Operation Mincemeat
Playing at Golden Theatre
Musical or play? Musical
Lottery or Rush Tickets? $49.00 In Person Rush, $59.00 Digital Rush, and $49.00 Digital Lottery
What I Paid: $79.00
My Rating: ★★★★ 1/2
Official Website: https://operationbroadway.com/
Operation Mincemeat is the 2024 Olivier Award-winning Best New Musical , and 2025 Tony Award® Winner for Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Jak Malone)!
The year is 1943 and right now we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse. Bursting at the seams with the kind of chaos you couldn’t invent, the question is: how did a dead body, a fake love letter, and-of all people-Ian Fleming come together to wrong-foot Hitler?
REVIEW
Despite the high praise I kept hearing for Operation Mincemeat, I honestly wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this British musical about a real-life World War II secret mission. Luckily, the good word-of-mouth and the cast’s performance at this year’s Tony Awards convinced me to head to the Golden Theatre during my recent trip to New York City, and I ended up having an incredible night at the theatre.
In addition to the daily rush and lottery options available for discounted tickets, there is a monthly draw on the Operation Mincemeat website. You can enter your email and receive a coupon code to buy tickets for $79.00. I purchased a seat in Orchestra Center in Row C at this price, which was amazing because the face value of the ticket is $199.00. I absolutely loved sitting up close to the stage, as the actors have a powerful stage presence that is instantly captivating.
Speaking of which, don’t let this cast of five actors fool you – they are each playing several characters! Not only do they all have amazing vocals, but their acting ability is incredible. You can see the physical transformation take place when they switch characters. It’s really quite impressive! I especially loved when David Cumming would go from the shy and awkward Charles Cholmondeley to one of his other roles. The switch was immediate and noticeable, allowing the audience to follow the story even if the action is constantly on-the-go.
Moreover, what I love most about Operation Mincemeat is the energy. The show is replete with upbeat and fun songs that are downright goofy (All the Ladies is a personal favorite!). Yet the show leaves room for truly heartfelt moments, such as Dear Bill sung by Jak Malone, which brought me to tears. Operation Mincemeat doesn’t take itself seriously, but it still leaves room to tell this story respectfully. For instance, I connected with the character of Jean Leslie (Claire-Marie Hall), who just wants her intelligence to be useful in a male-dominated workplace. Plus, I have to be honest, I love anything that has a boy band parody moment!
The set itself is functional yet not over-the-top. I see the set as more of a tool for the actors to tell the story to the audience, rather than just being decorative. There are cleverly placed doors, maps, and phones, for example, that allow for smooth transitions between scenes. Yet an elaborate set is not needed for Operation Mincemeat with the focus of the musical being the actors themselves.
At the end of the day, I left the theatre with a big smile on my face wanting to immediately go down a Google rabbit hole to learn about the real Operation Mincemeat. There are few experiences that make me think “this is theatre” when the curtain falls, and this show accomplishes that easily. Do I think this show is for everyone? No, I think more traditional theatergoers may not understand nor appreciate the comedy of the show, especially considering the topic. Yet if you are looking for a fresh take on a historical story that is told in a unique way, I highly recommend this show. This is certainly one that I would not hesitate to repeat attend.
STAGE DOOR
The Stage Door at the Golden Theatre is directly to your left when you exit. There were barricades set up, and the cast quickly began trickling out to sign Playbills and take selfies with those who asked. All five actors came out to sign (FYI – I saw understudy Amanda Jill Robinson go on for the roles typically played by Zoë Roberts) , and they were all so nice and down to earth. The audience members were also very respectful, and it was fun to hear that many of the fans have seen the show multiple times to try to catch all the understudies! We also got to say hi to some of the actors from The Outsiders, who walked by from the Jacobs Theatre next door.