Operation Mincemeat
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
until 8th August 2026
88 Five Star Reviews? Quite a claim. Especially for a musical comedy with a cast of only five, set in wartime. Here is a spoiler, Theatre South East gave the West End Show one of those 5* reviews back in 2023. Was a new reviewer, different cast and a touring company going to make a difference to our scores on the doors?
Operation Mincemeat is based on a true story about wartime espionage and deception. Desperate to thwart Nazi plans in Europe a complicated yet ingenious plan is cooked up by Charles Cholmondeley of MI5 to divert Hitler’s attention from Sicily to nearby Sardinia. His method? To plant a dead body complete with a entirely new fictious identity carrying false British papers into the hands of the enemy.
The book, music and lyrics are written by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson & Zoe Roberts. It is testament to their writing that they can turn a deadly serious topic, one with repercussions that changed the course of WWII into what is essentially a slapstick musical. On paper it shouldn’t work, but somehow despite all the fast paced, irreverent humour, it does…it really does!
Many of the cast on the opening night in Eastbourne were reprising their West End roles, and it showed. They executed every moment with expert and choreographed precision – every nuance and mannerism was perfection. The crack team is led by Holly Sumpton who brings glorious arrogance and overconfidence to Ewen Montagu. Sean Carey is superb as the bumbling Charles Cholmondely, the pair are ably assisted Hester Leggat and Jean Leslie, played by Christian Andrews and Charlotte Hanna-Williams. The fifth cast member Jamie-Rose Monk delivers a sharp commanding turn as Johnny Bevan, the high ranking officer the team have to report too.
It doesn’t stop there; between them the cast play between 20-30 characters, switching seemlessly between guises with the help of clever, props and Mark Henderson‘s perfectly judged lighting changes. Robert Hastie‘s direction and Jenny Arnold‘s choreography is sublime.
The songs were deliciously catchy and stole cheekily from many musical genres for extra entertainment. There’s rap, musical theatre, pop, rock and just as you were least expecting it, a beautiful heartfelt ballad that stopped the show (bravo Christian Andrews).
Operation Mincemeat is fast paced and totally bonkers and I loved every minute. It is one of those theatrical experiences you could see ten times and still hear or see something new. Darn it, I was really trying to be critical, but I can’t. It seems yet another reviewer has fallen under its spell.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reviewer Sammi O’Neill