Superfans of Operation Mincemeat who uncovered the truth about unsung heroine Hester May Leggatt are being rewarded with the unveiling of a plaque in her honour at of the award-winning musical’s West End home, the Fortune Theatre.
Based on the extraordinary true story of Operation Mincemeat during the Second World War, has garnered widespread acclaim for its portrayal of the elaborate scheme widely attributed to Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley. However, little was known about one of the other protagonists, MI5 secretary Hester May Leggatt, portrayed on-stage by Jak Malone, Christian Andrews and Seán Carey.
Intrigued by Hester’s story, superfans (known as Mincefluencers) launched the #FindingHester project to search for information about the mysterious Hester. By delving into resources at the National Archives and the Imperial War Museum, the fans’ collective efforts uncovered addresses, handwriting samples, work history, photographs, birth certificate, school records and even piano exam results, in order to provide a comprehensive view of the life of Hester May Murray Leggatt.
A performance in August this year in front of an audience in which fans were dressed as their favourite characters (including one of Montagu’s grandchildren, Saul Montagu, dressed as Cholmondeley) coincided with the letter by ‘Mincefluencer’ Erin Edwards from MI5, confirming Hester May Murray Leggatt’s service in the security services during wartime.
Commenting on their fans’ dedication to uncovering Hester’s story the musical’s creators, SpitLip said: “We were captivated by the mystery of Hester Leggatt from the moment we came across her. Try as we might though, we couldn’t unearth the details of her life. The real identity of Hester Leggatt fell, once again, into the background. That might have been the end of the story, were it not for our show’s community. Where we let the facts fall back into the shadows, they rolled up their sleeves and said ‘let’s go’. They found her.”
One of the key contributors to the project, barrister Greg Callus said: “Operation Mincemeat succeeded because they managed to create an entirely fake person who was wholly believable from just a few fragments of pocket litter and documents. We all had great fun doing the exact reverse: finding and fleshing-out a very real woman from just the fragments of documentary evidence that her life had left behind. It was a joy to be a part of such a wonderful group of people, whose shared passion and care and diligence got so much done so quickly.”
Malone, who plays Leggatt on stage, added: “The commitment, energy and enthusiasm of our fans has left me awed, inspired and immensely proud. Due to their efforts, the real Hester finally has the recognition she so rightly deserves and I’m simply elated. I first built my portrayal of Hester based on scraps of information and thanks to our fans now I’ve been presented with this fully fleshed out person with such a rich, full life and It’s been a blessing.”
The researchers who helped uncover the truth about Hester are: Annabel Rose, Ben Caligari, Bram de Buyser, Claudia Caplan, Caitlin DeAngelis, Dave Baxter, Elinor Quick, Erin Edwards, Gail Bishop, Greg Callus, Hûw Steer, Jack Lawrence, Jan Schneider, Jenny Murray, Jessie Honnor, Kathy Bolt, Maayan Shir, Misha Anker, Philippa Peall, Rachel Pantrey, Rose Crossgrove, Sarah Haynes, Sharon O’Connor, Silvia Lemos, Sophie Message and Valeria Oliveira.
Recently extended for a sixth time with performances at the Fortune Theatre now planned through to 15 June 2024, the critic and audience-pleasing show began sold-out preview performances at the Fortune Theatre on 29 March this year.
The show’s West End debut run follows on from five sold-out development runs in London at the New Diorama Theatre in 2019 and Southwark Playhouse in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and an extended run the Riverside Studios last summer. The production has already garnered 65 five-star reviews.
Described as Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Operation Mincemeat was co-commissioned by the New Diorama Theatre in London and The Lowry in Salford. The show won The Stage Debut Award for Best Composer/Lyricist and the Off-West End Award for Best Company Ensemble and was listed in The Observer’s Top 10 shows of 2019. The musical is written and composed by 2023 Stage Debut Award ‘Best creative West End debut’ nominated SpitLip – David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts.
Presented in the West End by Avalon in association with SpitLip, the innovative take on a strange but true story of a secret mission in the Second World War, was created by SpitLip’s David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson and Zöe Roberts along with Felix Hagan.
The 2023 Off-West End Best Musical award-winning cast of David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone and Zoë Roberts are joined in the West End by Seán Carey (returning from the Riverside Studios run), Geri Allan, Christian Andrews and Holly Sumpton.
Angela Thomas
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.