Operation Mincemeat – Best Laid Plans – oops!
The true story of Operation Mincemeat describes a WWII deception operation by MI5 (British intelligence) with almost disastrous results that instead helped win the war. It’s “almost” the company SpitLip satirizes as screwball musical comedy.
1943. In a sequestered basement under London, pin-striped British Intelligence staff sings in the manner of Gilbert and Sullivan. “We were made to give the orders while other men take heed…” Agents line up at head man Montagu’s door to pitch ideas on how to make Germans believe Allied Forces will invade Sardinia instead of Sicily. Timid, nerdy Charles, who has the only comprehensive plan, is pushed to the back of the line and gives up. “It’s part of my biology to start with an apology…”
Jak Malone, Zoë Roberts
At wit’s end, Montagu listens to him. “With your brains and my – everything else…!” The team arranges
to secure and transport a fresh corpse to the southern shore of Spain. With him will be a briefcase of diversionary intelligence for the enemy to find. A tramp who died of rat poisoning is secured from pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury, here played in a top hat and apron splattered with red glitter blood.
To make the body credible, operatives dress the body, now called Bill, as an officer of the Royal Marines. Personal items or “pocket litter” (spy-speak) are placed on the body. Here these include an engagement ring receipt, photograph of and letter from his girlfriend. The thorough British include a book of stamps, a silver cross, cigarettes, matches, a pencil stub, keys and receipt for a new shirt.
Zoe Roberts, Jak Malone, Natasha Hodgson, David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall
“Sail On Boys,” one of the few serious songs, is an appealing sea shanty. Captain of a submarine delivering the body has no idea what’s in the box until the ship reaches its destination. We hear “Das Ubermensch,” the show’s “Springtime for Hitler,” from the other side. If you’re going to steal,
do it from the best. There are, successively, issues in transit, the unexpected appearance of a second body, incarceration of Spilsbury (TMI), and threat of an autopsy in Spain revealing that the officer didn’t drown.
Insisting, as ordered, the Spanish take the brief case, then needing to get it back, then instructed to see that they keep it is left to harried agent Johnny Bevan with “bits” that sounds like “Who’s On First?” and long, crossed telephone cords that would fit a modern turn by the Marx Brothers.
David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson, Claire-Marie Hall
Subplot features a possible spy at MI5; a tangent promotes smart tea girl, Jean, to a member of the team in the midst of both forties misogyny and a secret gay crush. Women power is emphasized when both Jean and Hester turn out to be eminently “useful.” The so-called neutral Spanish government share copies of the documents with the Abwehr – German military intelligence – before returning originals to the British. Nazis fall for it. Just as it occurred.
The company is grand. All play multiple roles. Two stand-outs: Jak Malone as Hester in subtle music hall drag including pearl a eyeglass holder and spit curl sings “Dear Bill” the moving fictional letter from his fiancee and stops the show; David Cumming’s Charlie manifests exaggerated mugging and physical performance worthy of high vaudeville and silent films.
Claire Marie Hall (Jean) has a fine voice and grounded, nuanced presence that adds a dash of reality. Natasha Hodgson (Montagu) sings, morphs and dances with elasticity and aptly gruff Britishness.
Zoe Roberts (Johnny Bevan and the boss of MI5) offers intermittent comic glue.
Claire-Marie Hall, Zoe Roberts, David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson
Operation Mincemeat is a certifiable hoot. Pound for pound these five artists offer as much talent as any Broadway musical company currently on the boards. Some will find British references too plentiful, but if one watches NET, BBC, Brit Box or Acorn, it’s familiar. Lyrics are extremely clever, music fun if not memorable, acting – particularly physically, Monty Python-like humorous. There are, however, three caveats:
Lighting design (Mark Henderson) is swell until a backdrop of neon lines and grids steals attention from inventive goings-on. Mike Walker’s sound design is terrible. Audience (I conferred with others) lost at least half the lyrics despite precise enunciation, seriously handicapping the show. At two and a half hours, the piece is 30 minutes too long. There seem to be two endings.
Direction and choreography – Robert Hastie and Jenny Arnold – are inspired. Set and costume design by Ben Stones is marvelous – aesthetically pleasing, imaginative, and witty.
There are several films about the actual event.
Photos by Julieta Cervantes
Opening: David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone, Zoe Roberts
Operation Mincemeat
Book, Music, and Lyrics: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, Zoe Roberts
Choreographed by Jenny Arnold
Directed by Robert Hastie
Golden Theatre
252 West 45th Street
