Bold, Brilliant and Very, Very Entertaining

There are musicals that arrive in London with so many five star reviews that they’ve already created their own place in our theatrical galaxy.

Previous productions of hit show Operation Mincemeat have won both Olivier and Tony awards. But OMG – whether you’re a first-time audience member, or one of the show’s loyal ‘Mincefluencers’ you need to get yourself a ticket to see the extraordinary new cast now at London’s Fortune Theatre.

From the moment that Madeleine Jackson-Smith bounds onto the stage you know the fascists in the plot’s firing line are under an irrepressible triple-threat: every one of the five cast members playing 32 characters between them can sing, dance and act to the highest of the high standards in London’s West End.

Operation Mincemeat is simultaneously uproariously funny, emotionally affecting and historically thoughtful.

In 1943, British intelligence sought to mislead Nazi Germany by planting fabricated invasion plans on a corpse washed ashore in Spain. It’s a story that has inspired books, documentaries and films, yet the writing team of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts have found an entirely fresh theatrical language through which to tell it. Their script balances irreverence with genuine affection for the flawed, eccentric people who engineered an extraordinary act of strategic imagination.

The score is equally distinctive. It cleverly draws from musical theatre traditions, pop, jazz, operetta, power ballads, Richard O’Brien, Mel Brooks and Beyonce, without feeling even slightly derivative, and creating something new and entirely itself.

The current company is exceptional.

Madeleine Jackson-Smith brings lorry loads of charisma to the role of Ewen Montague (and others). Her absolute commitment and ability to move from high energy to high empathy create a fabulous performance of considerable subtlety.

Ahmed Hamad, also amazing previously in the award-winning Standing at the Sky’s Edge, delivers one of the evening's most warmly observed portrayals. His Charles Cholmondeley is awkward without becoming a caricature, quietly heroic without demanding attention. His final character switches, from quiet scientist to Hollywood star are a joy to behold.

In taking on the role of Hester Leggatt (and others) Colm Gleeson had very big shoes to fill. Previous incumbent Jak Malone swept the board at multiple awards ceremonies with his rendition of the heart-wrenching Dear Bill song. Gleeson’s performance is outstanding, delivering a beautifully nuanced performance before assuming the role of the slightly more obvious coroner Spilsbury.

Chlöe Hart is equally comfortable delivering rapid-fire comedy, switching personas in seconds or driving the ensemble some ambitious dance numbers. She radiates confidence and infectious enjoyment.

Charlotte Fleming’s elegant vocal delivery and understated sincerity allow the show's quieter moments to resonate without sentimentality. She possesses that increasingly rare ability to hold an audience's attention with stillness on stage.

Key to the story’s success is that the production celebrates ingenuity while acknowledging the moral ambiguity that accompanies wartime deception. With dazzling theatrical sleight of hand and machine-gun comic timing, Operation Mincemeat never loses sight of the anonymous Welshman whose body became central to the operation. That humanity gives the evening unexpected emotional depth.

Robert Hastie's crisp direction keeps the pace exhilarating without becoming frantic, while the minimalist staging and very clever use of simple props demonstrates how imagination can work better than lavish spectacle. Every lighting cue, costume change and choreographed movement contributes to storytelling of remarkable economy.

Operation Mincemeat is already a worldwide success story thanks to four dedicated writers who knew they had a story to tell in a different way.

This new cast has elevated that story still further.

Few productions send an audience into the night laughing about history while quietly reflecting upon it. Fewer still make it look so effortlessly entertaining.

Operation Mincemeat will be at the Fortune Theatre until February 20, 2027, and a version of the musical is also currently on tour throughout the UK. See https://operationmincemeat.com/tour/ for details.

Photo: From left to right, Charlotte Fleming, Madeleine Jackson-Smith, Ahmed Hamad, Chlöe Hart and Colm Gleeson. Credit: Matt Crockett.