Book, Music and Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, Zoë Roberts
Director: Robert Hastie
It is 1943, and the Allied Forces are desperate to push Hitler back and seize Sicily with as little bloodshed as they can. Keen to disguise their plans, it is up to a team of MI5 operatives to come up with an ingenious plan to save the Allies and save the war. It sounds like the set-up of a spy thriller, but this fascinating real-life story gets the musical treatment as the smash hit Operation Mincemeat continues its winning success on tour.
The plot the operatives eventually settle on is drawn up by unassured naturalist Charles Cholmondeley (Seán Carey), who, aided by a mercurial Ewen Montagu (Holly Sumpton), devises a plan to float a corpse onto a Spanish beach, with secret, false, plans for a different invasion strapped to the body’s hands in a briefcase, hoping that these plans will arouse enough suspicion that will cause the Führer and his army to change tact. As history tells us, the plan and the exceptional work of these MI5 operatives were a success, but what Operation Mincemeat brings to the fore, with terrific humour and an outstanding collection of songs, is the trials and tribulations that it took the team to make the morbid plot a victory.
The corpse in question is one quickly named ‘Bill’, originally an unnamed corpse taken by MI5 under great mystery from a suspicious coroner Spilsbury (in this musical, humorously set up as a Sweeney Todd type), which the secret agents must then work hard to set up a backstory for to prevent their scheme from falling apart. The musical’s script works hard here to show the contrast between Sumpton’s callous Montagu, seeing ‘Bill’ as a pawn for victory, and the view of the other operatives who see the corpse as a human being. This is paid off neatly in a moving finale, where ‘Bill’s’ true identity, Glyndwr Michael, is revealed and explained, in a deft moment that effectively juxtaposes the bravado and chaos of the rest of the piece, reiterating the human behind the myth.
As Cholmondeley, Carey is great fun as the goofy scientist who is painfully out of his depth in a world of spies and secret agents. Carey’s jumpy, energetic performance works well to enhance the character’s humour, furthered by his quick line delivery, which garners terrific laughter, especially when Cholmondeley leans on his background in bugs. The contrast between Cholmondeley and Sumpton’s more experienced Montagu works well, yet Sumpton also is impactful in arousing suspicion, where Montagu’s dodgy relationship with their Soviet spy brother offers just enough jeopardy in a musical that otherwise is fairly tension-free.
What makes Operation Mincemeat such a success is its combination of fantastic music and hard-working humour. Although only performed by five actors, the quintet work extremely hard, and to great effect, to perform a wide range of roles, multi-roling with a speed and precision that is a joy to behold. The doubling provokes its own level of humour, especially through Jamie-Rose Monk’s excellent work as army officer Johnny Bevan and then as chaotic agent in Spain Haselden, but this is in addition to the very clever writing and energetic soundtrack that propels the piece.
In addition, the musical succeeds because it does not try to make something up that simply is not there. History documents that the plot is a success, so there is no pausing for unnecessary jeopardy, and instead it thrives when it indulges in the barmy absurdity of the plot’s morbid content.
Yet the production also knows when to slow the storybeats, too. Christian Andrews, who steals the show in his exceptional variety of performances, but especially as long-standing civil servant Hester Leggatt, shines brightest in his exquisite and beautifully performed solo ‘Dear Bill’, which starts as a silly look at writing a believable letter from the cadaver girl at home, before turning into a more poignant rumination on wartime grief. Meanwhile, Charlotte Hanna-Williams’ portrayal of Jean Leslie, keen to make her mark as a woman in a man’s world, is neatly crafted and given just enough spotlight in a musical that recognises the contemporary contentions, but resists the urge to make overt social commentary.
When Operation Mincemeat opened in the West End in 2023, it earned 88 five-star reviews (and counting), and is deserving of its plaudits as the best-reviewed show in West End history. This is the perfect blend of humour, warmth and chaos that results in a gloriously refined, intelligent musical.
‘Some are born to follow’ cries the cast during the opening of Act One, but this musical is born to lead.
Runs until 23 May then continues tour.
