Julieta Cervantes Operation Mincemeat: A New Musicalfollows a real WWII spy mission that tricked the Nazis using a corpse and fake documents SpitLip comedy troupe created the show, which became a surprise West End hit before transferring to Broadway where it is currently up for four 2025 Tony Awards Its cast includes original U.K. stars playing multiple roles in the fast-paced, critically acclaimed production Operation Mincemeat: A New Musicalhas become one of Broadway's hottest tickets since performances began at the John Golden Theatre in New York City back in February. The new musical, directed by Robert Hastie, has been captivating audiences with its inventive storytelling and humor, and is currently up for four2025 Tony AwardsincludingBest Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. That's not much of a surprise considering how successfulOperation Mincemeathas been in the U.K, where the show was birthed and continues to run today. But it is shocking when one takes into account the wildly improbable and hilarious true story upon which the show is based. Below, PEOPLE answers every question about the musical: So.. what exactly isOperation Mincemeat: A New Musicalall about?Well, the theatrical piece dramatizes the real-life events of a highly successful British deception operation during World War II, helmed by intelligence officers Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley and aimed at misleading Nazi Germany about the Allied invasion of Southern Europe. The operation, which took place in 1943, played a key role in the Axis defeat by confusing the enemy around the timing/location of military operations. In diverting their attention and resources, the Allies were able to gain a significant advantage that ultimately helped lead to their victory. The operation is credited with saving thousands of Allied lives That's a unique basis for a musical! How did Operation Mincemeat actually work?The actual plan involved creating a false impression that the Allies were going to invade Greece, rather than the actual target, which was Sicily. And the British military did that by obtaining the body of a dead man, dressing the cadaver up as a high-ranking British officer, planting fake documents on him — including a letter detailing a fake plan for the British invasion of Greece and Sardinia — and then releasing the body into the sea off the coast of Spain to be discovered by authorities. Spain?Yup! The thinking was that Spanish authorities were sympathetic to the Nazis, and would likely pass on the documents to German intelligence. Julieta Cervantes Wow. Was the body dressed as a real British officer?No, The dead man, whose real name was Glyndwr Michael, was given a false identity. They disguised him as "Major William Martin," a fictional officer in the Royal Marines. And they believed he was real?They sure did! Spanish authorities passed the information on to the Germans, who fell for the deception and diverted resources away from the actual invasion site in Sicily. When the Allies did invade Sicily in July 1943, the Germans were caught off guard and unable to adequately defend the island. This is wild! Is this something Brits all know about that never really made its way to America?Actually, no. Since the mission was top secret, it took decades for the public to learn all the details. Montagu first wrote about it in his 1953 book,The Man Who Never Was— but even then, many details were still omitted from his pages because they were confidential. In fact, the full story (including the identity of the man used in the mission) remained under wraps until 1996, when a series of documents were declassified. Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Wait, now that I'm thinking about it, this story does sound familiar. Wasn't this made into a movie before?Yes! Montagu's book was adapted into the 1956 film of the same name,The Man Who Never Was. Directed by Ronald Neame, the movie starred Clifton Webb and Gloria Grahame. It— —No, no. Sorry. A more recent movie?Oh, right. You're thinking of the aptly titledOperation Mincemeat! Directed by John Madden,thatfilm starredColin Firth,Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Johnny Flynn andJason Isaacs(among others). The latePaul Ritterwas also in the cast. The movie marked his final film appearance, and was dedicated to his memory. When didthatmovie come out?Operation Mincemeathad its world premiere at the 2021 British Film Festival in Australia and was released in cinemas overseas in April 2022. Netflix bought the rights for release in North and Latin America. It dropped on the streaming platform in May 2022. So is the musical based on the movie?One might think, seeing as they love making stage musicals out of movies. But no, the musical ofOperation Mincemeatdoes not count the movie — or British historian Ben Macintyre's 2010 book, which the movie's screenwriter Michelle Ashford adapted for the screen — among its source material. The musical was developed independently of the film and book, and even predates the film's release. Ben Macintyre's book?Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II.The book, released by Bloomsbury Publishing, is considered the mission's definitive account. It landed on the shortlist for the prestigious 2010 Galaxy British Book Awards and 2011 Duke of Westminster's Medal for Military Literature. The BBC also adapted the British author's book into a documentary, which dropped that same year. Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty Okay — back to the musical. Who's idea was it to put this story to music?That would be the British comedy troupe, SpitLip. Formed in 2017 as a spinoff of another company called Kill the Beast, the fringe foursome — made up of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts — began developing the musical when they were commissioned by New Diorama's then-artistic director David Byrne to create a new piece for the Off-West End theater. How did SpitLip learn about Operation Mincemeat?As Hodgson toldTown & Country, her brother recommended she listen to an episode of Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant'sStuff You Should Knowpodcast that was all about the operation. "It really was a gift of a story in terms of everything that was real, corresponding so beautifully with what we hoped would be the structure of a really entertaining story," she told the outlet. And they all worked on the score?Yup! Cumming, Hagan, Hodgson and Roberts are all credited as writingOperation Mincemeat's music and lyrics. They also wrote the musical's book together. Julieta Cervantes When didOperation Mincemeatdebut?The musical had its first-ever scratch performance in 2017 at The Lowry, the venue in Manchester that co-commissioned the production and supported its early development. It then premiered at the 77-seat New Diorama Theatre in 2019. The show's popularity led to sold-out runs at venues like Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios. Its success culminated in a West End debut at the Fortune Theatre on May 9, 2023, where it's still playing today to standing-room-only crowds and is currently "the Best Reviewed Show in West End History." Sounds like a triumph!It was.Operation Mincemeatreceived numerous accolades, including six 2024 Olivier Award nominations, winning Best New Musical and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for Jak Malone (who joined the show during its original run). It also secured the Best New Musical award at the WhatsOnStage Awards and the Off-West End Awards. Broadway must have been a given, then?Surprisingly, no. There were constant concerns about the show's distinctly British humor, so much so that the show's creators struggled to get American producers to buy in. "We had Broadway producers in, and one by one they all went quiet," Roberts toldTown & Country. What changed things?Audiences, actually. The show built a devoted fanbase known as the "Mincefluencers" who helped bolstered the show's popularity. Soon enough, the gospel ofOperation Mincemeatcarried across the pond, with more and more Americans traveling to the West End to see it. And once they were invested, Broadway producers followed. "The tide started to turn only because the audience started changing the conversation for us," said Roberts. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Dia Dipasupil/Getty Did the entire original London cast come to Broadway?Yup! Cumming, Hodgson, Malone and Roberts — as well as Claire-Marie Hall, another O.G. star — all made the move from the West End to the Great White Way. The show marks their debut on the boards. Each play multiple characters, a hallmark of its scrappy and inventive appeal. Hodgson and Cumming lead the show as Montagu and Cholmondeley, respectively. Among its Tony nominations were one for Malone for his featured performance as MI5 secretary Hester Leggatt. "I'm feeling overwhelmed, overjoyed and over par," he told PEOPLE at the 2025 'Meet the Nominees' event on May 8, 2025. "I can't believe it. This is such a huge thing. Growing up in Merseyside, England as a little stagey monster, I didn't expect that something like this could happen. And now that it is, it's so much more wonderful than I ever could have told my younger self than it is. It's amazing." Julieta Cervantes So how does one get tickets?Tickets forOperation Mincemeat: A New Musicalare currently on sale through Feb. 15, 2026. They cam be purchased online at Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200. For more information, visitoperationbroadway.com. What if one can't make it to Broadway?Great news:Operation Mincemeatwill launch a globe-spanning world tour beginning Feb. 16, 2026! The tour will kick off (fittingly) at The Lowry and continue across the U.K. for 40 weeks. Tour dates for other territories — including the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Mexico and New Zealand — will be announced at a future time. "Broadway opened the literal world to us, and we couldn't be more grateful for every unpredictable twist of this astonishing journey," SpitLip said in a statement when the tour was announced on May 13, 2025. "Most of all, we wish to thank the audiences who continue to carry this show with love and enthusiasm." "Operation Mincemeatreminds us that in uncertain times, the bonds between allies are more important than ever — and that message feels especially relevant as we consider all the great nations in which our show will now have the opportunity to play," they added. "This show continues to be the adventure of a lifetime, and we're wildly excited about what's to come." Operation Mincemeat The PEOPLE Appis now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! And if one doesn't want to wait until then?The show's official cast recording is available, capturing the musical's standout numbers and performances. There's evena special live recording of "Dear Bill,"the powerful ballad Malone sings, recorded live from London's Fortune Theatre and available on streaming platforms. Lastly, what about those Tonys? When are those handed out?The 2025 Tony Awards will air live from N.Y.C.'s Radio City Music Hall Sunday, June 8 on CBS. Read the original article onPeople
