NE1 Reviews: Operation Mincemeat
We review Operation Mincemeat at Newcastle Theatre Royal
Picture the scene: It’s 1943 and World War II rages on. MI5 are trying to turn the tide, but there’s just one teeny, tiny issue. The next allied invasion target is Sicily… which is flooded with German troops. They’ll need to be moved to Sardinia, but how on earth does one convince the Reich to do that?
Welcome, agents, to Operation Mincemeat.
And if your answer included a dead body, Ian Fleming, an inordinate amount of receipts and a love letter, then you’re on the money. This is the unbelievable true story of Operation Mincemeat, an incredible musical that’s come a long way from its debut in an eighty-seater studio back in 2019. Playing at Newcastle’s very own Theatre Royal until Saturday 27th June as part of its 2026 UK tour, this fast-paced production is not to be missed.
But first: a quick history lesson, for those yet to be briefed on this top-secret mission… or anyone who watched the 2021 film starring Colin Firth but can’t remember a thing. It’s 1943, and the British Government need a strategy to convince the Nazis that the Allied Forces are planning to invade Sardinia, rather than Sicily.
Ian Fleming’s suggestion of a shiny tuxedo, submarine car, seven pretty ladies and Aston Martins or Mercedes is regrettably, not approved.
What does get the green light though, is Charles Cholmondeley’s “Operation Mincemeat”, a plan so twisted and chaotic that it might just work. They’ll dress a male corpse as a British soldier, and place him off the coast of neutral Spain, making it appear as though he’s drowned following a plane crash at sea. They’ll plant a briefcase on his body, with documents “revealing” the Allied plans to invade Sardinia, for Nazi spies to use as cause for moving troops from Sicily. And of course, they’ll make the corpse come to life as Royal Marines major “Bill Martin” with falsified identification papers, an engagement ring, and a love letter.
It’s a plan so watertight, nothing could possibly go wrong… right?
With an Olivier Award, and Three Tony nominations amongst their accolades, it’s no surprise that Operation Mincemeat is jam-packed with toe-tapping numbers. Born to Lead kicks off the show, introducing us to key players from Montagu to Masterman with tongue-in-cheek jibes referencing their nepotism: “”You’re sure to save the nation,” / Nanny told me in my cot / “For your father gave you courage” / Also ponies, and that yacht.”
Meanwhile, All the Ladies sheds light on women’s involvement in the war effort in an empowering pop number that feels like it could’ve come straight from the 2010s charts: “All the ladies / On your marks get set / Take this war for all you can get / This conflict’s our best opportunity yet.”
Each respective track is so well-written and jam-packed with outrageous humour that you’ll be hard-pressed to stop smiling throughout the whole thing. Take Das Übermensch for example, jumpstarting Act II with sequined Nazi uniforms (yes, really) and a boy band number that’s not afraid to offend: “With the fascism fashion, yo we got style for days.”
…Just don’t be surprised if Colonel Johnny Bevan reprimands you for “appreciating” the enemy after their performance!
Despite so much joviality, Operation Mincemeat doesn’t forget the heartbreaking sacrifices of war, with Dear Bill hardly leaving a dry eye in the audience: “And I’m trying my best to write everything down / To fill in the gaps so that when you’re around / It’ll be like you’ve never been gone / As if you’d been here all along.”
Sung by Hester Leggatt, a senior secretary of MI5 who worked to help craft “Bill Martin’s” persona, Dear Bill gives spotlight to those who weren’t living through their first war. None of this would be possible without the indisputably talented Christian Andrews, who brings Hester to life with a grounding presence and incredible voice.
Charlotte Hanna-Williams’ role as Jean Leslie – the 19-year-old clerk hired to MI5 when Operation Mincemeat was approved – acts as her 'second-in-command', in a relationship that blooms from resentful to wonderfully wholesome throughout the show. Hester keeps Jean grounded, reminding her that not all those who worked the war effort will be remembered, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable. Meanwhile Jean reminds Hester that sometimes, it’s okay to dream a little bigger – perhaps even of a plaque with her name on it, as they sing in Useful: “And they’ll see you did more than your part / For Hester who saved her nation / Yes! A timeless inspiration.”
It’s a plaque that, eventually would commemorate Hester’s legacy at the Fortune Theatre in London, following misspelt historical documents that left her missing from official records for years. So… yeah. Bring a tissue (or two) for this bit.
Despite their small numbers, the cast also do a marvellous job of seamlessly transitioning from one character into the next. Take Jamie Rose-Monk, who acts as both the speedy-speaking Johnny Bevan, and the hapless Ian Fleming, who’s still working to pin his legacy down: “The names James… James" doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
Ingenious quick changes and agile set designs allow for actors to change their character in the blink of an eye. Just for Tonight, for example, is a glitzy set-piece for the most part, following Montague and Charles on a chaotic, carefree pub crawl around London to celebrate the operation. But in-between pints, Sean Carey (Charles) and Holly Sumpton (Montague) change into the solemn crew of submarine HMS Seraph, who’re planting “Bill Martin's” corpse off the Spanish coast.
The juxtaposition between cheerful celebrations and mournful moods might seem counterintuitive, but in Operation Mincemeat, it absolutely works. We’re reminded that the light and the dark move hand-in-hand together, and we absolutely cannot have one without the other.
This is a sentiment echoed by the original cast in the show’s program: “We are living through a time that seeks to magnify all of humanity’s worst instincts: our fear, our ignorance, our differences, and this story does just the opposite: it shines with the power of humanity’s ingenuity, togetherness, humor and audacity.”
Operation Mincemeat is a beautifully funny tribute to the wonderful world of “silly ideas.” Too often, we might feel ashamed to speak up or speak out, for fear of judgement or negativity. But as Montagu, Cholmondeley, Bevan, Leslie, Legatt and Glyndwr Michael – the body of “Major William Martin” – all remind us, sometimes just a bit of silliness can change the world.
So your mission, should you choose to accept it agents, is to head over to Newcastle Theatre Royal this week and catch Operation Mincemeat while it’s in town. We’re sure you’ll be left thinking God That’s Brilliant by the time the curtain falls.
Operation Mincemeat is playing at Newcastle Theatre Royal up until Saturday 27th June 2026. To find out more, including how to book tickets, visit www.theatreroyal.co.uk/whats-on/operation-mincemeat.
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