Operation Mincemeat – Very British, Very Funny, Very Broadway

May 8, 2025 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Two Sues on the Aisle, Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston

Operation Mincemeat (nominated for 4 Tony Awards) is a musical comedy that transports the audience to 1943 Britain. It is based loosely on a real incident, where M15, British Intelligence Officers are asked for a plan that would convince Hitler to move the 100,000 German troops stationed in Sicily. They came up with a scheme involving a corpse carrying classified documents that would wash up on a beach in Spain, where the German agents would be informed. This plan, called Operation Mincemeat, changed the trajectory of the war.

This historical fiction shows that sometimes the truth can be more unbelievable than fantasy. Give it a comic touch, include some glitz, sprinkle in some subplots, and you have a Broadway hit.

Natasha Hodgson, David Cumming, Zoe Roberts, Zak Mallone and Claire-Marie Hall

Operation Mincemeat is a fast-paced hilarious musical written by the multitalented SpitLip team (Natasha Hodgson, David Cumming and Zoe Roberts) who star in the show alongside Zak Mallone and Claire-Marie Hall (The orginal cast from the British stage where this show originated). The show starts with a bit of history and a touch of bureaucratic incompetence. Then add authentic English accents, sprinkle in wit and creativity, and they produced an original musical comedy fit for Broadway.

The Real Story

Operation Mincemeat placed documents about Allied operations in the Mediterranean into the hands of German Military Intelligence and misled them regarding the target of the intended invasion of Italy. The British convinced the Nazi’s of the credibility of the information, through deception, using the corpse of “William Martin,” a Marine officer carrying secret documents and personal items.

Martin’s body was found by a fisherman, and the documents were copied and sent to Germany revealing that the British were preparing to invade Sardinia, rather than Sicily, and the Nazis fell for it hook, line and sinker.

You just can’t make this stuff up, especially when you don’t have to. The basis for Operation Mincemeat, the plot, characters, and events, were all historically accurate, while the situations and dialogues were fabricated and funny. The plot is straight forward, make a plan, find a corpse, give him a history, along with secret documents and let the Nazis discover him. But it was not as simple as you’d think to locate a body without a background. A shady coroner located the corpse of a nameless homeless man, who they let wash ashore.

Sounds like a plot from James Bond; Ian Fleming was a MI5 intelligence officer during the war.

The plan was developed by geeky Charles Cholmondeley “Chumly” (David Cumming) a scientist (and newt expert) who is pushed to the back of the line and unable to pitch his own idea. Glib, self-important Ewan Montagu (Natasha Hodgson) presents the idea to Johnny Bevan (Zoe Roberts), their lackluster commanding officer. They were assisted by Jean Leslie (Claire-Marie Hall) from the secretarial pool, who wanted to do more than serve tea, and Hester Leggatt (Jak Malone), Bevan’s proper spinsterly assistant.

Sounds simple? It’s not, this production is complicated. The spunky five-member cast took on multiple roles, 87 in all, becoming submarine sailors, showgirls, undertakers, and dancing Nazis, fluidly changing characters (and genders), often mid-song. Their energy was amazing, carrying the show, captivating the audience, and ending with a glitzy finale.

Full of Laughs with Moments of Realism

Ostensibly a comedy, the show includes serious segments, exploring the rules of war and lax morals. Montagu pushes the limits between acceptable behavior, bending the rules, and taking advantage of situations. These behaviors make it possible to suspect him of being a double agent.

The show pauses to pay tribute to the dead homeless man, Glyndwr Michael, whose body was used as the drowned officer ‘William Martin’. In another sobering scene the MI5 team attempts to write a love letter, Hester steps forward to show them how it should be done. She sings “Dear Bill,” revealing how war had taken someone dear from her. Although they make light of the situation, they do not minimize the realities of war or the nature of the commanders who are “Born to Lead” to poke fun at the bureaucracy.

Operation Mincemeat is the fast-paced, hilarious, and unbelievable true story of the secret mission that left us laughing. The lyrics and music are clever; their antics are slapstick and silly. This is a musical with spies, movie producers, and double agents, played by a team of talented writer-performers. Operation Mincemeat is not to be missed.

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, book, or exhibit being reviewed.

Operation Mincemeat received a 5 Challah rating