Review: Operation Mincemeat, at the Fortune Theatre, London

The Thursday I was away, ended up being a new-British musical comedy double bill: after the Kathy & Stella matinee, I popped along to the Fortune Theatre (another one of the smaller West End theatres I had never been to before), to the show which not only won the Best New Musical Olivier this year, but has been extended again, and again and again, and has received over 30 (or is it over 40 now), five-star reviews, from its previous runs at the Riverside Studios and the Southwark Playhouse, to the West End run at the Fortune Theatre, which started last year. 

Quite a reputation to live up to

But, especially as it was one supported by the Lowry (where I volunteer) a few years ago, I knew I had to see Operation Mincemeat. 

Operation Mincemeat is based off a real life mission during the Second World War - in which the British intelligence try to throw Hitler's plans off course via, what is essentially, a magic trick. 

But rather than be this very serious WWII drama, it is in fact a comedy farce, and very VERY British. 

The show is the first production from SpitLip productions, founded in 2017, who's mission it is to "make the West End weird". Well, Mincemeat is a bit of a weird story to make a musical out of: an obscure World War II intelligence mission circling around a homeless corpse used as bait. However, it seems the gamble has paid off: and think about how many musicals are built off barmy ideas, and incredible stories you would never think of would be "musicals" material. Look at 42 Balloons - let's hope it has the same success, especially as it's just had a performance at West End Live. 

Sorry, I'm getting distracted... oh yes, Mincemeat! 

The cast for Operation Mincemeat is small (I seemed to have made a habit of it this week), with only 5r actors playing multiple roles. Each actor though has a "main part" they play, and then divvy out the rest, with a hat change or change in posture and/or voice - very similar to how The 39 Steps did it. I need to also point out that the actors are often playing characters which are a different gender to themselves; and the praise for pulling off each characterisation so perfectly is not only down to the actors, but also the costume design, which is mostly androgynous, with a couple of pieces here and there, allowing actors, if/when they need to do quick changes, to do so very quickly. 

Each one has their chance to shine, and a very distinctive personality you fall in love with (or perhaps not in the brass Montagu's case). And what's exciting is that there has been a cast change recently; the new players include Chlöe Hart as the big boss Jonny Bevan, and Christian Andrews, who played secretary Hester Leggatt, my personal favourite character in the show. 

Among all the silliness, Miss Leggatt gets the emotional Bill, a beautiful and heartfelt moment of stillness. I would not be surprised if there was a tear or two shed in the audience during that song. 

I don't want to give too much more away - so I highly recommend you give Mincemeat a chance

Mel Brooks has said that he makes fun of what he hates in his work. I therefore hope that this meets his approval. Mincemeat in fact has a hint of Mel Brooks comedy with a British twist; especially as one scene is similar to Springtime for Hitler (the famous number from The Producers) if it was on crystal meth!

I'm seeing a huge surge of new British musicals, which SpitLip acknowledged in their Olivier acceptance speech. Mincemeat is one of those which seemed inevitable to be Born to Lead the way, certainly in terms of combining clever and sharp wit, with absolute silliness.