Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Book, Music & Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, Zoë Roberts
Director: Robert Hastie
“Militantly Magnificent“
5 / 5
~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub ~
Fortune Theatre was home to The Woman in Black from 1989 to 2023 but has now been impeccably invaded by the most militantly magnificent British musical: Operation Mincemeat. So, stand to attention and get yourself onto the front line (of the audience), because this is an absolute must-watch.
This brilliantly British musical created by production company SpitLip, follows the story of the bizarre truth behind Operation Mincemeat – a plan devised by British Intelligence in 1943, to tactically deceive German soldiers about their next move in an attempt to gain the upper hand during the war. A plan with so many moving parts and morally ambiguous methods should never have made it off the ground, yet not only was it implemented, but it was successful in diverting Hitler’s troops away from Sicily and into Sardinia, all thanks to Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley’s cunning plan. While this fascinating story featuring a corpse, falsified documents and an eccentrically elaborate idea has already been adapted into two movies – this show is in a complete class of its own with its comedic spin, witty script and modern musical numbers.
David Cumming (Charles Cholmondeley/Others), Natasha Hodgson (Ewen Montagu/Others), Zoë Roberts (Johnny Bevan/Haselden/Ian Fleming/Others) and Felix Hagan (Orchestration) are the brains behind the production, their passion and imagination evident in their portrayals of the characters they clearly enjoyed embellishing. Joining them on stage are the excellent Jak Malone (Hester Leggett/Bernard Spilsbury/Others) and Claire-Marie Hall (Jean Leslie/Steve/Others). This fantastic cast of five are all incredibly impressive performers, each immensely perfect in their roles with not a fault to be found. The high energy production, directed by Robert Hastie and choreographed by Jenny Arnold, requires each cast member play multiple characters, often one after the other in very quick succession, but their transitions are so seamless that you’d easily believe there are at least 10 other cast members on stage with them.
David Cumming is a born performer, his comedic timing and physically demanding characters impressively performed. Bringing the geeky awkwardness of Cholmondeley to life, he hilariously delivers the farcical fabulousness in abundance. Natasha Hodgson’s portrayal of Montagu is hysterically accurate of an egotistical, public-school chap, her mannerisms a perfected to a tee and easily deserving of the constant laughter and cheers from the audience. Jak Malone excels in his roles, whether it’s conman Spilsbury or primly proper Hester, he finds the required balance with ease, notably delivering the emotive Dear Bill song with beautiful delicacy, an unexpected yet welcome ballad in the midst of the comedy. Zoë Roberts has multiple songs throughout that require fast-paced, tounge-twisting deliverance, which she never falters on. Her performance as bumbling expat Haselden is ridiculously funny, and her performance during the Spanish autopsy scenes is muy bueno. Claire-Marie Hall has got an amazing singing voice, her stunning vocals shining through during each song she performs, wowing the audience with her powerful performance skills and showcasing her exceptional talent.
Hodgson’s Montagu and Malone’s Hester are examples of one of many gender-fluid casting choices that are prevalent throughout the show, injecting yet another layer of refreshing originality combined with traditional brilliance. Set and costume designer Ben Stones ensures that every single character absolutely embodies the role to perfection, with the big finale going above and beyond any and all expectations as to how much more impressive the show could become. The quick fire conclusion of the fate of each character, the culmination of the story and the success of the plan is packaged up in big glitzy deliveries that once again prove this is one for the history books.
Creating a show that is incredibly clever, hysterically well written, full of catchy musical numbers, choreographed to perfection and flawlessly performed, is a near impossible to pull off mission not unlike the original Operation Mincemeat itself. SpitLip are creative geniuses – their historically hilarious show will undoubtedly have a long, successful future ahead of it, some musicals are born to follow, this one is definitely born to lead.
RatedReviewed 