Fortune Theatre, London – until 25 January 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
Operation Mincemeat is in the safest of hands (although one pair is bafflingly sweaty) as MI5’s new recruits continue the show’s triumphant Olivier award winning run in the West End.
Truth can be stranger than fiction, and the story of MI5’s deception to clear the way for the Allied invasion of Sicily was one of the most bizarre gambles of WW2. Portrayed on film as early as 1953 as The Man Who Never Was, this fascinating story seems like a ridiculous idea for a musical, but the ridiculously talented SpitLip did just that – and the 5-star reviews and awards keep rolling in. David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts created a fast-paced show that manages to be hilarious, heartbreaking, mocking and celebratory. The show is an ensemble masterpiece, with a cast of 5 playing about 50 characters from the overconfident MI5 public schoolboy agents to the plucky and “dependable ladies” working for the government to stoic sailors, mortuary attendants and boyband Nazis.
SplitLip’s lyrics are fast and funny, cramming more laughs into one song than some productions manage in an entire show, and covering a wide range of musical styles, with Jenny Arnold’s inspired choreography adding to the hilarity – you’ve never seen Nazis move like this. Among the nonsense are poignant reminders of the seriousness and the human cost of the mission – switching mid-song between debauched scenes in London clubs and the quiet tension of the submarine crew as explosions rock the vessel. The mission ends with a glitzy finale, but then the show ends with a quiet but stirring tribute to the man who never was – Glyndwr Michael.
David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson, Zoe Roberts, Jak Malone and Claire-Marie Hall originated the roles of Charles Cholmondeley, Ewen Montagu, Johnny Bevan, Hester Leggett and Jean Leslie with unforgettable performances, leaving giant boots to fill – but the incoming agents fill those boots brilliantly.
Claire-Marie Hall, Seán Carey and Christian Andrews continue in the roles of Jean, Charles and Hester, and Emily Barber and Chlӧe Hart are new to the company, playing Ewen Montagu and Johnny Bevan. Holly Sumpton, Geri Allen, George Jennings and Jonty Peach complete the company, taking on the roles as needed. One of the joys of this production is the celebration of the shifting energy onstage when roles are played by different actors. There is even a mincemeat bingo sheet allowing you to mark every cast combination you are lucky enough to see. Each actor brings something different and the company appear to relish the freshness this brings each time.
Emily Barber is a fantastically entitled and self-assured Montagu and Seán Carey is delightfully eccentric and intense as Charles, both nailing the chalk and cheese comedy relationship. Chlӧe Hart has a blast with the contrast of stern and direct Johnny Bevan and the frankly insane Ian Fleming and Haselden. Their comedy is brilliant, and less broad and manic (I mean that in the best way!) than the original cast, so Claire-Marie Hall and Christian Andrews have upped the ladies’ game a little, with bigger reactions to the men’s nonsense and adding even more gorgeous moments between Hester and Jean that shines more light on their evolving relationship and making their duet in Useful bring a lump to your throat faster than before. Christian Andrews performs Dear Bill magnificently, effortlessly capturing the need to stay strong for your sweetheart while wrestling with your own emotions, and not leaving a dry eye in the house. Robert Hastie’s impeccable direction makes it all appear seamless on Ben Stones’ deceptively simple set – the costume and prop changes are nonstop.
With a 9th extension through to 25 January 2025, announced, Operation Mincemeat continues to delight faithful fans and newcomers alike. A gloriously silly and uplifting show that is simply unmissable. You have your orders – now, go!