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BrumHour saw Operation Mincemeat at the invite of The Alexandra.
By Dave Massey
Operation Mincemeat at The Alexandra: Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”An electric retelling of history”
Directed by Robert Hastie, book, music and lyrics David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts
Charles (Seán Carey) has a plan to distract the German Operations in World War II by planting a corpse in Spain, Montagu (Holly Sumpton) is desperate to take all the credit and flirt with Jean (Charlotte Hanna-Williams), all under the watchful eye of Hester (Jordan Pearson) and with the permission of Bevan (Jamie-Rose Monk).
This comedy musical tells the story of a real-life World War II operation by British intelligence, largely from a storytelling point of view. There are songs throughout, and we explore the characters through some elements of the real-life people portrayed.
The songs are bold and cover a range of modern and contemporary music styles. They range from heartfelt and thoughtful to brash and bold, a veritable train ride of emotional range. The set is a three-sided box with lighting to highlight rooms as the story changes. There are hidden doors all over the space and particularly in the rear walls.
Everyone scene steals this throughout, as it is larger than life and very brash as a story. I think some people who already know what Operation Mincemeat is as a history fact will be challenged by the style of this production, but it is very fun and certainly was a fresh view on history.
An electric retelling of history, Operation Mincemeat is at The Alexandra until 16th May 2026. Book tickets here: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/operation-mincemeat-a-new-musical/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham.
