Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat is a hilarious production that, at the time of posting this review, has extended its run on the West End 14 times. With a cast of 5 that seamlessly transition back and forth between a beloved main set of characters as well as countless side personalities, the show is gripping and hilarious. I expect it will be my favourite for the year. 

The story is a comedic retelling of the true operation by British intelligence during WW2 where a false identity was created for a dead man, who was then planted off the coast of Spain with fake plans to invade Sardinia, when in reality the allied forces had plans to invade Sicily. It was a successful operation and the invasion of Sicily had minimal causalities and is believed to by a part of how Sicily was liberated more quickly than expected.

What I liked

There were so many things that I adored about this show, but I want to focus on the diverse performances of the cast and the comedic tone for the given story.

First, the performances. All 5 cast members were extremely talented, they had great comedic timing, wonderful singing voices, and were all captivating such that I'm sure you would enjoy the show if you just watched one of them the whole way through. I wouldn't be surprised if the longest continuous time a single member is offstage at a time is less than 10 minutes, and I expect it is only because the song "Dear Bill" is a solo number that is 6 minutes long and not all cast members are involved in the surrounding scene. Following that point, "Dear Bill" is also the  most memorable song in the show, and brought me to tears. Christian Andrews' portrayal of Hester is incredible, and the epitome of the idea that less is more. Andrews does not move very much during the song, but somehow 6 minutes go by in the blink of an eye, which subsequently cues the tears. Andrews also portrays two of my favourite side characters in the show, both deeply contrasting to Hester and each other, with the eccentric coroner and hot-shot American pilot.

The cast were all brilliant, and though I could go on and on about each of them as I have done for Andrews I am more inspired to shine a light on the implications of the casting for the show. For majority of the roles played by the 5 actors, gender has no influence. There are no strict tracks in the show that means a character only plays 1 gender, and some even spend majority of the show not playing their own gender. It is never played for laughs, and I would go as far as to say it has no influence over the story at all, each performer could tell the given story with authenticity and confidence and I loved it.

Building off that, my following thoughts are about the comedic tone for the given story. The intersection between WW2 and musical theatre is not one filled with comedies. The closest thing to the tone Operation Mincemeat takes on is the song "Springtime for Hitler" in The Producers, where the absurdist nature of the situation and execution allows for the comedy to arise. This time, of course, it is intended. The opening of Act 2 is not unlike "Springtime for Hitler", with the boyband-inspired "Das Ubermensch" hitting the nail on the head for outrageous lyricism that simultaneously make clever jokes and explain the true and outrageous dispositions of the Nazi Party. When the lights go down at the end of the number and the audience applause, we are then met with one of the British characters breaking the fourth wall with "Really? Whose side are you on?!", a perfect cherry on top to the hilarious number.

What wasn't my favourite

The only thing I left the theatre longing for was the desire for a larger orchestra! There were some moments during the show where I thought it might have been a prerecorded soundtrack but I believe that was because the musicians were using keyboard and synth which doesn't sound very full as it is an electronic sound.

Overall

I would not be surprised if this is my favourite production of the year. It is witty, creative, and glamorous, while still pulling at the heartstrings. Since seeing the show I have had the cast album on repeat, and am constantly finding new clever lyrics that I missed, like a gift that keeps on giving. I would love to see it again, possibly with any of the swings performing  because I would love to see how different actors make it their own - it seems like such a finely turned production that I am curious as to what they would do. Safe to say I’m staying on the lottery draw.

Side note

Not necessarily a reflection of the production, but a thought I had regrading the musical itself: it will be a gift to amateur theatre. School productions where the drama teacher is scraping through shows to find one with a big cast so lots of kids get involved without going too obscure, this show has so many characters that have featured moments and it is hilarious in such a way that any kid will enjoy being a part of it in any way.

Further proof that I loved the show? Purchased merchandise