Operation Mincemeat – The Lowry

Back in April 2023, my daughter and I were in London’s theatre-land, seeking something cheerful and light after enduring a four-hour production of A Little Life — a play that had left us both in a numbly depressed state. A tiny show had just opened at the Fortune Theatre, just off Covent Garden, and we decided to take a risk on some cheap, last-minute tickets. It turned out to be a very wise decision. The show was Operation Mincemeat and, in the ensuing three years, it has garnered universal audience adoration, five-star reviews galore, continued success in the West End, and a Broadway transfer with resulting Tony and Olivier Awards recognition.

The next step in its seemingly inexorable rise is a world tour, which kicks off with a glitzy “yellow carpet” premiere in Salford — cementing its place in the pantheon of classic modern British musicals.

Musical comedy troupe SpitLip devised Mincemeat in 2019 (with crucial support from the artist development programme at The Lowry), and the decision to utilise the musical theatre format to tell this quintessentially British tale of pluck, endeavour and sheer bonkers brilliance was a masterstroke.

The truth is often far stranger than fiction, and so it proves with this plot. We meet Charles Cholmondeley (Sean Carey) and Ewen Montague (Holly Sumpton), MI5 agents devising a plan to convince the Nazis that the Allied forces are planning to invade Sardinia rather than the more obvious target of Sicily. To achieve this, they co-opt the corpse of a homeless man to impersonate a dead RAF officer, allowing him to wash up in Spain carrying the “plans” for the fictional invasion. They must then persuade sceptical spy boss Johnny Bevan (Jamie-Rose Monk) that this audacious deception will succeed and, aided by the plucky Jean (Charlotte Hanna-Williams) and the redoubtable Hester Leggatt (Christian Andrews), the farcical plot unfolds.

The wartime setting does not prevent the show from deploying a dizzying variety of modern influences. We can detect echoes of Six in numbers such as All The Ladies and Das Übermensch, while the debt to Hamilton is both obvious and hilariously parodied. The lyrics are densely witty, rewarding repeat listens as they deftly advance the plot while simultaneously paying homage to — and skewering — the conventions of the spy genre. This is exemplified in the character of Fleming (Monk), creator of James Bond, whose suave mythology is mercilessly lampooned for its chauvinism and world view.

Amid the farcical nonsense and sparkling wordplay, Mincemeat also manages to sneak in political subtext and moments of quiet pathos. The unsung work of women during the war becomes a recurring motif. While the “chaps” from the English public schools bray and posture in Born to Lead, the women quietly get on with things. This stoicism is most powerfully realised in Dear Bill, a paean to the quiet desperation of a woman left behind on the home front. The prosaic lyrics capture aching loneliness and fear and, when sung by Andrews as Hester, the packed auditorium was held in spellbound silence.

Robert Hastie ably leads the creative team, developing the show from its small-scale beginnings and drawing on his experience as director of the West End production. While the Edinburgh Festival Fringe roots remain visible in the meticulously designed small-scale sets, the production values have been significantly enhanced for this prestigious tour. Ben Stones’ set and costume design, together with Mark Henderson’s lighting concept, elevate the show without sacrificing its inventive intimacy.

The final number, Glitzy Finale, may once have been conceived ironically, but it now fully earns its title — a riot of Stars and Stripes colliding with Union Jacks in a gaudily hilarious crescendo. Jenny Arnold’s choreography deserves particular mention, not for grand ensemble spectacle but for its sinuous efficiency and comic precision. A scene juxtaposing a roaring London nightclub with a silent submarine discharging its precious cargo is sublime, with Henderson’s lighting achieving a breathtaking theatrical contrast.

A cast of five executes a multiplicity of roles with astonishing dexterity. Sumpton, Carey and Hanna-Williams are all strong in their respective parts, but it is Andrews who dominates as both Hester and the oleaginous coroner Spilsbury, while Monk’s Fleming outrageously steals every scene she inhabits.

Trying to decode the success of this show is virtually impossible. It is a James Bond-style caper crossed with Wodehousian farce; modern musical theatre blended with quintessentially English eccentricity, performed with absurdist flair reminiscent of The League of Gentlemen. By turns funny, charming, mad, sad and uplifting, its appeal is universal.

Another five-star review to add to the pile.

The entire run in Salford is sold-out. Check box office daily for returns. Lowry

Reviewer: Paul Wilcox

Reviewed: 24^th February 2026

North West End UK Rating: