Operation Mincemeat. Book, music, and lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts . Directed by Robert Hastie. Choreography by Jenny Arnold. Set and costume design by Ben Stones. Lighting design by Mark Henderson. Sound design by Mike Walker. Orchestrations by Steve Sidwell. Music director and supervisor Joe Bunker. Music coordinator Kristy Norter. Resident director and choreographer Tara Young.
Cast: David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone, and Zoë Roberts.
Theater: John Golden Theatre
Tickets: Telecharge.com

Jak Malone and Zoë Roberts Photo by Julieta Cervantes

The actual plan depicted here, which was ultimately successful enough to mislead Herr Hitler about a pending military action, was also called Operation Mincemeat. It was all captured in a 2010 book and documentary film, and a decade later in a feature movie. All of these treated the story as a straight-up war drama. And that's where things stood until the British comedy company SplitLip, the self-declared "makers of big, dumb musicals," got hold of it and created Operation Mincemeat, the musical that began life at the 2019 London Fringe before going on to several more expansive and increasingly successful productions.

There's still an air of fringiness to the venture, and it is a bit bloated, taking quite a lot of time in the first act to get its footing before finally soaring like a runaway balloon, happily taking the coalition of the willing along for the ride through to the glitzy fantasy ending.

The entire enterprise comes off as a jerry-rigged hybrid of leftover parts from Monty Python and Forbidden Broadway sketches (including Ben Stones' set and costume design), as well as Spy vs. Spy comic strips, songs that are styled after Hamilton and Six, and James Bond spoofs (particularly since Bond's creator Ian Fleming is one of the characters in the show). If your memory takes you back to the parody production of The 39 Steps, that would also be a predecessor.

The Cast Photo by Julieta Cervantes

Getting there is half the fun, as they say. And the "getting there" part is a hoot, thanks to a splendid five-person cast, three of whom are members of SplitLip and are responsible, along with a fourth non-performing member, for the book, music and lyrics. Playing multiple roles are David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts (the non-performing creator is Felix Hagan). They are joined in the shenanigans by Claire-Marie Hall and Jak Malone, both of whom also juggle several roles.

Part of the fun is, of course, watching the quick-changing performers (the farcical direction is by the aptly named Robert Hastie), who often swap genders along the way without batting an eyelash. But there is a lot more going on here, especially when you realize that the main characters represent actual participants in British Intelligence (though, presumably, the quirkiness that comes out is all courtesy of SplitLip). David Cumming, in particular, is a delight as Charles Cholmondeley, the actual M15 intelligence officer who came up with the general scheme in the first place. He is the one who keeps dropping bon mots like the one about the newt in the opening paragraph. If the show catches on, I suspect so will this Monty Pythonesque line.

But the truly surprising thing about Operation Mincemeat is that, at its heart, it actually has a heart. The biggest round of applause at the performance I attended (and likely at every performance) comes in response to an unexpectedly moving number sung by Jak Malone, who plays a strait-laced M15 secretary (based, again, on a real participant in the actual Operation Mincemeat). The song occurs as everyone is attempting to make their pretend soldier into as real a person as possible in order to fool the Germans. So stuffed into his pocket will be a supposed letter from his sweetheart. As Malone sings the words to the letter, it is a truly touching, near show-stopping moment. Amidst all of the goofy performances, this one stands out as the most memorable; and, indeed, Malone received an acting Olivier for the portrayal.

That's the thing about Operation Mincemeat. If you pay attention, you'll see there is much more than what on the surface might be thought of as just another of SplitLip's "big, dumb musicals." On one level, it is that. But it is also a sly, witty, and heartfelt take on a moment in history. In keeping with that perspective, we'll give a final salute, as does the show, to Glyndwr Michael. Look him up. And, oh, in case you were wondering, a newt does have an anus.