by Sarah Becker
⭐⭐⭐⭐
An invitation to preview the newly refurbished VIP area of the Royal & Derngate, complete with its own bar, added another unexpected twist to the evening. Decorated in soft pastel colours, with carefully chosen music creating a relaxed atmosphere, the space offered a stylish pre-show experience that perfectly set the tone.
Operation Mincemeat begins as a slick, sassy and utterly original musical, but its real triumph lies in the moment it quietly changes gear.
A musical about a Second World War deception operation in which the British attempt to fool the Nazis by planting misleading documents on a corpse (based on a true story) is hardly an obvious subject for musical theatre.
Add a cast who switch characters, genders and costumes with chameleon-like speed, alongside props that effortlessly transform one location into another, and you have one of the most inventive musicals to grace the stage in years.
The nimble quintet play more than 80 characters between them, from British military officers and a breezy American pilot to Spanish coroners, sailors, Nazis and even a James Bond-era Ian Fleming.
The show is written and composed by SpitLip (David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts) and directed by Robert Hastie who are responsible. For much of the first act, the audience is happily swept along by the show’s pace, wit and ingenuity.
Then comes the solo, Dear Bill.
The turning point arrives when Hester Leggatt, played by Christian Andrews sings of writing a letter to the sweetheart she may never see again. The lyric, “Isn’t it silly to have met in war?”, lands with unexpected poignancy. In an instant, the show stops being a brilliantly clever musical and forces the audience to feel the poignancy too.
That emotional pivot elevates everything that follows. Once emotionally invested, every ingenious scene change and every fresh twist becomes even more rewarding because you genuinely have no idea what is coming next. The seamless sequence before the interval—from delivering the corpse to the celebratory night out, and finally to the body’s discovery at sea—is breathtakingly staged and stands among the evening’s highlights.
There are strengths everywhere you look. The singing is exceptional, while the score is packed with memorable songs and recurring musical motifs that perfectly capture both the exuberance and the poignancy of the story.
The characterisation is another revelation. Too often in musicals, characters are one dimensional, serving as instruments of the plot. Here, each performer manages to create the allusion of more rounded personalities in its stock of main characters, through physicality, voice and gestures.
The chemistry between Ewen Montagu (Holly Sumpton) and the anxiety-ridden Charles Cholmondeley (Sean Carey) is particularly effective. Montagu radiates irrepressible optimism and charm,—you cannot help wishing he were your best friend, swept along by his optimism and led by his great arm gestures. Holly never breaks character. His perpetually worried colleague provides the perfect foil, all nervous energy, self-doubt and fearful anticipation. Yet the talented cast all deliver terrific performances. Christian Andrews as Hestor and Jamie-Rose Monk as Johnny Bevan deliver strong performances. All the cast multi roll with admirable skill and contribute to the effectiveness of the comedy played out on stage.
The script deserves enormous credit too. The dialogue sparkles, punches and fizzes along as tightly as a violin string. Every line feels meticulously crafted, with jokes, witty repartee and razor-sharp exchanges landing effortlessly. And delivered with a twinkle in the eye.
Not forgetting the set, which almost becomes a character in its own right. The backdrop of lights cleverly shifts in colour, subtly evoking the neon aesthetic of Ghost (2022). These visually captivating scene changes keep the production dynamic, engaging the audience and building fresh anticipation with every transition.
What makes Operation Mincemeat special is its ability to combine dazzling theatrical invention with terrific singing, a memorable musical score and a slick set.
If there is one criticism, it is that despite admiring the show’s remarkable invention from the outset, it takes until the solo Dear Bill to become fully emotionally engaged. However, that is a minor point in relation to the show’s clearly superb assets.
Operation MIncemeat retains at its core the ability to constantly find new ways to surprise while never losing sight of the human story at its centre.
The audience at the Royal & Derngate rewarded it with a thoroughly deserved standing ovation.
Operation Mincemeat runs at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 18 July 2026.