Operation Mincemeat has arrived in Stoke and what an incredible musical it is! 

Full of glitz, intrigue, madcap farce and exuberant energy, this is a production like no other which centres around a true story that beggars belief.

Having won numerous awards globally, the musical is set during wartime Britain - 1943 to be exact, and revolves around the need for the allies to do something significant to turn the tide of the war in their favour before Hitler becomes the victor, and all is lost. Luckily, Britain had a secret weapon, the Twenty Committee, established by MI5.

Operation Mincemeat tells the story of five individuals within MI5 who penned a plan to fool the Nazis with a bizarre and unsavoury strategy involving a dead body with fake papers planted in German waters.  

With a storyline heavy on realism - and much of it not pleasant, it would be easy to imagine this musical to be serious and sombre when in fact it is breathtakingly funny, crazily chaotic and smashingly hilarious. The pace is phenomenal and the narrative clever and utterly engaging.  It is a mix of eccentric British humour and outlandish vaudeville entertainment.  This is a show that needs to be seen to be understood and, judging by the audience at the Regent Theatre last night, many theatregoers had seen Operation Mincemeat before...

From the start of the musical there is a sense of being immersed in a war room environment of decision making and plotting, of dialogue and ideas and where competition and camaraderie prevail. The plan to fool Hitler by diverting his troops from Sicily to Sardinia to help the allied invasion was a brilliant idea and the whole musical pays homage to that daring escapade, one which proved very successful.

The real-life heroes in the plot were ordinary individuals and the cast capture the everyday realities via song and dance routines and elaborate shenanigans of a thriller and comedy combined. 

Christian Andrews is wonderful as Hester Leggat whom he plays with beautiful compassion and a steely resolve. Sean Carey is totally engaging as the insecure but brilliant Charles Cholmondeley - the originator of the far-fetched plan. Jamie-Rose Monk is truly memorable as Johnny Bevan and Charlotte Hannah-Williams is endearing as Jean Leslie.  A special note must go to Holly Sumpton who is nothing but remarkable as Ewen Montagu. She is breathtaking to watch in her portrayal of the genius strategist who likes the high life but who is also clearly a successful and much needed risk taker in times of dire need. 

Operation Mincemeat is definitely a musical not to be missed. The cast are outstanding, the narrative enthralling and the production is packed with surprises galore!   

Five stars

Reviewed by Carol Lovatt at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent on Monday 26 April.
Operation Mincemeat continues to show at the venue until Saturday 2 May. The show then returns to the Midlands to play The Alexandra, Birmingham, from Monday 11 to Saturday 16 May.