Operation Mincemeat – Victoria Theatre, Halifax and Touring

Jamie-Rose Monk in Operation Mincemeat at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax and Touring. Picture: Matt Crockett

Operation Mincemeat was reviewed at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax where it continues until 31 October 2026. The production continues touring until 20 November 2027.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

SpitLip’s mission behind the much acclaimed, award-winning musical Operation Mincemeat is never, in the words of one of the show’s catchiest songs, to make a man; it is to remake a man. There has been an image in popular culture of strong masculinity blended with Etonian patriotism credited with winning the Second World War. This misses the diverse range of people who all contributed to the victory, something this creative musical (with direction from Robert Hastie) shows in abundance.

Never has there been a more varied team than Ewen Montagu (Holly Sumpton), Charles Cholmondeley (Morgan Phillips), Hester Leggatt (Christian Andrews) and Jean Leslie (Charlotte Hanna-Williams) who work around the clock in 1943 to divert the Germans from Sicily with a corpse carrying misleading documents. Montagu tries to take home the glory, but Sumpton’s shrewd portrayal of the aforementioned British male highlights a lack of substance that a range of minds have to compensate for.

Cholmondeley is the polar opposite, having the brains but not the bravado as Phillips shows with his quick-as-a-whippet wrong delivery when pitching ‘Operation Mincemeat’. His timid rendition of ’Dead in the Water’ shows he is not the stereotypical man, but his powerful mind lays the foundation for a game-changing plan. Women also play an equal role in the success, something Hanna-Williams asserts with cool confidence in her rendition of ‘Useful’ that is reminiscent of Beverley’s iconic breakout moment in Come From Away, ‘Me and the Sky’.

Details of Leggatt’s life being lost in history are a prime example of how male dominated memories of the period have become. Andrews does not demand attention; instead, his sparing rendition of Leggatt’s ingenious letters (flourished with ethereal falsetto) makes audiences want to know more of this unsung heroine. The convincing gender swapping of the leads adds a layer of satire, as well as, in Leggatt’s case, importantly symbolising the unshakable impact of those who are authentic to themselves.

The piece is all about history and humour, chucking in just the right amount of laugh-out-loud, slapstick moments; many of these feature fifth cast member Jamie-Rose Monk. She comes into her own in Act II when taking on the role of Francis Haselden, chaotically twisting up telephones and suitcases as the mission stands on the brink of collapse. She also makes a spiffing James Bond creator Ian Fleming, although his link to the action could be clearer.

The score boasts a few ironic earworms like the opening ‘Born to Lead’. Elsewhere, the mix of rap, cabaret and disco is particularly effectively in Act I’s finale ‘Just for Tonight’.

The recognition of Glyndwr Michael, the Welsh homeless man who struggled with poor mental health and was given a new identity as the fictitious soldier Major William Martin, is a poignant finishing touch. He is not recast as a stereotypically masculine man; instead, he is celebrated for who he is and what he brings to ‘Operation Mincemeat’. It is a fitting way to underscore the diversity at the heart of the musical, rounding off an intelligent production that will leave audiences thinking as well as in stitches.

William Keeling