OPERATION MINCEMEAT – A NEW MUSICAL THE ORIGINAL LONDON CAST RECORDING

TO BE RELEASED ON MAY 12^TH VIA SONY MUSIC – PRE-ORDER HERE

LISTEN TO THE TRACK SAIL ON, BOYS HERE

“A miraculous musical that tells the entire story in a kind of accelerated farce that is part Mel Brooks, part SIX, part Hamilton with a side order of One Man, Two Guvnors.” ★★★★★
Neil Norman, The Daily Mirror

“This is the musical you didn’t know you needed… a little show with a very big future.”
David Benedict, Variety

The album is launched alongside the new track Sail On, Boys. Fans were invited to vote for their four favourite songs which would be released ahead of the album, with Sail On, Boys following the first track God That’s Brilliant. Two additional fan favourites, All the Ladies and Das Übermensch, will be released soon.

News of the album release arrives as the musical started previewing at the West End’s Fortune Theatre last Friday, ahead of a limited 8-week run beginning on 9^th May, following thirty-three hugely successful years of The Woman In Black.

Produced by Grammy Award winning and Tony, Emmy, Olivier award nominated Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Musical, Broadway & Aldwych Theatre), the highly anticipated album includes recordings from the 2023 Off-West End awardwinning cast, David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone and Zoë Roberts, alongside the esteemed in-house band.

Following five sold-out development runs at the New Diorama Theatre in 2019 and Southwark Playhouse in 2020, 2021 & 2022, plus an extended Riverside Studios run last summer, Operation Mincemeat is back.

The year is 1943 and we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse.

Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Noel Coward meets Noel Fielding, Operation Mincemeat is the fast-paced, hilarious and unbelievable true story of the twisted secret mission that won us World War II. The question is, how did a well-dressed corpse wrong-foot Hitler?

2023 Olivier Award nominated Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre) is director, following providing directorial support for the Riverside Studios run, while Olivier Award nominated Jenny Arnold (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) continues as choreographer. Also from Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the National Theatre on the creative team are: 2023 Olivier Award nominated  Ben Stones (Sylvia, The Old Vic) as set and costume designer, Tony Award, six-time Olivier Award and Bafta Award winning Mark Henderson (Girl From the North Country, Broadway & Noël Coward Theatre) as lighting designer and Olivier Award winning Mike Walker (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) as sound designer. Grammy Award winning and Tony, Emmy, Olivier award nominated Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Musical, Broadway & Aldwych Theatre) is orchestrator and vocal arranger. Georgie Staight is Associate Director.                     
Operation Mincemeat won The Stage Debut award for Best Composer/Lyricist, the Off-West End award for Best Musical Production and Best Company Ensemble and following the first New Diorama Theatre run was listed in The Observer’s Top 10 shows of the year and most recently was listed in The Independent’s Top 15 shows of the year.  The show is currently featured in the V&A’s Re:Imagining Musicals display, exploring how musicals have continuously reimagined, reinvented and reinterpreted themselves over time.

Operation Mincemeat is written and composed by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts, who form SpitLip. The show is presented in the West End by Avalon (in association with SpitLip), who have supported since the Southwark Playhouse runs.

The show was commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, co-commissioned by The Lowry, and supported by the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat with additional support from Avalon.

Tickets are on General Sale now from the Official Box Office at OperationMincemeat.com. Priority access to the best seats is available via the official mailing list.

 Operation Mincemeat – A New Musical (Original London Cast Record) Tracklisting 

1.Born To Lead
2.God That’s Brilliant
3.Dead in the Water
4.All the Ladies
5.The Pitch
6.Making a Man
7.Dear Bill
8.Sail on, Boys
9.Just for Tonight
10.Das Ubermensch 
11.Bevan’s Update
12.The Ballad of Willie Watkins
13.Spilsbury Reprise 
14.Useful
15.Act as If
16.Did We Do It?
17.A Glitzy Finale 

“But whoof! It blew the roof clean off. Hoots and tears welcomed this ingenious, touching musical. Taut lyrics, vintage gags, a wild tale and tunes that followed me out into the night air, in hums and whistles. Perfection… An artisanal masterpiece”★★★★★
Luke Jones, The Daily Mail

“A masterclass of macabre musical comedy, masterfully performed.” ★★★★★
Tim Bano, The Stage 

“Madcap and utterly marvellous…This taut and tiny production roars in the face of bloated West End blockbusters. An Absolute triumph.” ★★★★★
Stefan Kyriazis, The Sunday Express

“the stage show’s comic power rests in its ability to subvert expectation and provide a revisionist commentary on the establishment figures”
Emma John, The Observer

“a buzz louder than a doodlebug surrounds Operation Mincemeat…a kind of genius declares itself”
Dominic Cavendish, The Daily Telegraph

“actors hurl themselves into the frenetic fray, multitasking with little more than a few strings of telephone wire and some clever lyrics…Amid many breathless japes there is a beautiful song about lost love, Dear Bill.”  ★★★★
Quentin Letts, The Sunday Times

“A dazzling musical masterpiece… Ingenious, inventive, a brilliant role-swapping cast, great songs, and the true story of a macabre MI5 plot against the Nazis. What more do you want…this ceaselessly inventive musical scarcely puts a foot wrong: get booking, on the double” ★★★★
Sam Marlowe, The i

“as daring as it is comic… a staggeringly high-energy explosion… It has all the subtlety of an M4 Sherman tank crashing its way from one sketch to the next – and is all the better for it… a totally brilliant musical… funnier than Hamilton… exceptional.”★★★★
Isobel Lewis, The Independent

“A finely varied score, and lyrics that shame most big musicals.” ★★★★
Susannah Clapp, The Observer 

“Few theatrical success stories have been more heartening than the rise and rise of this quirky musical… a snappy production… high comedy mixed with some genuinely touching moments”
Hugh Montgomery, Metro

“Right now, it’s Operation Mincemeat that has people talking. With a huge number of 5* reviews the fast-paced, hilarious production centres around the most bizarre true story you’ve ever heard.”
Daniella Scott, Cosmopolitan

“surprising depths… deliciously rackety…takes you by surprise at every turn, with many clever ideas that come off”  
Nick Curtis, The Evening Standard

“less a ripping yarn than one entirely torn to shreds.” ★★★★
Holly Williams, Time Out 

“an absolute must-see” ★★★★★
Chris Selman, Gay Times

“SpitLip could go stratospheric. Operation Mincemeat has proved to be one of the most exciting musical theatre debuts in decades.” 
The Stage

“currently killing it at Southwark Playhouse”  
Lyn Gardner, Stagedoor

“Move over Hamilton and Six. There’s a new historical musical in town and it’s creating ripples…the West End needs to take notice ASAP.” ★★★★★
Cindy Marcolina, Broadway World

“This production has a heart of gold. West End impresarios should check it out immediately.”  
Lloyd Evans, The Spectator 

★★★★★
Neil Norman, Daily Express

★★★★★
Stefan Kyriazis, The Sunday Mirror

“Glows with theatrical invention and delivers laughs by the gallon. Unmissable.” ★★★★★
Alex Wood, WhatsOnStage 

“musical theatre heaven” ★★★★★
Craig Glenday, Musical Theatre Review

“Showcases the utterly bonkers plot in the most fantastical way… cannot recommend it enough – perfectly cast… beyond doubt one of the most brilliant, funny, captivating shows with proper laugh-out-loud moments… you won’t be disappointed”
Zara Janjua, The Sun

Listings Information 

Official Box Office
www.OperationMincemeat.com

Venue
Fortune Theatre
Russell Street
London
WC2B 5HH

Nearest Tube: Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line)

Performances
OPERATION MINCEMEAT
Previews from 31^st March
9^th /10^th May (press nights) – 8^th July
Monday to Wednesdays at 7.30pm
Thursday to Saturdays at 8pm
Tuesday and Saturday Matinees at 3pm

See venue website for full schedule.

Ticket Prices
£19.50-£79.50
Group rate available for every show – please visit website for further details.

Keep up to date on social media
Twitter/ Instagram: @MincemeatLive @spitlip #OperationMincemeat #GodThatsBrilliant @FortuneTheatre1

CREDITS 

Book, Music and Lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, Zöe Roberts

Cast
David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone, Zoe Roberts, Gerri Allan, Christian Andrews, Sean Carey, Holly Sumpton