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HOME THEATRE, MANCHESTER – UNTIL 12TH AUGUST 2023

REVIEWED BY ZOE BROWN

5*****

Following its sell-out tour of the West End ‘Cruise’, the one-man show written and performed by Jack Holden, hit the stage this week at HOME.

With set design by Nik Corrall, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were entering a 80’s underground with black walls, dimly lit but for the occasional striking neon strip and a DJ booth raised above all else, as if an altar at which to pray.

Jack Holden wrote his debut stage play during the depths of the first year of the pandemic and watching this show you understand how its themes continue to resonate.

The story begins within the call room of Switchboard, a volunteer led helpline dedicated to providing signposting and information to the LGBTQIA+ communities across the UK.

Based on the writer’s own experience of working for the helpline it’s the perfect springboard from which the action soon pulls us back to the 80’s using the testimony of a Switchboard caller, Michael, who, to enlighten our young Switchboard volunteer Jamie, relives his wild rollercoaster of a life throughout this turbulent time in Gay history.

This show is a powerful reflection of cultural Gay history packed full of evocative punches, breathtaking spoken word, pumping music, and clever use of a rotating wooden structure that swiftly takes us from one venue to another. Set in London’s Soho, Michael takes us on a tour of iconic Soho haunts, retelling his early life with a mix of nostalgia, pride, and sadness. Arguably this list of haunts could easily be replaced with that of our own Gay Village or indeed any of the underground Gay venues in the 80’s across the UK.

Reflecting on the fragments of so many lives lived and lost in the 80’s and the communities’ experience of dealing with the devastating impact of a new and deadly virus, HIV.

The direction by Bronagh Lagan is laser focused. The music is phenomenal, composed and performed by John Patrick Elliot, who in 2022 won the Stage Debut award for Best Composer for his original score.

Slick, keen character observations, flawless voice, fast paced dialogue (with some15,000 words and thirty characters) Jack delivers a rich story with such energy you can’t help but be in awe of his stamina.

My only small critique is that, at times, it felt like system overload. An hour and 45 mins without interval the story told with such pace and vigor I was on edge keeping up with it. Perhaps a slowing down in places may have been helpful to give this piece, and the storyteller, a moment to breathe.

Breaking down barriers, dispelling myths and sharing insight into what was, as Jack Holden beautifully described, a tragic moment in Gay history, with a new deadly virus sweeping the world, much like the Covid virus today (minus urgency given to finding a cure or treatment).

Overall, a fantastic, essential story, with the same impact of the brilliant ‘It’s A Sin’, informing not only the younger LGBTQIA+ community but all communities across the UK.

HAMPSTEAD THEATRE ANNOUNCES FULL CAST FOR LAUREN GUNDERSON’S ANTHROPOLOGY, DIRECTED BY ANNA LEDWICH, FROM 7 SEPTEMBER – 14 OCTOBER 2023

Hampstead Theatre is delighted to announce the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of anthropology  – Lauren Gunderson’s gripping thriller about Artificial Intelligence – directed by Anna Ledwich from 7 September until 14 October. 

MyAnna Buring (Twilight: Breaking Dawn; The Witcher; Downton Abbey; Ripper Street; A Very Expensive Poison, Old Vic; The Wasp, Hampstead Theatre) and Dakota Blue Richards (The Golden Compass; Skins; Arcadia, English Touring Theatre) are joined by Yolanda Kettle (Patriots, Almeida; Deep Blue Sea, National Theatre and Eden, Hampstead Theatre) and Abigail Thaw (Endeavour and The Strange Death of John Doe, Hampstead Theatre).

Lauren Gunderson, playwright said:

“I can’t quite express how meaningful it is that Hampstead Theatre is welcoming me back and trusting me for the world premiere of anthropology. I began this play in 2022 a full year before the launch of ChatGPT and the rapid growth of AI that we see all around us now. Hampstead was the very first theatre I shared it with, and its truly exhilarating to meet this moment and bring this play to life with Anna Ledwich and our phenomenal cast and creative team.

“While anthropology is a roller coaster of the contrasting tensions between technology and its creators, this play is truly a very human story of family, grief, resilience, love and sisterhood. The grounding thesis of this play is that all new technology – like all art – is first and foremost a method of expressing and coming to understand ourselves. Our tech tells us who we are long before we tell it what we want it to be.” 

“I built you because this is what I do. It’s my job. These are my tools, I used them, and honestly it’s not that hard – you’re basically a chatbot.”

Merril is one of silicon valley’s leading software engineers, but her life disintegrates when her younger sister Angie vanishes on her way home from college. A year later, when the police have long abandoned their search, Merril assembles all the digital material Angie has left behind and sets about building herself a digital simulation of her sister. The resultant ‘virtual Angie’ offers her some solace – until, that is, it starts to reveal new details about the real Angie’s disappearance.

Official anthropology trailer starring Dakota Blue Richards

San Francisco-based Lauren Gunderson is widely recognised as America’s most performed playwright and this autumn will have three plays running simultaneously in London and the UK. These include the world premieres of anthropology at Hampstead Theatre and The Time Traveller’s Wife in the West End, along with The Book of Will at Shakespeare North. Lauren’s play I and You was a huge success at Hampstead Theatre in 2018. Author of over 20 plays, Lauren has also received the Lanford Wilson Award at the Dramatists Guild Awards and two Steinberg/ ATCA New Play Awards. 

Anna Ledwich will be directing her twelfth Hampstead Theatre production where her previous work has ranged from Labyrinth to the Olivier-nominated productions Dry Powder and Four Minutes Twelve Seconds. Joining Anna Ledwich is designer, Georgia Lowe; lighting designer James Whiteside; sound designer Max Pappenheim and video designer Daniel Denton.

Hull New Theatre – until 29th July 2023

Reviewed by Dawn Bennett

5*****

The New Adventures Production of Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet last night brought the audience of the Hull New Theatre to their feet with a very deserved standing ovation.

With music by Sergei Prokofiev (Recorded by the New Adventure Orchestra) this is Romeo and Juliet as you’ve probably never seen it before. Set in the Verona Institute, a white-tiled, clinical, foreboding secure institution where the young people are locked up, abused and drugged so they conform. The set was stark white metal with walkways, banging doors, harsh lighting a metal walkway and entrances with “boys” and “girls” built into the wall and the dancers (apart from a couple of scenes) were all dressed in white adding to the sense of foreboding (Set and costumes were design by Lez Brotherston and were brilliant in their simplicity).

Romeo (Paris Fitzpatrick) was brought to the institute by his parents Senator Montague (Andy Monaghan) and Mrs Montague (Daisy May Kemp) who didn’t seem to know what they could do with him. Romeo is stripped of his clothes, and his dignity, by other inmates and he is soon dressed in the regulation white.

We meet Juliet (Monique Jonas) as she is being pursued by the very sinister guard Tybalt (Sam Archer), what follows is heartbreaking and beautifully danced. The two acts before the interval build up to a conclusion that was both shocking, terrifying and thought provoking.

The third act is one week later and we see the inmates, behaving like they have been drugged and trying to prosses the horror of what had happened and this was brilliantly done by the cast. At times during this production, you can have heard a pin drop and you could just hear the sound of the dancers’ feet and them breathing such was the atmosphere in the theatre.

All the cast are fabulous dancers and they manage to portray the feeling and emotions of the story without words, it was just through their movements and facial expressions. The chorography (Sir Matthew Bourne) as always in New Adventure productions, was quirky, funny, stunning and heartbreaking to watch in equal measures.

I have to give a shout out to Bryony Pennington (who played Dorcas) a dancer who trained in Hull at LWHS School of Dance. They were a pleasure to watch and it was great to see yet another talented dancer from Hull!

I have always loved watching Sir Matthew Bournes productions and Romeo and Juliet is one of the few I haven’t seen live. It was a treat from beginning to end and I’m very pleased that I’ve booked to watch again on Thursday!

The Almeida Theatre announces two new productions for 2023/24: 

• Carrie Cracknell (Oil; The Deep Blue Sea) returns to the Almeida to direct Alison Oliver (Women, Beware the Devil; Best Interests)in Marina Carr‘s modern Irish classic Portia Coughlan. 
• Following his acclaimed performance in Hymn at the Almeida in 2021, Danny Sapani (Killing Eve; Les Blancs) takes the title role in King Lear, directed by Yaël Farber (The Tragedy of Macbeth; Blood Wedding). 

Almeida Artistic Director Rupert Goold said, “I first saw Danny Sapani at the Almeida in the extraordinary Big White Fog in 2007 – for me, it remains one of the defining performances in our theatre. Then in 2021, at the peak of the third Covid lockdown, he moved and inspired us in Lolita Chakrabarti’s live streamed Hymn, alongside Adrian Lester. Next year, Danny returns to the Almeida as King Lear – one of our greatest stage actors in one of the greatest stage roles. 

“Before then, we welcome back Alison Oliver to play the eponymous Portia Coughlan in Marina Carr’s breathtaking, haunting play. Alison is an incredible talent – this year alone she has received acclaim for Women, Beware the Devil here at the Almeida, Dancing at Lughnasa at the National Theatre and on TV in the BBC’s Best Interests. 

“Helming these productions are two visionary directors – two years ago Yaël Farber gave us a spectacular Macbeth and Carrie Cracknell directs her first Almeida show since the epic Oil in 2016.” 

PORTIA COUGHLAN
by Marina Carr 

Directed by Carrie Cracknell 

Tuesday 10 October – Saturday 18 November 2023 

There’s a wolf tooth growin in me heart and it’s turnin me from everywan and everthin I am.  

A young woman unravelling.
A twin reappearing. 

A family torn asunder by the living and the dead.  

Today is Portia’s birthday. But it’s not a day for family and celebrations. Because Portia is making terrible choices, lurching between past and present, and wondering if the hand of fate has already set her course. 

Tormented by her dead twin Gabriel, who disappeared into the depths of the Belmont River 15 years ago, she wreaks havoc on all she loves in a desperate bid to save herself. 

Carrie Cracknell (Oil; The Deep Blue Sea) returns to the Almeida to direct Alison Oliver (Women, Beware the Devil; Best Interests) in Marina Carr‘s heart-wrenching modern Irish classic about destructive families and obsession. 

KING LEAR 
by William Shakespeare

Directed by Yaël Farber 

Thursday 8 February – Saturday 30 March 2024 

Nothing shall come of nothing. 

We all must face the moment of truth that we won’t live forever.   

Lear, father and king of unquestioned power, must divide his realm between his three daughters. The first two quickly declare the love he is desperate to hear, yet his favourite Cordelia shuns the performative circus. “Nothing” she answers, when asked to speak. And towards that nothing Lear’s world begins to slide.  

As the new generation unleashes the consequences of their father’s choices, Lear takes us into the eye of the storm and its trail of destruction.  

Following her Olivier Award-nominated The Tragedy of Macbeth, Yaël Farber directs Danny Sapani (Killing Eve; Hymn) as King Lear in Shakespeare’s poignant, morally ambiguous, and subversive epic.  

Theatre Royal, Nottingham – until Saturday 29th July 2023

Reviewed by Jill Heslop

5*****

“Tell your friends to come on down, ‘cos Buddy Holly’s back in town!” With these words, A. J. Jenks as Buddy Holly, ends this glorious musical show celebrating over 30 years of The Buddy Holly Story. And what a show it is! Brilliant singers, talented musicians, funny dialogue, all adding up to a wonderful night out at the theatre for all ages.

The tragic tale of Buddy Holly’s early death is well-known and luckily this is not the focus of the show. Instead we are taken on a musical journey (cleverly narrated by Hipockets Duncan, played by Thomas Mitchells) from Lubbock, Texas where Buddy was born and learned to play the guitar, to the recording studios of Decca and the beginnings of Rock and Roll taking over from the popular Country and Western music of the time. Amazingly, ‘That’ll Be The Day’ was rejected harshly at their early performance of the song! But the hits just keep on coming and the audience enjoy joining in with such familiar and legendary songs as ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Oh Boy’, ‘Everyday’ and ‘Rave On’ throughout the show.

We see Buddy’s determination and talent at such a young age as he tirelessly does take after take in the studio. There is fun aplenty as we move to the Apollo theatre in Harlem, New York, where Buddy Holly and the Crickets were the first all-white rock act to play at the venue. This was shown with good humour. We are treated to a fantastic performance of ‘Reet Petite’ by Miguel Angel as Tyrone Jones and the brilliant singing of ‘Shout’ by Chantel Williams (Laura-Dene Williams) and Marlena Madison (Samuelle Durojaiye).

The final move to Clear Lake, Iowa is a mixture of back stage fly-on-the-wall dialogue and live performances, and we see the significance of the light-hearted bargaining for a seat on the fatal plane by Ritchie Valens (Miguel Angel) and The Big Bopper (Christopher Chandler).

A grand finale, the Surf Ballroom performance, involved the whole musical cast on stage with individual performances of ‘Chantilly Lace’ by The Big Bopper (Christopher Chandler) and yet another highlight of the evening, an unforgettable rendition of ‘La Bamba’ led by Ritchie Valens (Miguel Angel). By now the audience wish there were no seats in the venue, so we could get up and dance! We were all on our feet by the end of the evening, asking for more and being given some great guitar tricks by Buddy (A. J. Jenks) and acrobatics by bass player Joe B. Mauldin (Joe Butcher).

This is a feel-good musical with so much history on stage displayed with energy and verve, taking the audience on a trip down memory lane with a bang! As Buddy says, “Come on down, ‘cos Buddy Holly’s back in town!”

TICKETS ON SALE

THURSDAY 27 JULY AT 10.00AM

FOR

RALPH FIENNES AND INDIRA VARMA

IN

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S

MACBETH
DIRECTED BY SIMON GODWIN

AT

THE DEPOT, LIVERPOOL

FROM 18 NOVEMBER – 16 DECEMBER 2023

Wessex Grove and Underbelly, in association with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, D.C. are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for MACBETH starring Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma at The Depot, Liverpool from 18 November – 16 December 2023. For tickets please go to MacbethTheShow.com.

This brand-new production of one of Shakespeare’s most iconic plays will be staged like never before in custom built theatre spaces unique to this production. Following the run at The Depot, Liverpool (18 November – 16 December 2023), the production will play in Edinburgh at the Royal Highland Centre (13 – 27 January 2024) and London at Dock X, Canada Water (10 February – 23 March 2024), giving audiences the chance to be even closer to the action.

The production will then play a season in Washington, D.C. (2 – 28 April 2024) with tickets now on sale as part of a six-play subscription to Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 23/24 Season.

Macbeth is coming. A couple corrupted by their relentless lust for power have blood on their hands. Witness the gripping tale of greed, murder, deception and superstition. Once you cross the line, you can never turn back.

Tony and BAFTA Award-winning Ralph Fiennes will star as Macbeth and Olivier Award-winning Indira Varma will star as Lady Macbeth in a new production of William Shakespeare’s MACBETH. Directed by Simon Godwin with set and costume design by Frankie Bradshaw and an adaptation by Emily Burns. Further creative team and full casting to be announced soon.

Leeds Grand Theatre – until Saturday 29 July 2023

5*****

One of the things I wanted to do when visiting New York was to tap dance down 42nd Street.  I can’t tap dance or sing so I envy those who can. But I did my version and a tick was placed on the bucket list.  For me, you can never go wrong with a good old fashioned musical filled with tap dancing, so 42nd Street was always going to make me happy

The story of the talented dancer plucked from the chorus line to take the starring role in a Broadway musical is the Cinderella story of the American Depression, and this revival is injected with new energy. 

Singer Dorothy Brock is due to be the star of “Pretty Lady”, the new musical by Julian Marsh.  Unfortunately she can’t dance so Marsh demands lots of chorus girls to hide this. Small-town hopeful Peggy Sawyer joins the chorus line, but has a lucky break (literally – when Dorothy cracks her ankle) and gets to play the lead role. The attraction of 42nd Street is the dancing, and a string of catchy 1930s songs by Harry Warren and Al Dubin – the kind you know without knowing you know them (‘We’re in the Money’, ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, ‘Forty Second Street’, etc). Satisfyingly, the show starts with a curtain rising to show tap-dancing feet – it can only get better.

Nicole-Lily Baisden is a powerhouse of tap, with unbelievable solos in 42nd Street, and nails Peggy Sawyer’s naivety and ambition. Sam Lips as cocky tenor Billy Lawler is the perfect dance partner, while Michael Praed as Julian Marsh marshals proceedings with convincing egotism and drive.  Faye Tozer and Les Dennis make a sparkly Maggie Jones and Bert Barry, and Sarah-Marie Maxwell, Aimee Hodnett and Brianna Craig are endlessly bright and fun as chorus girls. But the entire company are perfect and every step is a joy to watch. Samantha Womack and Baisden compete to steal every scene, bubbling with energy and presence. Womack has great comic timing and lack of vanity. Whether she’s belting out Boulevard of Broken Dreams or swooning in I Only Have Eyes For You.  Baisden just has talent by the bucketful, which we get to see with every dance step she takes.

Outstanding choreography by Bill Deamer is pure Hollywood and the set and costume designs by Robert Jones just sparkle under the assured direction of Jonathan Church.  The live band (Jennifer Whyte, Grant Walsh, Toby Kelly, Simon Willims, Rhodri Taylor, Jamie Fathers, Tom Tait, Kevin Ferris, Alan Hase, Jamie Pimenta, Simon Walker, Dave Oxley, Mark Fincham, Paul Rosi), who are kept in a a pit for a reason, give life to the music and lyrics of Warren and Dubin.

The show is just tap dancing heaven. It’s very early in the tour so there is plenty of chance to see this totally joyous musical and everyone can come and meet those dancing feet, at the avenue I’m taking you to, 42nd Street. 

Kings Theatre Portsmouth – until Saturday 29th July 2023

Reviewed by Lucy Hitchcock

5***** – because that’s the most I’m allowed to give!

Richard O’Brien’s cult classic ‘Rocky Horror’ has beamed into Portsmouth for one week only for the best night you’ll have this year!

This classic sees an extremely talented cast including Kristian Lavercombe as ‘RiffRaff’, a role he has performed over 2200 times earning him a world record, Hayley Flaherty and Richard Meek as our romantic leads Brad and Janet and Stephen Webb as‘Frank’n’furter’ to name a few; each and every member of this cast is phenomenally talented.

Narrated by Phillip Franks, Rocky Horror is full of sex, fun, hilarity and heel offering the chance for the audience to heckle the cast to provide an interactive experience for all-each performance is slightly different as Phillip improvises responses to the audience each night. Franks is the perfect narrator, he handles and encourages the audience participation with ease and teases the audience throughout the show with his incredibly witty charm.

Kristian Lavercombe as RiffRaff is exceptional. His talent and incredible singing is not to be missed in this role and lends a performance that I can never get bored of. His comic timing is spot on and during ‘Over at the Frankenstein Place’ he gives the audience a glimpse of why he has been in the production over 2200 times. Lavercombe is an amazing actor, one that uplifts and holds the show to the standard it is through his acting of the highest calibre. He truly is a star and I cannot wait to return to the show to see him perform again. Together with Suzie Mcadam as his sister ‘Magenta’,this duo is a treat to watch. Their performances are in sync and with the talent that flows through them both, it is a wonder how they do it each night!

Hayley Flaherty and Richard Meek as ‘Janet’ and ‘Brad’ had the perfect mix of romance and vulnerability and with a little hint of humour, we saw a great story unfold. They are both extremely talented and with show off pieces such as ‘Toucha Touch Me’ and ‘Once in a While’ we see the extent of their skill, providing a wonderful audience experience. It was a joy to watch their romance change and they are perfectly suited together.

Stephen Webb, as ‘Frank’n’Furter’ is superb. He absolutely melted into the role, creating a seamlessly sexy performance to tantalise your tastebuds and is a feast for the eyes and ears. Webb, with his platformed heels, fitted corset and flowing feather boa, pranced around the stage as if he was at home-it was a joy to see such a passion for the role he was playing and I forgot I was watching him; he really was ‘Frank’! He commanded the stage with such ease and enthusiasm and connected with the audience instantly creating an atmosphere that completely encapsulated the whole audience!

I particularly enjoyed the outlandish costumes from the mind of Sue Blane, keeping fairly close to the cult classic film but with a modern twist of an absurd amount of sequins!!

Sonnets at the Bar.  The Bar Convent, Blossom Street, YORK.

York Shakespeare Project is delighted to bring its popular Sonnets at the Bar back to the secret garden of The Bar Convent Living Heritage Centre, Blossom Street, from August 11-19.

“The invitation is as warm as ever”, says this year’s director, Tony Froud.  “On a summer’s evening, it has always proved a lovely experience.  While sipping your complimentary drink in the convent’s delightful garden setting, sit back and enjoy a taste of Shakespeare that is both entertaining and accessible”.

In a format which has always proved successful, the show features a series of larger than life modern characters, each with a secret to reveal.  And, to the surprise of the audience, the characters each in turn speak one of Shakespeare’s sonnets to reveal the heart of their story.

“It’s a simple device that always seems to work”, explains Tony.  “Very often the actor can be halfway through the sonnet before the audience realises that the language has become Shakespearean”.

YSP first brought Shakespeare’s sonnets to life in 2014 with the Sonnet Walks, in which a group of audience members encountered colourful characters as they walked round the streets of York.

“Many people will remember the Walks fondly”, admits the show’s writer Helen Wilson, “but staging the show in a single setting has great advantages, allowing characters to meet, exchange conversations and reappear.”

Helen, who, with Maurice Crichton, created the original Sonnet Walks in 2014, has shaped the script based on the improvisations of the cast.  “We have been inspired by the hotel setting, but our hotel is very different to the Bar Convent”, she explains. “The combination of eccentric staff and a whole variety of residents with fascinating back stories has offered great possibilities. The cast features a good number of actors familiar to YSP regulars, but includes some new faces as well. A big part of the fun of the show is guessing which unusual characters they will be playing.”

Sonnets at the Bar runs from Friday 11 – Saturday 19 August (except Monday 14), at 6pm and 7.30pm, plus 4.30pm on Saturday 12 & Saturday 19 August.

Tickets are available online:  Sonnets at the Bar 2023 | York Theatre Royal or from the York Theatre Royal Box Office (01904 623568).

Ticket prices: £10 and £5 (14-17).  The price includes a drink.

64 ★★★★★ reviews and counting!

The West End’s new 5 star show.

“The West End show you need tickets for, now. Operation Mincemeat is this summer’s smash hit”

Sam Marlowe, The i

“Hilarious tale makes Mincemeat out of its rivals…Before curtain I talked to a fan seeing this for the seventh time. I wondered why anyone would see the same show seven times. Now I know”

Neil Armstrong, The Mail On Sunday

“irrepressible wartime musical is a West End triumph”
Emma John, The Guardian

“LAUGHING so hard I could barely breathe is not what I expected for a musical about a World War II top-secret plan.…the perfect invasion of the West End. Long may they occupy it.”
Thea Jacobs, The Sun

It was announced today, 25^th July, that Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical extends booking into 2024, joining hits including Hamilton, Six, Book of Mormon, Cabaret and Les Misérables, as it continues its run at the West End’s Fortune Theatre through 24^th February. This is the show’s fourth extension.

Extension tickets will be available on general sale on Friday 28^th July at 10am from the Official Box Office here

For the new booking period from 6^th November through 24^th February 2024, Monday shows will be exclusively available for now through the Official Operation Mincemeat Mailing list here

Christmas week (26^th through 31^st December) show tickets will also be exclusively available for now through the Official Operation Mincemeat Mailing list here

Garnering 64 five-star reviews and now starting to gain international acclaim including titles from the USA -“My far-and-away favorite production” (The New Yorker), Israel – “A story about the impossible that was possible…The guys who put on a show with zero budget conquered the most coveted goal of all. The mouse that roared… Fly to London now, right now” (Shlomut by Globes) and Germany –“stands out from the plethora of West End productions…The current must-see show” (Musicalzentrale), the extraordinary debut musical is written and composed by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts.

David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts said: “We’re delighted and truly stunned that the gates to London’s West End remain unlocked for our little show, and cannot wait to spend Christmas and beyond with our gorgeous audiences  – is ‘mulled sangria’ a thing?”

If you would like to enter the ticket lottery sign-up here. £25 tickets are available Wednesday – Saturday. The lottery is drawn every two weeks on a Monday, with the next draw taking place on 7^th August.

After five sold-out development runs at the New Diorama Theatre in 2019 and Southwark Playhouse in 2020, 2021 & 2022, plus an extended Riverside Studios run last summer, Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical is back.

The year is 1943 and we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse. 

Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Noel Coward meets Noel Fielding, Operation Mincemeat is the fast-paced, hilarious and unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that won us World War II. The question is, how did a well-dressed corpse wrong-foot Hitler? 

The production is directed by 2023 Olivier Award nominated  Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre – 2023 Best New Musical Olivier Award winner), following providing directorial support for the Riverside Studios run, while Olivier Award nominated Jenny Arnold (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) continues as Choreographer. Also from Standing at the Sky’s Edge at theNational Theatre on the creative team are: 2023 Olivier Award nominated  Ben Stones (Sylvia, The Old Vic) as Set and Costume Designer, Tony Award, six-time Olivier Award and Bafta Award winning Mark Henderson (Girl From the North Country, Broadway & Noël Coward Theatre) as Lighting Designer and Olivier Award winning Mike Walker (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) as Sound Designer. Grammy Award winning and Tony, Emmy, Olivier award nominated Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Musical, Broadway & Aldwych Theatre) is Orchestrator and Vocal Arranger. Georgie Staight joins as Associate Director and Paul Isaiah Isles as Associate Choreographer.        

Operation Mincemeat won The Stage Debut award for Best Composer/Lyricist and the Off-West End award for Best Musical Production and Best Company Ensemble. Following the first New Diorama Theatre run, Operation Mincemeat was listed in The Observer’s Top 10 shows of the year and most recently was listed in The Independent’s Top 15 shows of the year.  The show is currently featured in the V&A’s Re:Imagining Musicals display, exploring how musicals have continuously reimagined, reinvented and reinterpreted themselves over time.  

The 2023 Off-West End Best Musical Production Award winning returning cast (Southwark Playhouse/ Riverside Studios), David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone and Zoë Roberts, are joined by: Seán Carey (returning Riverside Studios), Geri Allan, Christian Andrews and Holly Sumpton. Casting is by Pearson Casting.

Operation Mincemeat is written and composed by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, who form SpitLip.

Operation Mincemeat is presented in the West End by Avalon (in association with SpitLip), who have supported since the Southwark Playhouse runs. The show was commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, co-commissioned by The Lowry, and also supported by the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.