Operation Mincemeat - Milton Keynes Theatre

This week in Milton Keynes Theatre, it’s 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes as Operation Mincemeat is here…but shhh its top secret.  Equal parts farce, thriller, and Ian Fleming-style spy caper (with an assist from Mr. Fleming himself), Operation Mincemeat tells the wildly improbable and hilarious true story of the covert operation that turned the tide of WWII.

I didn’t know what to expect when seeing Operation Mincemeat.  I had never seen the film or the show so I was viewing this with fresh eyes for the first time.  I am still unsure if it is indeed a true story as its such a ridiculous and funny farce, but to be honest, I imagine World War Two was very much like this.

There are five extremely talented actors on stage who play a number of roles.  One of the most brilliant (and brilliant is used a lot in the war – didn’t you know?) things is the fact that gender does not affect the roles they play.  In fact, the fluid casting is just accepted, even in the highest office of our nation in Operation Mincemeat.  The story is that everyone wants Hitler dead (Cue cheers of hazzah!) and the war to be over.  Operation Mincemeat is Charles idea (played by Sean Carey) who thinks if the Germans find a dead body with top secret information on him off the coast of Spain, they will believe the information to be true and change their plans from invading Sicily to Sardinia.  Monty (played by Holly Sumpton) loves this idea and almost highjacks Charles who is quiet and shy to take this to top dog, Johnny (played by Jamie-Rose Monk).  Supported by Jean, who is young and makes the tea (played by Charlotte Hanna-Williams) and Hester, an older spinster who likes everything done properly (played by Christian Andrews) they develop their plan.

However, things are never easy.  Where do you find a dead body to make up a pretend air pilot?  And what exactly is Monty’s brother up to?  Could he be a spy?

The script is witty, sharp and there are laugh out loud moments – one of my favourites was the school mottos they were trying to remember – Is the motto ‘A horse can’t inherit?’.  And of course, everything is brilliant and I just loved the telephone scene with the hats and calls to London from Spain.  So very clever  And I loved the finale and even the opening number in Act two which was brilliant (am I overusing this? – and the answer is…nevermind!)

The cast are incredible.  It must be exhausting to be on stage and in different roles for most of the show but their stamina and quick changes along with the clever minimalistic sets are just astounding.  It feels like a mash up with Enid Blyton’s Famous Five (its that British can do attitude) mixed with someone who is a fan of Hamilton as there are several elements that lend themselves to rap.  This is another brilliant ploy to make the show feel fresh.  Sadly, I felt the music was a tad too loud to hear all the dialogue and for someone seeing it for the first time, the dialogue is really important.

SpitLip, the musical’s writers and composers, commented: “We're so excited to see Operation Mincemeat heading out on a world tour.  We know there's an appetite (and a need) out there for shows which champion joy, and the power of small groups of people to change the world.  We're also delighted to be welcoming back our agents Christian, Charlotte, Holly and Seán, and welcoming our amazing new recruit Jamie-Rose, to kick off the UK leg of the tour - MI5 couldn't be in more capable or more spectacularly stupid hands. Father's never been prouder!”

Operation Mincemeat is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday 13 June and then continues its world tour!