Know Before You Go: OPERATION MINCEMEAT

Have you ever seen a war comedy? You sure will if you head to the Golden Theatre this spring, where West End mega-hit Operation Mincemeat just opened. The new musical has already taken Broadway storm, bringing a mostly unknown story to a whole new audience.

Did you know that it's based on real events? While you can absolutely watch it all unfold onstage, it can enrich your experience to be familiar with some of the key plot points and the musical's backstory.

The plot is based on the real World War II British deception mission to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. In 1943, British intelligence planted false documents on a dead body disguised as a Royal Marine officer and let it wash ashore in Spain. The documents convinced the Germans that the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia, rather than the actual target, Sicily. This misdirection helped ensure the success of the Allied invasion of Sicily by diverting Axis forces away from the real landing site.

The events were depicted in the 1950 novel Operation Heartbreak, and the 1953 novel The Man Who Never Was. The latter formed the basis for the 1956 British film of the same name.

Another film titled Operation Mincemeat was released in 2021, starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyn, Simon Russell Beale, and Jason Isaacs. You can stream it in full on Netflix.

The musical version was written and composed by the comedy group, SpitLip, featuring David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts. The project is directed by Robert Hastie and choreographed by Jenny Arnold.

It began as a tiny (and tiny-budgeted) production at London’s New Diorama Theatre. The show quickly gained a devoted following, spurring sold-out runs at venues including Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios. It finally premiered in the West End on May 9, 2023 at the Fortune Theatre, where it received rave reviews, and continues to play to standing-room-only crowds. 

It’s 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes. Luckily, they’ve got a trick up their sleeve. Well, not up their sleeve, per se, but rather inside the pocket of a stolen corpse. 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.

Cast performs "Born To Lead" at the Olivier Awards:

Operation Mincemeat went on to earn six 2024 Olivier Award nominations, winning Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical. It was also named the Best New Musical at the 2024 WhatsOnStage Awards. Earlier in the show’s journey, Operation Mincemeat picked up the Off-West End award for Best Musical Production and Best Company Ensemble, as well as The Stage Debut Award for Best Composer/Lyricist.

Cast performs "God That's Brilliant":

Jak Malone performs "Dear Bill": 

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