I’ve followed Operation Mincemeat since its Riverside Studio run, prior to its move to the West End and every revisit has only strengthened my admiration for it. For those who are yet to see the show it is based on a real-life operation that took place in 1943 in which they needed to convince Hitler to move his troops to Sardinia so the Allies could invade Sicily. Their solution is audacious: disguise an anonymous corpse as a Royal Marine carrying fake invasion plans and ensure it falls into German hands. We follow entitled Montagu, shy but intelligent Charles, ambitious Leslie, the matriarch Leggatt, boss Bevan and a whole host of other characters as they aim to put this madcap plan into place and win the war with it!
Operation Mincemeat is first and foremost an exceptionally crafted piece of theatre. The book (as well as music and lyrics) by David Cummings, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts is bonkers but brilliant. The script constantly undercuts moments of genuine emotion with razor sharp humour, preventing the wartime story from ever becoming overly sentimental. The themes are hard hitting, beneath the absurdity sits a thoughtful exploration of class, sexism and whose sacrifices history chooses to remember.
Pearson Casting also need commending. The first 2 times I saw this production the cast featured 3 of the writers in the cast which often leaves difficult shoes to fill but this new cast bring a fresh take on their roles whilst still remaining true to what makes it such a brilliant show in the first place. Jean Leslie, the secretary frustrated by her gender, is played by Charlotte Fleming and she is a pocket rocket on stage, fierce, funny and utterly watchable. Hester Leggatt is always a firm favourite of mine and with this cast this was no exception. Colm Gleeson takes on this part and once again he moved the entire audience with his rendition of ‘Dear Bill’ yet moments later had the whole audience laughing with their portrayal of a Spilsbury, a dodgy pathologist.
Chloe Hart remains in the role of Johnny Bevan and her impeccable comedy timing continues to shine through and her portrayal of Haselden, the confused man on the inside in Spain gets more and more hilarious each time I see it. Madeline Jackson-Smith plays the entitled and misogynistic Etonian, Ewen Montagu. Her portrayal was suitably odious at the same time as being incredibly watchable. Despite being a character brimming full of traits we shouldn’t like you he gradually reveals a vulnerability beneath the arrogance. Finally Ahmed Hamad captures Charles Cholmondeley awkwardness with remarkable precision but despite this exuded a warmth that you couldn’t help but root for combined with his brilliant contrast when he got to play a secretary in All The Ladies or a dancing Nazi in Das Ubermensch made the portrayal even more brilliant.
The cast whilst playing 5 principal characters each all multi role throughout the show we see them morph into sailors, cockney urchins, secretaries in the office and Nazis with simply a change of accessory or jacket. This is all choreographed so seamlessly into the action on stage that the impending changes go unannounced and simply appear before the audiences eyes. Despite the numerous characters that appeared on stage it was always very clear who each of the actors were at any given point in the show, a huge testament to the actors physicality and the intelligent direction by Robert Hastie. It was also wonderful that all of the performers played different genders and whilst it didn’t impact on the story it underlined the satire further. Hastie’s direction relies on split second precision. A sequence that involves hats and telephone receivers could easily descend into chaos, yet ever movement lands with clockwork accuracy turning logistical complexity into comedy. This can’t be underestimated and nor should the set transitions which are staged to ensure that the show flows continuously.
The music is so varied in the show but yet somehow makes sense that the songs are all part of the same production and nothing feels out of place. There are moving ballads such as ‘Dear Bill,’ a rousing sea shanty such as Sail On, Boys,’ a fierce pop infused girl power number – ‘All The Ladies’ and of course a glitzy finale, perfect for the musical theatre purist.
The set and costumes design by Ben Stones work seamlessly together. To start with it looks deceptively simple but much like the Operation itself as the show goes on you realise that the simplicity is a facade as that there are doors and moving parts galore and both continue to surprise right up to the final moments of the show and into the big glitzy finalie.
A question that I often get asked by those visiting London is ‘What show should I see?’ Well Operation Mincemeat very much deserves their continued place on my shortlist of recommendations. Home grown British talent with a very British sense of humour, wrapped up with intelligent satire and a wonderful cast …. as the song says….’God That’s Brilliant.’
To find out more about Operation Mincemeat and to book tickets you can check out their website here.
If you like this review of Operation Mincemeat you might also like my review of Beetlejuice, 1536 and The Mousetrap.