Operation Mincemeat: How a Fringe Musical About a Real British WWII Spy Plot to Broadway's Unlikeliest Hit

Published: May 28, 2025

Meet the misfit Brits who turned a classified wartime con into comedy, now up for four 2025 Tony Awards.

From the West End to Broadway

Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical has become one of Broadway's hottest tickets since performances began at the John Golden Theatre in February.

The new musical, directed by Robert Hastie, has been captivating audiences with its inventive storytelling and humor, and is currently up for four 2025 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.

The show's popularity led to sold-out runs at venues like Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios, culminating 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."

The True Story Behind the Musical

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.

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.

The Musical's Journey

The musical was developed independently of the film and book, and even predates the film's release. The show's writers, SpitLip, 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.

The show's creators struggled to get American producers to buy in, but audiences built a devoted fanbase known as the "Mincefluencers" who helped bolstered the show's success. Soon enough, the gospel of Operation Mincemeat carried across the pond, with more and more Americans traveling to the West End to see it. And once they were invested, Broadway producers followed.

Tony Nominations and World Tour

Among its Tony nominations were one for Jak 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' 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."

The show's creators said in a statement when the tour was announced on May 13, 2025, "Broadway opened the literal world to us, and we couldn't be more for every unpredictable twist of this astonishing journey."

Operation Mincemeat will 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.

For more information, visit operationbroadway.com.

Tickets for Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical are currently on sale through Feb. 15, 2026. They can be purchased online at Telecharge.com or by calling 212-239-6200.

The show's official cast recording is available, capturing the musical's standout numbers and performances. There's even a special live recording of "Dear Bill," the powerful ballad Malone sings, recorded live from London's Fortune Theatre and available on streaming platforms.

The 2025 Tony Awards will air live from N.Y.C.'s Radio City Music Hall on June 8 on CBS.

Operation Mincemeat reminds 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," the show's creators said in a statement.

"This show continues to be the adventure of a lifetime, and we're wildly excited about what's to come."

Operation Mincemeat is a true story that has captured the hearts of audiences, and its journey to Broadway is an inspiration to many.