One night in London: Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, or Operation Mincemeat?

[yellibean2]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 10:41am

I'm really torn between these three. Guys and Dolls is the only one out of the three that has a matinee the day I'll be there which would probably be best for me schedule-wise since I have to leave at 5 the next morning to catch a flight. Everything about the production sounds amazing but I just really don't care much for the show itself. On the other hand, Cabaret is one of my all-time favorites but I've also seen it many times. Jake Shears will be in it when I go and I used to LOVE the Scissor Sisters, so that would be a cool perk. Unfortunately it's also easily the most expensive of the three. And then Operation Mincemeat would also be really cool since I know almost nothing about it besides that everyone loves it and it's the only brand new musical I'm considering. Anyone here seen all three and have thoughts? Should I just try to preserve the little sleep I'll be getting and go for Guys and Dolls?

Updated On: 8/16/23 at 10:41 AM

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 10:54am

This is a real Sophie’s Choice.

I’m going to say Operation Mincemeat because there is a very high likelihood you may not see that stateside or elsewhere outside of London. It’s also high quality, original, tuneful, and funny as hell.

You can always sleep on the plane…

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 11:14am

That's a tough choice! I saw all three. If you wanna have a good time, Guys & Dolls is probably the hottest ticket in London right now. For Operation Mincemeat, that is a freaking hilarious show! I have to disagree with quizking, I think that show will have life outside London. It's selling out like crazy now and is likely gonna win big during awards season. I could see it on Broadway in the near future. I even spoke with the creatives when I saw it and they said they hope to bring it to New York in the future! Cabaret is coming to NYC, so if you would rather wait for that, then you could see both in one day!

[two ladies tickets]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 11:38am

I've seen all three as well, and I would pick Operation Mincemeat. It is very British and there is no way that it's ever going to transfer to New York or do a US tour so you would be getting to see something uniquely British. And it's really good! Try to book a seat in the stalls or one of the boxes, the circle and the balcony seats in that theater are horrifically uncomfortable, and there is no legroom. 
I would put Guys and Dolls as a second choice, it's a fun time and even if it does transfer to New York, it won't be in the same configuration.
Cabaret was not my favorite, and I am a fan of Jake Shears, but when he goes into the show as the emcee it will no longer be Cabaret, it will be the Jake Shears show. I would wait and see that on Broadway with Eddie Redmayne. 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 12:14pm

Don't count Mincemeat out on crossing the pond. As I said, if it does well during awards season in London, they could bring it over to Broadway for a limited run. The hype for that show is real, and it deserves a life outside London! Probably the funniest show I ever saw over there! There were a bunch of Americans in the audience the night I saw it, and they all agreed that it needs to come to NYC. There have been VERY BRITISH musicals that came to NYC before and had major success. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 12:46pm

I would only sooner bet on Guys & Dolls transferring before Operation Mincemeat because of the name recognition and if HLL doesn’t last, at least there is a theatre that may not require any more extensive tweaking (layout wise) 

[ggersten]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 1:31pm

I haven't seen Guys and Dolls. But, Mincemeat is a blast and that theatre is very intimate. But, pricing is day dependent and they are holding back center stalls seats for people on a mailing list for some period of time before the show. So, getting a "good" seat could be tricky - we had fourth row a little stage right of center, but we got our tickets maybe two months in advance - 

Even if Cabaret transfers, it won't be the same. First, ticket prices will be through the roof. While expensive for London, US prices could be double. Also, the remade Playhouse Theatre will be difficult to duplicate. There will be some effort, but it won't be the same. We had a table seat, so the show was intimate in and in our face - and so so so impactful.

As much as I loved Mincemeat - I would probably go for Cabaret - with one caveat - I don't know how the new cast will be when you will be there. We saw the second cast - Fra Fee and Amy Lennox.

Updated On: 8/22/23 at 01:31 PM

[bekk99]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 2:43pm

I agree that this is a tough choice. I am personally waiting on the transfer of Cabaret. For pure enjoyment, I would have to recommend Guys & Dolls, however I already had an affinity for the show. I did a floor GA via TodayTix rush. Can't go wrong with Mincemeat - we had great seats from the lottery, and three out of three of us won for the same week.

[altonido]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 4:14pm

Hate to confuse the matter, but there's a new must-see in town, at least for the next six weeks, and it's the new production of "La Cage aux Folles" at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park.  Have seen and loved the current London "Cabaret" and "Guys and Dolls" numerous times, and "Operation Mincemeat" is supremely clever.  But as long as the weather holds up on the night you go, this "La Cage" is simply glorious and leaves you with tears of joy.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 4:20pm

Guys and Dolls was one of the best evenings of theatre I've had in a long, long time.

AMAZING. Hope it comes to nyc. 

[yellibean2]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 4:33pm

altonido - I'll be there in late October so unfortunately that's not an option (neither is Next to Normal for that matter). And I definitely agree that Cabaret might be worth seeing even though it is transferring - I don't go to New York that often and when I do I almost never get to see the hot ticket options, so this might be my only chance.

Thank you everyone for your help but I'm definitely still conflicted! Although now I'm maybe leaning slightly towards Cabaret - it also starts at 7:30 that night versus Operation Mincemeat's 8 so I would hope it might get out a little earlier too.

[two ladies tickets]

Posted: 8/16/23 at 4:58pm

Cabaret is a little longer than Mincemeat, so they probably would get out around the same time. You probably know London fairly well, but something that you might want to factor into your decision is that both Operation Mincemeat and Cabaret have theatres quite close to The Strand, which means easy access to the tube and post show dining, if that's something that interests you.

The Bridge Theatre does have an amazing view of Tower Bridge but it's a bit of a walk to get to public transportation unless you're staying at the Citizen M Tower Hill, which is right across the bridge. If you do go see Guys and Dolls, try to have dinner at The Coal Shed before the show, it's delicious.

[Ensemble1692243458]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 4:44am

Opinion from a totally unbiased Brit. Check out the rave reviews for Mincemeat in Variety, New Yorker and New York Times. (And also - my daughter wrote it.)

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 5:39am

My husband and I saw both Cabaret and Guys & Dolls last week, and while we bought tickets months in advance for Cabaret and ended up doing the standing rush day of for Guys & Dolls, Guys & Dolls would be my recommendation hands down. An INCREDIBLE experience. Plus Cabaret will be coming to Broadway with hopefully a much better Sally (Maude Apatow was meh).

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 7:51am

I actually thought Maude was great. I’d heard mixed things about her in “Little Shop” so I didn’t know what to expect but was extremely impressed with her take on the role. 

[VernonGersch]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 8:15am

This is a tough choice.  I saw CABARET last summer and it remains one of the most exciting, powerful nights of theater of all time (yes, get those dining seats worth it). Actually thinking about going at Christmas just to see Jake (huge fan)

Loved GUYS & DOLLS this past summer.  So much fun with knockout performances.  

Can you swing both?

 

 

[binau]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 8:43am

Ensemble1692243458 said: "Opinion from a totally unbiased Brit. Check out the rave reviews for Mincemeat in Variety, New Yorker and New York Times. (And also - my daughter wrote it.)"

Haha that's nice I hope your daughter is ok with being a proud parent! You probably would know better than us - but to me these US reviews clearly signal the production COULD have some life outside the UK, would you agree? 

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 6:48pm

By the time I get to London, Guys and Dolls will have been running for nine months. Any guesses on how well it will retain its sizzle? And it would be a miracle if the original cast was still intact. For anyone who's seen any of the replacements, how well are the producers doing finding performers who can compete with the originals, none of whom I know, but who have all received phenomenal reviews and word of mouth?

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 8/17/23 at 7:36pm

SisterGeorge said: "By the time I get to London, Guys and Dolls will have been running for nine months. Any guesses on how well it will retain its sizzle? And it would be a miracle if the original cast was still intact. For anyone who's seen any of the replacements, how well are the producers doing finding performers who can compete with the originals, none of whom I know, but who have all received phenomenal reviews and word of mouth?"

I think the whole cast is contracted through the scheduled conclusion of the run in February. Daniel Mays (Nathan Detroit) left last month due to a filming project but is scheduled to return in mid-October. As for ticketing, this show is selling-out like crazy. The hype for this show will be buzzing until it closes next year. Get a ticket if you can! I just hope there is an exception made regarding the Oliviers. Sadly, the theatre it’s at isn’t a Society of London Theatre venue. This show overall, deserves all of the awards it can get nominated for! 

[ggersten]

Posted: 8/19/23 at 1:58am

My every charming and brilliant spouse commented to me that you should choose Mincemeat since it is the (mostly) original cast including three who wrote the show - and you are unlikely to see those performers later in the run or in any transfer. 

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 8/19/23 at 3:45am

Just throwing this out there ... it's not a show in the sense of Cabaret, Guys and Dolls or Operation  Mincemeat but you might consider the ABBA VOYAGE CONCERT.  It's an amazing evening unlike anything you've every seen before and you can only see it in London.  There is talk of building replica arenas in other select markets around the globe but that will be a MINIMUM wait of at least 2 years from now.  I saw it this past March while I was in London for a week and enjoyed it so much I turned around and bought another ticket for the night before returning home.  All of the shows previously discussed here will most likely, or already have been announced to transfer to the US and then possibly even tour.  London is your only chance to experience ABBA VOYAGE at this time and for the foreseeable future.  Check out some of the numerous Youtube videos posted by people giving their reactions to the show.  Most talk of booking a return visit and bringing other family and friends with them.  It's certainly worth seriously considering.

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 8/19/23 at 8:45am

I agree! I too got to see ABBA VOYAGE and it was a spectacular concert experience!!! I think I heard they’re announcing a Vegas and New York residency for 2025 this fall. That’s what I’ve heard. But yeah, it won’t be the same as London. Getting to see the show in the arena that was specifically built for that purpose! 

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 8/19/23 at 10:54am

ABBA VOYAGE Audience Reactions

[two ladies tickets]

Posted: 8/19/23 at 4:33pm

Unless you are a massive ABBA fan, I would skip Voyage. I love ABBA, but I found this production to be a letdown. I obviously knew that they were going to be holograms and the sound was phenomenal but at the end of the day I didn't think it was worth it. And on a technicality: Abba Voyage is in Stratford not London and yes, Stratford is very close to London, and very easy to get to on public transportation but The OP was specifically talking about London. 

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 8/19/23 at 5:09pm

two ladies tickets said: "Unless you are a massive ABBA fan, I would skip Voyage. I love ABBA, but I found this production to be a letdown. I obviously knew that they were going to be holograms and the sound was phenomenal but at the end of the day I didn't think it was worth it. And on a technicality: Abba Voyage is in Stratford not London and yes, Stratford is very close to London, and very easy to get to on public transportation but The OP was specifically talking about London."

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and I respect yours but I disagree that someone has to be a massive ABBA fan to enjoy the show as evidenced by countless comments by those who have seen the show.  And the location of the arena certainly shouldn't be a deterrent to considering taking in the show because as you stated it is very easy to access via public transportation.  We stayed in the Russell Square area and it was probably no more than a 20 minute journey via the tube and the DLR.  Pudding Mill Lane Station is right across the street from the arena ... it couldn't be any easier.

Updated On: 8/20/23 at 05:09 PM