Operation Mincemeat
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Cititour.com Review
Let’s face it: for decades, anything has been fair game these days as the source for a musical, from “Les Miserables” (based on Victor Hugo’s historical mega-novel) to “Heathers” and “Clueless” (based on “cult” classic films) to “Bat Boy” (based on a tabloid news story).
Still, you have to give the British comedy troupe SpitLip a hearty round of applause for turning a once-secret World War II plan that helped the Allies win the war into the whimsical tuner “Operation Mincemeat,” which has now arrived at Broadway’s Golden Theatre after a five-year (and still going) run in the UK.
But is this show for British eyes only? (Yes, James Bond creator Ian Fleming shows up as a character, widely mocked for his ambitions but ultimately celebrated). I don’t think so! “Operation Mincemeat” struck this lifelong New Yorker as a very enjoyable, well-crafted and extremely inventive piece of theater. Or to put it this way, it’s hardly chopped liver.
Still, one’s viewing pleasure derives largely from the show’s superb five-person cast (three of whom are also its co-creators), whose ability to do quick costume changes and switch genders and characters on a dime – as well as handle the many challenges of Felix Hagan’s accomplished pastiche score -- are truly medal-worthy.
For those completely unfamiliar with the story, here’s all you need to know. (The subject has been covered in a few books and films -- most notably, a 2022 Nextflx movie starring Colin Firth – and too much familiarity may breed ennui, if not contempt). Two MI5 agents, the braggadocious Ewen Montague (a convincing, strong-voiced Natasha Hodgson) and the ultra-nervous Charles Cholmondeley (a brilliant, loose-limbed David Cumming), hatch a desperate plan to get German troops to move from Sicily to Sardinia by arranging them for them to find the corpse of drowned British airman, complete with a briefcase full of false invasion plans, in Spain.
To accomplish this mad plot, they require the help of their colleagues: the skeptical MI5 chief Johnny Bevan (the very funny Zoe Roberts), desperate-to-make-a-difference secretary Jean Leslie (the lovely and impassioned Claire-Marie Ball) and no-nonsense head secretary Hester Legatt (Jak Malone, who should add a Tony Award to his already-won Olivier Award, not just for his skill at multiple characterizations but also for his gorgeous rendition of the show’s outstanding ballad, “Dear Bill,” which I wanted to hear again immediately).
They also rely on the assistance of everyone from a creepy local coroner (who supplies them with a dead homeless chap) to a confused envoy in Spain to an ultra-loyal British submarine captain who doesn’t question what’s in his cargo hold. (I can’t be sure who played who!)
Now, I readily admit the show, directed with considerable flair by Robert Hastie, will not be everyone’s “cuppa tea” as it relies a bit too heavily on elements of farce and vaudeville, essentially sapping the show of any drama. Indeed, given everything at stake, the show’s flippant tone -- often reminiscent of an extended Monty Python sketch -- can feel a little unsettling. (Thankfully, we know how everything ended!) Additionally, the cast’s British accents can be hard to fully understand (although I don’t think missing a word here or there makes much difference).
Above all – if perhaps not surprising coming from a country weaned on Shakespeare – the show is decidedly overlong at two-and-a-half-hours, including an unnecessarily glitzy finale (reminiscent of “Family Guy”) that mostly adds to one’s impatience in wanting to use the bathroom or find the exit.
It’s also a bit sad that other than “Dear Bill,” you won’t be humming any of the show’s score when you leave -- even if it’s all quite pleasant to listen to while you’re inside -- nor will you be “humming” the effective if basic set design (by Ben Stone, who also made the costumes).
But you may well wonder how this seemingly tireless troupe complete their “Operation” twice on Wednesdays and Sundays! Bravo and brava!
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://operationbroadway.com/
Open/Close Dates
Opening 3/20/2025
Closing Open-ended
Theatre Info
Golden Theatre
252 W 45th St
Neighborhood: West 40s
New York, NY 10036
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