showroom in Oregon and a Bentley-style apartment in Florida
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 serene homes in Vermont
Features Featuring a four-level Shaker barn in Hartland and a Scandinavian-inspired home in Stowe
By The Week US Published
-
Amanda Montell's 6 favorite books that will expand your knowledge
Feature The linguist recommends works by Mary Roach, Alice Carrière, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Rowan Beaird recommends 6 compelling books from the 1950s
Feature The author recommends works by Patricia Highsmith, Shirley Jackson, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 spacious homes with great rec rooms
Feature Featuring a suspended fireplace in Arizona and a marine-themed home in Maine
By The Week Published
-
Opening Night: musical adaptation of Cassavetes film a 'travesty'
the week recommends An 'unsalvageable' disaster that 'squanders the talents of all involved'
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: gnocchi di spinaci (spinach gnocchi)
The Week Recommends Forget the potatoes for this gnocchi made of the 'classic combination' of spinach and ricotta
By The Week UK Published