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[Misc] Operation Mincemeat - Somewhat Absurd True Story



Acker79

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Nov 15, 2008
31,763
Brighton
Now this is mostly about a new musical I saw recently, but if you're not interested in musicals, you may be interested in the true story on which it is based

Always on the look out for new musicals, I discovered a show that was being put on in a small (about 55 seats) theatre in London, by Spitlip - a new group of musical writers. The show is called 'Operation Mincemeat' and is based on a true story of a deception mission from World War 2.

The operation sounds absurd - a corpse was delivered to the coast of Spain, with the intention it get recovered by Spanish officials, and the documents he's carrying get into the hands of Hitler, who would hopefully move his troupes from Sicily to Sardinia based on the fake intel, leaving Sicily exposed for allied forces to take Italy.

Wikipedia link to the true story
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat


The show was brilliant fun. Unfortunately it only had a short run, and yesterday was its last day. But it felt a lot like the sort of theatre that gives a chance to small companies to give them a chance to work on the show. I am hopeful it will get another run at a slightly larger theatre where it can be further refined, not that it needs much work - if anything it would be about expanding the cast - five actors play all the roles, gender swapping and so on. All five members of the cast played their separate parts differently enough that I never got confused about who they were portraying, and each had a big number. Jak Malone (male) had a number as Hester (female) when he sings a letter to what we learn is her man on the front line which is just heartbreaking and performed so well that there isn't any absurd humour of man as a woman. There's also an absurd k-pop like Nazi-Boyband number (in he comedic mould of 'Springtime for Hitler')

Soundcloud page with samples of songs (trout ticklers didn't make the cut, unless it was massively re-worked)
https://soundcloud.com/spitliptheatre
 


Bry Nylon

Test your smoke alarm
Helpful Moderator
Jul 21, 2003
19,780
Playing snooker
Now this is mostly about a new musical I saw recently, but if you're not interested in musicals, you may be interested in the true story on which it is based

Always on the look out for new musicals...The show is called 'Operation Mincemeat'

Sounds like it was worth a butchers?
 


















portlock seagull

Why? Why us?
Jul 28, 2003
16,979
Telegraph gave away a free copy of the book about 10 years ago. Read it twice in fact. My Uncle now in his 90s, was Montague’s driver once just after the war. Was chatting to him about only last week!

One of the great stories of WW2!
 








Acker79

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Nov 15, 2008
31,763
Brighton
Yes, a great book...thoroughly enjoyed it, and an interesting idea which paid off, and changed the course of the war. Not sure about a musical about it though!

I know, it's not a typical story for a musical. It's a madcap war room story, focusing on the people coming up with the plan, what they needed to do to make it work, the bureaucracy etc. This is the blurb:

The year is 1943 and we’re losing the war. Luckily, we’re about to gamble all our futures on a stolen corpse.

Operation Mincemeat is the fast-paced, 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?

Operation Mincemeat is Singin’ In The Rain meets Strangers On A Train, Noel Fielding meets Noel Coward, in a new collaboration between three members of award winning Kill the Beast and glam-punk composer Felix Hagan.​

https://www.newdiorama.com/whats-on/operation-mincemeat (also summarises some of the reviews - or good reviews mostly 4 and 5 stars)
 




essbee1

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2014
4,078
Utterly superb, a crucial excerpt from it was performed by the Original Cast as part of the Day 75th commemoration last week.

I missed that. But never have I been totally gripped so much by a play throughout.
 






KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
19,692
Wolsingham, County Durham
If you enjoyed the book as I did, follow it up with Agent Zig Zag also by Ben McIntyre

I enjoyed it even more.

Double Cross is good as well - that is about how every German spy in the UK during the war was actually a double agent working for MI6. Plus there were loads on the continent making stuff up and passing it onto German high command, in the run up to D-Day, who believed it - one was awarded the Iron Cross even though pretty much everything he told the Germans was a pack of lies created by MI6! Great stuff and all true.
 


Marshy

Well-known member
Jul 6, 2003
19,698
FRUIT OF THE BLOOM
Double Cross is good as well - that is about how every German spy in the UK during the war was actually a double agent working for MI6. Plus there were loads on the continent making stuff up and passing it onto German high command, in the run up to D-Day, who believed it - one was awarded the Iron Cross even though pretty much everything he told the Germans was a pack of lies created by MI6! Great stuff and all true.

Haha yes Eddie Chapman... Agent Zig Zag was the one awarded the Iron Cross.
 


Acker79

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Nov 15, 2008
31,763
Brighton
I can’t quite make up my mind if I’d prefer this to be accidental or deliberate. Both deserve appreciation.

I can't honestly claim it was deliberate. But I can lie about it.

Totally deliberate. :whistle:


Just my musical-minded brain taking over.
 






fire&skill

Killer-Diller
Jan 17, 2009
4,296
Shoreham-by-Sea
I visited his grave in Spain last year. Got there midday and took an hour to find it. My wife was very happy about that.

3ADBB9E3-5DE0-419C-8242-78406EA1315B.jpeg
 



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