Operation Mincemeat – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford

Book, Music and Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts

Director: Robert Hastie

There was nothing undercover or discrete about the way in which the cast of Operation Mincemeat took Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre by storm. This show has become something of a phenomenon, its run constantly being extended in the West End and now also on Broadway, as well as this national tour – and it’s not difficult to see why.

Devised and written by a remarkable team – David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts – and directed here by Robert Hastie, the show is based on a war time story. An operation was devised to trick the German army, stationed on Sicily, into thinking that the Allied Forces were about to invade Sardinia. The hope was that the Germans would relocate and leave their Italian base so that the British could take it. But how?

Well, it was complicated with many a failed plan and misguided attempt. The cast of five brilliant performers tell the story and surely don’t miss out any of the detail.

From the outset and throughout, the cast scarcely leave the stage: playing against Ben Stones’ remarkable set, which recreates a military war office and features a backdrop which looks like a strategy chart but which has hidden doors and entrances. This, coupled with a wheeled staircase and a couple of desks which become benches, bars, a nightclub and a submarine, is truly clever. And that is the essence of this extraordinary piece, everything about it is genius – a word which is rightly bandied around throughout.

The cast, comprising two men and three women, all play multiple parts in addition to their main role and in no time you understand that the genders of the characters has no bearing on the actor playing them in a wonderfully fluid and witty way. The characters are all recognisable as caricatures – the bolshy head man Johnny Bevan (Jamie Rose Monk), the ambitious but inept military rising star Ewen Montagu (Holly Sumpton), the reticent but actually brilliant scientist, Charles Cholmondeley (Seán Carey), plus secretaries Hester (Christian Andrews) and Jean (Charlotte Hanna-Williams). Hester is old school, efficient and wise, whilst Jean is younger, keen for her voice to be heard in a very male dominated world.

To understand what has made this show such a hit, it is not the characters or even the plot which needs to be grasped, but the way in which Operation Mincemeat redefines what is meant by ‘slick’.  The cast use small props, such as hats, torches and phones, to identify who they are playing and where they are with such incredible mastery that it is practically magical. Moving in the blink of an eye between a submarine and a nightclub you have to pinch yourself to know that you witnessed the switch. The stage management team – led by Sarah Ware – are surely deserving of a shout out.

The majority of the narrative is sung through in a vast range of styles from hip hop and rap to ballad and sea shanty: the cast’s vocal dexterity is never in doubt. This is a show for true masters of song. The most notable stand out solo, Dear Bill, sung by Christian Andrews as Hester, is a moment so touching and moving that, in amongst the frenetic pace of the rest of the show, is an oasis of sentiment that reminds the audience of the real human tragedy of war.

The Bradford audience – like all other audiences before them – gave Operation Mincemeat a rapturous response.  This is a musical like no other and is entirely deserving of all its accolades. In fact, it must be the Field Marshall of Musicals – Five Star Rating!

Runs until 11th April 2026, before continuing on tour