Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat is a musical comedy with book, music and lyrics by David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts (known as the musical comedy troupe SpitLip). The plot is based on the Operation Mincemeat, a Second World War British deception operation. Background The basis of the musical is the 1943, British deception operation to disguise the Allied invasion of Sicily, during World War II. Synopsis Act I In 1943, Naval intelligence officer Ewen Montagu welcomes the audience to MI5, where the "elite" of the British military contribute to the World War II effort ("Born to Lead"). Colonel Johnny Bevan informs his subordinates that the British government requires a strategy to convince the Nazis that the Allied Forces are planning to invade Sardinia rather than their actual (and more obvious) target, Sicily; several officers, including Montagu and Ian Fleming, present their ideas, but despite their conviction of their own brilliance ("God That’s Brilliant"), Bevan dismisses them all as uncreative and poorly planned. Sulking after his rejection, Montagu encounters Air Force officer and "amateur naturalist" Charles Cholmondeley, who has formulated a strategy code-named "Operation Mincemeat", but is convinced of its futility after being bullied out of line by Montagu and his colleagues ("Dead in the Water"). Montagu reads his plan, and despite declaring it "insane", recognises its potential and convinces Charles that they should team up to pitch Mincemeat to Bevan, noting his own natural "flair for presentation" ("Dead in the Water (reprise)").