REVIEW: OPERATION MINCEMEAT @ THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

🎭 Operation Mincemeat

📍 The Lyric, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2TR

🗓 Monday 29th June 2026

⭐️ 5 Stars

SPIES, LIES, AND STANDING OVATIONS!

Let’s be completely honest for a second: a seven-hour coach journey from London down to Plymouth is enough to make anyone feel like they’ve survived a tactical endurance test. By the time I finally rolled into the city, I was utterly shattered. My eyes were heavy, my legs were numb, and I was running entirely on fumes and caffeine.

But oh, it was so incredibly good to be back at Theatre Royal Plymouth! This beautiful venue holds a very special place in my heart, and this trip marked my first time stepping back inside its doors since I packed up and moved to London last year. The last show I caught here was Hamilton last August, so returning to my old stomping ground felt like a proper homecoming. And while I might have been half-asleep when I took my seat, let me tell you - by the final curtain, I was wide awake, buzzing with energy, and absolutely beaming from ear to ear.

The journey of OPERATION MINCEMEAT itself is nothing short of legendary. It has deployed from tiny fringe beginnings, gained momentum through sheer word-of-mouth, and conquered the West End before finally launching this massive national offensive. What makes it so spectacular is that it is somehow based on a completely true, utterly bizarre slice of WWII history. It’s a show that dares to tackle the sheer gravity of wartime strategy while making you laugh so hard your sides ache. It balances the tightrope of history and hysteria with absolute military precision.

Without giving away any top-secret intelligence, the plot centers on a deeply desperate, wildly absurd deception plan. With the Allies facing total disaster, an eccentric team of MI5 intelligence officers concocts a scheme to trick Hitler into thinking the British are invading Greece instead of Sicily. How do they plan to pull off this monumental bluff? By using a stolen corpse, a briefcase of fake documents, and a completely fabricated romantic back-story. It is a race against time filled with bureaucratic red tape, mismatched personalities, and a high-stakes gamble where the fate of the free world hangs entirely by a thread.

What gives this hilarious musical its true, beating heart is how it honors the actual history behind the scheme. The real-life corpse used in the mission belonged to Glyndwr Michael, a homeless Welshman who had tragically died in London. While the officers technically "stole" his body for the deception, the show beautifully reflects how this forgotten man accidentally became an extraordinary war hero. In a deeply moving tribute, both history and this production ensure that Glyndwr Michael is finally given the profound respect, recognition, and dignity he so rightfully deserved but never received in life.

Of course, none of this would work without the writing, and the songs and script by SpitLip are just an absolute goldmine of brilliance. Honestly, trying to pick a favorite song from this tracklist is a completely impossible mission - every single one of them is an absolute banger! The score is a genre-bending, fast-paced assault of hip-hop, sea shanties, and big West End showstoppers that have buried themselves deep in my head, and have refused to leave!

To pull off a farce this sharp, you need a cast that is absolutely firing on all cylinders, and this touring company is an explosive powerhouse of talent. The level of skill on that stage was just crazy. Every single performer multi-roled with utter precision, swapping characters, accents, genders, and costumes in the blink of an eye without ever missing a single beat. Holly Sumpton is spectacular as the driven, deeply focused Ewen Montagu, steering the ship with fantastic authority. Christian Andrews brings an incredible, subtle depth to Hester Leggatt, finding the beautiful emotional core of the piece, while Charlotte Hanna-Williams is an absolute delight as the ambitious Jean Leslie, matching every comedic beat with effortless charm.

But lifting the evening even higher into the theatrical stratosphere were two truly standout performances. Jamie-Rose Monk, playing Johnny Bevan among others, completely nailed every single character she touched. Her impeccable delivery, boundless energy, and incredible versatility instantly reminded me of one of my all-time favorite comedy actors, Dawn French, whose parents were from Plymouth! She is a comedic force of nature.

Sitting right alongside her in brilliance is Morgan Phillips as Charles Cholmondeley. Phillips is the absolute king of comic timing; his performance was breathtaking to watch. There is a sequence towards the very end of the show where he flip-flops between two entirely different characters at lightning speed. Witnessing him completely alter everything from his vocal tone to his physical posture in a matter of seconds was an outstanding masterclass in performance. I was utterly transfixed.

From a design perspective, the staging is proof of how much can be done with a slick, stylised aesthetic. The set design by Ben Stones is brilliantly utilitarian - cleverly evoking the claustrophobic, paper-shuffling depths of a subterranean wartime bunker while remaining fluid enough to transform into a glitzy cabaret or a sun-drenched beach in an instant. Mark Henderson's lighting design works hand-in-hand with this, carving out dramatic tension, casting moody shadows, and throwing down vibrant, punchy shifts that perfectly dictate the emotional tempo of the show. It’s visually sharp, incredibly smart, and executed with total finesse. As a tecnical theatre nerd, this is as close to perfection as you can get.

Ultimately, this musical - much like the real-life military operation it charts - is a total triumph. It is a theatrical victory that completely conquers the audience from the very first note. It is an absolute, five-star sensation!

If you are anywhere near Plymouth, do not draft any excuses. Do not launch a retreat. March yourself straight down to the box office and secure your tickets immediately. Alternatively, use the modern way and CLICK HERE to head to the TRP website! Performances of OPERATION MINCEMEAT continues in Plymouth until Saturday 4th July.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Operation Mincemeat was gifted by Theatre Royal Plymouth who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Holly Sumpton as Ewen Montagu & others; Morgan Phillips as Charles Cholmondeley & others; Jamie-Rose Monk as Johnny Bevan & others; Christian Andrews as Hester Leggatt & others; Charlotte Hanna-Williams as Jean Leslie & others

RUNNING TIME (approx):

2 hours 35 minutes, including interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Flashing lights; Theatrical haze; Loud music; Siren sound effects; Flashing lasers; Pyrotechnics; Word War II themes including costumes, contents, and insignia

AGE GUIDELINE:

5+

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