Operation Mincemeat is the 2024 Olivier Award-winning Best New Musical, a Tony Award®-winning musical on Broadway, and it’s now coming to The Regent Theatre in Stoke-on-Trent for one week this April!
In Operation Mincemeat, its 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes. Luckily, they’ve got a trick up their sleeve. Well, not up their sleeve, per se, but rather inside the pocket of a stolen corpse. Equal parts farce, thriller, and Ian Fleming-style spy caper (with an assist from Mr. Fleming himself), Operation Mincemeat tells the wildly improbable and hilarious true story of the covert operation that turned the tide of WWII.
The decision to write the musical was the last roll of the dice from Spitlip, a quartet of young British creatives after years of performing sketch shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and echoes the journey of Beyond the Fringe from the world-famous quartet Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1960, before moving to the Fortune Theatre and later to the Golden in 1962.
Operation Mincemeat is running simultaneously in London and New York, with the West End production at the Fortune Theatre extended for a seventeenth time through September 2026, and the Broadway production now extended for a fifth time, running through April 2026. It began as a tiny (and tiny-budgeted) production at the London Fringe New Diorama Theatre in 2019. The show quickly gained a devoted following, spurring sold-out runs at venues including Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios. It finally premiered in the West End in May 2023 at the Fortune Theatre, where it won the Olivier and WhatsOnstage Awards®.
Cast
Reprising their acclaimed roles, West End alumnae Christian Andrews (Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, TV’s DDay 80 at the Royal Albert Hall), Sean Carey (The Play That Goes Wrong, BBC One’s VE Day 80, A Celebration to Remember), Charlotte Hanna-Williams (Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella; Bells are Ringing), and Holly Sumpton (Lovers Actually, BBC One’s VE Day 80, A Celebration to Remember) are joined by new recruit Jamie-Rose Monk (Rome & Juliet, (the) Woman) to form the cast, while Katy Ellis (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Sappho: The Poetess), Georgina Hagen (Only Fools & Horses, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Jordan Pearson (Back to the Future: The Musical, One Man, Two Guvnors), and Morgan Phillips (Babies, The History Boys) complete the company.
Creatives
The production is directed by Olivier Award nominated Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre – Best New Musical Olivier Award winner), following providing directorial support for the Riverside Studios run, while Olivier Award nominated Jenny Arnold (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) continues as Choreographer. Also from Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the National Theatre on the creative team are: Olivier Award nominated Ben Stones (Sylvia, The Old Vic) as Set and Costume Designer, Tony Award, six-time Olivier Award and Bafta Award winning Mark Henderson (Girl From the North Country, Broadway & Noel Coward Theatre) as Lighting Designer and Olivier Award winning Mike Walker (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) as Sound Designer.
Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Musical, Broadway & Aldwych Theatre) is Orchestrator and Vocal Arranger, while Joe Bunker is Musical Supervisor and Sam Sommerfeld is Musical
Director. Georgie Staight is Tour Director, Anna Marshall is Resident Director and Paul Isaiah Isles is Associate Choreographer. Casting is by Pearson Casting. The debut musical is written and composed by Spitlip – David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts.
How much are the tickets to Operation Mincemeat?
Tickets are priced from £25 to £90. For Groups (10 or more), call their dedicated Groups team on 020 7206 1174 or email groupsales@atgtickets.com. A transaction charge applies to online/phone bookings.
How do I book tickets to watch Operation Mincemeat?
Tickets are now on sale online by visiting ATG’s website here. Age guidance: 6+. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or over. The accompanying adult must be seated with the under 16.
How long is the show for and what are the timings?
The show will be opening on Monday, 27 April until Saturday, 2 May 2026. The show runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes including interval at 7.30pm everyday with matinee shows at 2.30pm on Wednesday and Saturday.
About Regent Theatre
The Regent Theatre is a theatre in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Constructed in 1929 as a cinema, it is one of several theatres in the city centre and one of two owned by the Ambassador Theatre Group. The building was converted for full-time use as a theatre in 1999, and since then has hosted a number of shows and musicals. The theatre is also the northern base for the Glyndebourne Touring Opera.
Tips / Information
- Ample public car park spaces are available near to the Regent Theatre. The nearby John Street car park is the closest and it closes at 11.30pm while the Pottery Centre carpark charges a fixed rate of £1.50 (after 6pm) and this carpark closes at 11pm
- Accessibility: On arrival at the theatre there are nine steps leading from the front doors to the foyer. There is a small lift suitable for wheelchairs and buggies
- There is lift access to all levels from the foyer (with an audible announcer)
- There is an infra-red sound enhancement system in the auditorium
- Guide, hearing and other working dogs are welcome in all parts of the theatre, and water is provided for them on request
- Accessible toilets are available
You may also want to read this:
Review: Mean Girls the Musical at The Regent Theatre
Photo Credit: Regent Theatre/Matt Crockett
