Operation Mincemeat – Theatre Royal, Brighton

West End sensation, Operation Mincemeat, takes the stage at Theatre Royal Brighton for a strictly limited five-night run. With the original version boasting that it’s the best reviewed show in West End history, does the touring version match the hype?

The plot, based on a true story, centres around a plucky group of employees at MI5 HQ, mid-WW2. They’ve understandably got just one thing on their minds – how to take down the Nazis. And by Jove, they may have just the idea! All they need is a dead body, some falsified papers and a handful of madcap musical numbers to pull it off. Simple, right?

Perhaps not. Our sassy squad soon encounter a slapdash, Sangria-loving foreign agent, a glitter-clad coroner with more style than substance, and a concerned commanding officer with the power to kibosh the operation in its tracks. Can this go-getting team pull things back and help Britain win the war?

Operation Mincemeat covers a familiar topic with genuine fun and flair. While the topic may be familiar, the story itself feels fresh and truly original. All the better for it being based on fact. Sometimes you just can’t make it up. But there’s no harm in making a silly version, to song.

Holly Sumpton as cocksure agent, Ewen Montagu, is quite astoundingly on-point, managing to deliver that front-facing, upper-middle class male energy that surely only an Eton education can provide? Not so. She delivers this confident, cocky character with a charm that somehow still manages to make him likeable. The dream for a protagonist. We’ll use the word protagonist here, but this cast truly show what teamwork can achieve. Each of the main roles has a strong plight and character arch here, giving the cast plenty to play with.

Christian Andrews is truly awe-inspiring as Hester Leggatt, the coroner and many others. All the cast multi-role, to great effect. In Andrews, we see someone that can portray vulnerability, crisp professionalism and pop-hit pizazz in equal measure. The breadth of character and emotion is simply superb. A real star in the making.

The five-strong cast are all flawless, there are no notes here. They display the utmost professionalism, and mid-heatwave, master a never-ending roll of costume and character changes without breaking a sweat. The transitions are constant and ever-so tight – perhaps the best this reviewer has ever seen.

Completing the cast, and deserving of just as much celebration, Charlotte Hanna-Williams is endearing and witty as Jean Leslie, a spunky secretary with dreams of a bigger life. Jamie-Rose Monk is a strong presence as Johnny Bevan, with an extra star-turn as Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond – real life intelligence agent – here presented as a mildly-deluded dunderhead who won’t stop going on about his manuscript. Morgan Phillips fleshes out Charles Chomondeley with style, crafting a fully-rounded character that manages to be both a spluttering nerd and smart-mouthed sasspot. Bravo.

The team from SplitLip, who created and starred in the original show, which debuted in an 80-seater studio in 2019, urge the audience in the programme: “Go watch something small, something weird, something funny or different or strange, in a little venue near you…these experiments need us now more than ever.” A nod to how vital it is to support new theatre in these stretched times. Without audiences doing just that back in 2019, this hit-show would never have existed.

Operation Mincemeat is more than just a musical. It’s a revolution. Making history truly accessible, with Nazi officers bopping to dance bangers, and star-spangled suits in a glitzy finale. There’s fun here in spades. From small beginnings to international stardom. Is this show just the shake up the West End needed?

This is world-class theatre on a historic Brighton stage, the perfect venue for an almost-entirely-true story turned musical sensation. Don’t miss it.

Reviewed on 26 May 2026. Runs to 30th May.