Operation Mincemeat

The most lauded show of 2023, Spitlip's comedy musical has become beloved by audiences, yet sadly for me it failed to impress. There's a playful joviality to the writing and undoubtedly some stellar creative work, but the show fails to rise above the status of daft pastiche; while its a fun night at the theatre, unfortunately it has little more to offer than that.

'We write big, dumb musicals' claim Spitlip - the comedy quartet behind Operation Mincemeat - and they certainly deliver on that, for better and for worse. Big? The show's elaborate staging is brilliantly impressive and although small in scale, the show certainly makes up for it with a massive helping of heart. Dumb? To call the writing here 'dumb' would be a disservice to the witty lyrics and often effective comedy. Although at the end of the day, the whole thing can be said to be rather 'dumb' in its final result; of course it is - it's a show about a ridiculous World War 1 spy mission for god's sake - however, this results in a show that feels somewhat inconsequential and pointless.

It's blindingly evident that there is some brilliant writing on show here, and Spitlip spend the 2 hour runtime flexing their knack for witty rhymes and humour. Herein lies problem with Operation Mincemeat: it's almost too clever. Lyrics fly by so rapidly that constant concentration (or repeat viewings) are a necessity to catch every joke and piece of dialogue, which makes for a draining experience at times rather than an enjoyable one. An awful lot is thrown at the wall, and admittedly a lot of great qualities stick, however in the process its audience must sit through reams of excessive writing being hurled at them, losing some of the impact of the elements of the show that do actually shine.

The show is at its best when it leans entirely into farcical parody; the act two opener Das Übermensch in which the cast appear in full Nazi get up and deliver a Euro-Electronic rave number is the clear standout of the show, with some shockingly hilarious choreography and blinding lighting by Mark Henderson. Similarly, its Glitzy Finale was also a wonderful surprise with it entirely living up to its name: the show pulls out every single stop, wowing with both a ridiculous amount of costume changes and a set design by Ben Stones that surprises until the very last moment. It's a trifle sad, however, that this level of elaborate set design is withheld until the closing moments of the show - while it makes for a brilliant surprise, the rest of the show feels slightly static by comparison, instead relying on the brilliance of the actors to create a sense of place and setting.

On the topic of the acting, it is the cast of five that truly make this show the success that it is, and the ensemble energy and chemistry on stage is brilliantly tangible. It makes for a brilliantly cohesive show in which each actor is completely codependent on the supporting talent of the others on stage, and between the five, there really isn't a single weak link. The characterisation is particularly impressive with an abundance of clever gender-bending multi-rolling; this is achieved through minimal physical changes, and rather a skillful knack for physical acting and manipulation of the voice, making each character entirely clear. While this is entirely an ensemble show, it is Natasha Hodgeson in the role of Ewen Montagu who is given most to work with in the script, and she entirely owns the role with charm and charisma, and gave my favourite comedic performance of the show. Unfortunately, as with much of the comedy in Operation Mincemeat, the humour of Hodgeson's macho and overly masculine MI5 agent begins to wane and by mid act 2 the punchline begins to feel a little worn.

The comedy in this show certainly has its audience - the show has quickly developed a highly dedicated fanbase that proves that many do love this style of writing - however, I wasn't sold. The musical finds most of its humour from the mere fact that it's 'silly'; there's little in the way of laugh out loud jokes or one-liners, but more mildly amusing scenarios and concepts that after a while become slightly lukewarm in their effect. There were moments when I did find this show funny, yet on the whole, moments of levity felt more like an acknowledgement that something funny had occurred, rather than an involuntary reaction of laughter.

Operation Mincemeat perfectly executes what it sets out to achieve with flying colours, but unfortunately it aims to achieve both too much and too little. For all its technical prowess - slick direction, impressive quick changes and a set with tricks up its sleeve - it becomes hard to appreciate amid the mental gymnastics trying to follow, all while leaving little thought provoking impact in its wake: the result is a show that feels more shallow than the fabricated soldier its story explores.

Operation Mincemeat is currently running at the Fortune Theatre until 4th November

https://www.operationmincemeat.com/

[Watched 11/07/23]

Photography credit: Matt Crockett