Operation Mincemeat: A True Story That Made Me Say “God That’s Brilliant”! 😊❤️🎭
Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. Today I’m going to talk about the time me and my friend went to watch the matinee performance of Operation Mincemeat, which I saw on 29th July 2026 at The Theatre Royal In Nottingham.
As stated on the website, the synopsis of the show goes as follows:
“Singin’ in the Rain meets Strangers on a Train, Noel Coward meets Noel Fielding, Operation Mincemeat is the fast-passed, 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?”
The cast of 5 each played different characters, so what I’ll do is I’ll mention the character primary characters they played along with small segments of the other roles they played in the show. Like with many shows or tv shows or film based on real life, I like to treat them as I’ve come out of a history lesson. So I’m going to evaluate each character as a summary from the history class.
Holly Simpson took on the role of MI5 Intelligence Officer Ewan Montagu. What I got from him was that he was a fighter, and he would never quit until the job was done. I also found it quite humorous about the real reason he kept some of the files secret, and a gag towards the end of the show was quite entertaining. I also loved the work Holly put into this character, really putting in the effort to present the traits of a man in charge, and also being able to sing in a lower register. As someone who also doesn’t have a strong voice when it comes to the higher ranges (and that’s even when I’m trying), a role like Montagu if an amateur dramatics production took on this show is something I would definitely consider and help me develop it.
Charlotte Hanna-Williams took on the role of Jean Leslie. What I learnt from her was that even though it was at a time where women were allowed to vote, she knew that she wanted more from life than serving teas. I learnt that she and Montagu were quite acquainted, with her input impressing him. And Charlotte also has a brilliant voice as seen in “Bird Song” and “Useful”, but equally was able to multi-role as Francis Hasleden’s assistant, which definitely showed versatility.
Jamie-Rose Monk took on the role of Colonel Johnny Bevan. A Colonel of MI5 and having the overall say, he was someone who was willing to do anything to help Britain succeed in the war, but also making sure it’s a legit one as well. She also took on the role of fellow officer of the Intelligence Division Ian Fleming, who also was the creator of James Bond and also the role of Francis Hasleden, who was funny due to the fact that he didn’t quite get his part of the operation.
Christian Andrews took on the role of Secretary Hester Leggatt. He definitely caught the feminine features of this important figure, and definitely wanted to do her bit during the war. I also learnt from her that she also suffered heartbreak from previous wars, and the song “Dear Bill” showed that. He also took on the role of Spilsbury, an acquaintance of Montagu who helped the gang with their plan. I loved the jazzy numbers he got, showing that he was quite an eccentric figure.
Finally, Seán Carey took on the role of Charles Cholmondeley. What I learnt from him was that he has brilliant ideas, and was initially and scared to say them out loud in fear of being branded weird. But once he got his ideas rolling he grew in confidence. This tells me that a step out of his comfort zone was what he needed to make the mission a success. He also took on the roles of the Spanish Doctor in Act 2 and an American actor as part of Montagu’s film at the end of the show. What I will saw on that was that his Spanish was excellent and his American accent was flawless, showing how he can switch from Charles to a different character in a second.
The songs in the show were also memorable, as we had a mixture of earworm catchy ones, and ballads that you couldn’t help but get hypnotised by. Some of them included “Born To Follow” to open the show, which to this day I find really catchy, “Useful” where Charlotte put on a brilliant performance on why Jean wants to do more to help serve the country, and “Spilsbury”, where the gang needing help from an American ally was both entertaining and catchy. But “Dear Bill” was the stand out for me, as not only did it balance the comedy with shade and emotion, but I got a real glimpse into the deeper meaning of how much someone means to them when they’re gone.
I don’t think I have any downsides to the show as it was a success for a reason. But I feel I would need to learn more of the backstory and the story of Operation Mincemeat itself, as it was a big thing to have happened. But this musical gave me a starting point into the history of it, so doing some of my own research and watching the film as well will also be on my next agenda if ever there was an amateur dramatics production of it.
Overall I would give the show a 4.50. It had comedy, educational moments, and songs where you couldn’t help but be hypnotised by it. And a unique take of a true life event where originally starting out as a show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, definitely went a long way! That along with some brilliant merchandise I purchased.
And that is it for my thoughts on Operation Mincemeat. Let me know if you’ve seen the show and what your thoughts of it were. Be sure to click the link below to find out the rest of the tour and where tot can catch it at a theatre near!
Also do check out a link to a mini vlog of when I went to see it along with what I did afterwards!
See you soon for another blog. Until next time…
This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)
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