Congress Theatre, Eastbourne – until 8 August 2026
Reviewed by Mike Linane
4****
Operation Mincemeat is a musical comedy set during the Second World War. In 1943, Naval intelligence officer Ewen Montagu welcomes the audience to MI5, where the “elite” of the British military contribute to the World War II effort. Colonel Johnny Bevan informs his subordinates that the British government requires a strategy to convince the Nazis that the Allied Forces are planning to invade Sardinia rather than their actual (and more obvious) target, Sicily; several officers, including Montagu and Ian Fleming, present their ideas, but despite their conviction of their own brilliance, Bevan dismisses them all as unrealistic and poorly planned. Sulking after his rejection, Montagu encounters Air Force officer and “amateur naturalist” Charles Cholmondeley, who has formulated a strategy code-named “Operation Mincemeat” but is convinced of its futility after being bullied out of line by Montagu and his colleagues. Montagu reads his plan, and despite declaring it “insane”, recognises its potential and convinces Charles that they should team up to pitch Mincemeat to Bevan, noting his own natural “flair for presentation” will bolster Charles’ lack of confidence.
Charles’s plan is taken up, and the show tells the story of how a small team put the plan into action and fret to see if it will work. As this is based on a true story the audience will most probably already know the answer to that but the script and cast combine so well that we really do sit on the edge of our seats wondering if they can pull it off.
The show received six Laurence Olivier Award nominations, winning two for Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical and garnered four Tony Award nominations including Best Musical, and won for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.
A small cast of five play a multitude of different characters in this zany musical comedy (think a cross between Allo Allo and the Goes Wrong Show with songs). It is led by Sean Carey as Charles, a Spanish pathologist, Hitler and other characters, who played the same roles in the West End production and he shows just how versatile an actor he is to carry off all of these parts effortlessly. Holly Sumpton plays Ewan Montagu, Christian Andrews plays Hester Leggatt who has a very tender moment in the show as she writes a letter that the audience knows was like one she wrote to her gentleman friend in World War One whilst he was away fighting the enemy overseas with heartbreaking poignancy as we can tell he never came home again and Hester remained a spinster for the rest of her life …. or did she? Other cast members include Charlotte Hanna-Williams and Jamie-Rose Monk.
Besides the main plot of the show there are two interesting side plots to keep the audience entertained: is there a spy within MI5 passing on secrets to the enemy and will the young girl who mainly is used to make the tea manage to prove that she has got what it takes to become a spy herself?
Some people may find parts of the plot a bit upsetting but I can assume you that the memory of Glyndwr Michael, a Welsh homeless man, who played such a crucial part in this plot is properly honoured by the end of the show.
There wasn’t much laughter in the audience during the performance I attended and I wondered how well the show was being received but at the curtain call the entire auditorium rose as one to give this show and cast a rapturous standing ovation.
Operation Mincement plays at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, until Saturday and then continues to tour.