Equal parts farce and thriller, new “Operation Mincemeat” musical is a CIBC Theatre must-see
Photos provided by Matt Crockett
What “Hamilton” was to the founding fathers, “Operation Mincemeat” is to a previously classified British mission that turned the tide of World War II, but rather than being framed around historical hip-hop, takes a much sillier pop tone more akin to “Monty Python’s Spamalot” meets a bit of “James Bond.”
Still, the thrilling Tony and Olivier Award-winning farce of a musical is in a category like no other, packing the CIBC Theatre through Sunday, October 11 where unsuspecting theatergoers will be treated to two-and-a-half-hours of this “wildly improbable and hilarious true story,” written by the SpitLip creative team comprised of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts.
The year is 1943 and the Allied Forces are so desperate to gain the upper hand against the Axis Powers, they turn to outrageously shrewd trickery involving a dead body and phony letters in hopes of steering their foes to a forthcoming yet false invasion of Sardinia, despite genuinely attempting to acquire Sicily.
Starring Mariah Copeland as Colonel Johnny Bevan, Katie Kleiger as Naval intelligence officer Ewen Montagu, Jake Bentley Young as Air Force officer Charles Cholmondeley, Luke Antony Neville as longtime secretary Hester Leggatt and Erin Ramirez as new clerk Jean Leslie, each does an unbelievably skillful job stepping into their uniforms, in addition to simletanously playing multiple parts in the ensemble, frequently in the Shakespearean tradition of cross-dressing and swapping genders.
First and foremost, “Operation Mincemeat” has to obtain, seal and ship a corpse, but most importantly, the operatives must make sure the documents outlining their completely fictional “plans” stuffed into an accompanying briefcase appear so detail-oriented and deliberate, the Nazis will actually go hunting in the incorrect direction.
If it seems completely crazy and unlikely to the incredulous audience, then it just might work, so off the shipment goes against all odds, combating or covering up several hiccups, misunderstandings and even a nearly catastrophic plane crash throughout one of the kookiest quests to ever land on the Great White Way.
In fact, rarely has a brand new show landed every creative aspect to this enjoyable of an extent, making “Operation Mincemeat” a must-see that’s bound to have “Mincefluencers” on the edge of their seats whenever they aren’t laughing in the aisles.
“Operation Mincemeat” continues at the CIBC Theatre through Sunday, October 11. For additional details, visit OperationBroadway.com and BroadwayInChicago.com.







