Operation Mincemeat Touring Reviews

This production is so layered and intricate that it’s almost overwhelming at times, but it’s also smart enough to pull back as needed and give the audience a chance to catch their breath. Even if you’re not a World War II buff (I am very much n...

This production is so layered and intricate that it’s almost overwhelming at times, but it’s also smart enough to pull back as needed and give the audience a chance to catch their breath. Even if you’re not a World War II buff (I am very much not), this show is everything that’s good about live theatre. The songs are catchy, the cast is outstanding and it is an effort where everyone has to be at their best and working as a team. This is among the best shows out there right now, and one that will stay with me for a long time.

The show also leans into more serious themes of sacrifice and duty, the way society discards certain classes of people, and the creative contributions of women who don’t get their share of recognition (the focus of the song “Useful”), which the...

The show also leans into more serious themes of sacrifice and duty, the way society discards certain classes of people, and the creative contributions of women who don’t get their share of recognition (the focus of the song “Useful”), which the cast handles with aplomb. As nerve-wracking as the opening night of a national tour can be, everyone on stage seems to be having the time of their lives. The same goes for the audience.

Neville is a standout, but there’s not a weak link here. The cast moves seamlessly among the musical numbers, which range from 1940s-style swing to pop to Hamilton-esque rap interludes. (Sharp musical direction by conductor Nick Williams, heading u...

Neville is a standout, but there’s not a weak link here. The cast moves seamlessly among the musical numbers, which range from 1940s-style swing to pop to Hamilton-esque rap interludes. (Sharp musical direction by conductor Nick Williams, heading up a five-piece band.) Ben Stones’s windowless set, covered in blueprints and maps, gives us the sense of the basement where the Mincemeat team sweats out the details, and his costumes (even those you don’t get to see for very long) are a visual treat.

It’s a great moment, when you can see through to the personhood of the character onstage, not just a cog in a farcical machine but also a representation of someone who lived and loved, as best we can see them through all these years’ remove. Made...

It’s a great moment, when you can see through to the personhood of the character onstage, not just a cog in a farcical machine but also a representation of someone who lived and loved, as best we can see them through all these years’ remove. Made all the more poignant by the song’s delivery in that unique way to that unique audience on that special night.

If you’ve never encountered the story of Operation Mincemeat, you may still marvel at its sheer audacity — and at the fact that it has now inspired yet another retelling. But this musical version, at least in its current touring form, is a remind...

If you’ve never encountered the story of Operation Mincemeat, you may still marvel at its sheer audacity — and at the fact that it has now inspired yet another retelling. But this musical version, at least in its current touring form, is a reminder that improbability alone isn’t enough. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, but this fiction works so hard at appearing clever that it becomes exhausting.

The score here is a pastiche. There are specific references to shows like “Hamilton” and kind-of-specific references to “Billy Elliot” and “Six.” And, by references, I mean notes and phrasing. Self-awareness, I guess, covers all of that, ...

The score here is a pastiche. There are specific references to shows like “Hamilton” and kind-of-specific references to “Billy Elliot” and “Six.” And, by references, I mean notes and phrasing. Self-awareness, I guess, covers all of that, but you certainly won’t be watching a boundary-pushing song suite.

Operation Mincemeat has been hyped incessantly for over a year, and it absolutely lives up to the hype. This is a thoroughly entertaining history lesson in musical comedy form, and it is indeed worth seeing seven times. But at least see it once; you'...

Operation Mincemeat has been hyped incessantly for over a year, and it absolutely lives up to the hype. This is a thoroughly entertaining history lesson in musical comedy form, and it is indeed worth seeing seven times. But at least see it once; you'll be glad you did.

All five of these performers are of high quality in regards to being able to change their characters within seconds, often without even doing a costume change. In fact, one of the highlights of the production, for me, is that the actors leave one sce...

All five of these performers are of high quality in regards to being able to change their characters within seconds, often without even doing a costume change. In fact, one of the highlights of the production, for me, is that the actors leave one scene as one character, go offstage and come right back as a new character, and we never have a moment without action. You have all heard the expression “timing is everything”, well this group of performers, under the guidance of Hastie, proves this to be quite factual.