OPERATION MINCEMEAT Reviews — Page 5

Frivolity Revs Up on Broadway: ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ and ‘Operation Mincemeat’

The silliness sticks more than the pathos in The Picture of Dorian Gray.

https://www.slantmagazine.com/theater/the-picture-of-dorian-gray-operation-mincemeat-review-sarah-snook/

"the show transcends its frivolity in a way that The Picture of Dorian Gray never does in a few affecting tonal heel-turns. As the long-serving secretary Hester, Jak Malone delivers a tender reflection on the pain of separation during wartime in the show’s best song, “Dear Bill.” Hester’s mentorship of a young secretary (Claire-Marie Hall) who’s frustrated that her gender will keep her out of the agency’s seats of power also comes to a head in the thoughtful duet “Useful.” Malone, more so than his castmates, tends to keep his physical humor subtle, relying on small gestures and quiet eyerolls to communicate both the barminess and humanity of his characters. His gentler presence is a balm in the midst of so much manic exuberance."

I enjoyed this but missed a lot of the lyrics and I sat in Orch G9. I wouldn’t dream of trying to see this from the rear mezzanine. It is quite dense and I hope to revisit but not one of my favorites so far this season. I do believe Natasha Hodgson is quite impressive and should earn a Tony nomination for best featured actress.

I'm sure a kid would be entertained but to truly get something from this show I'd think they'd have to be at least 12.

SingingEachtoEach said: "I asked before but I think at a bad time during the thread: what do people think the actual age for this is?The website says they recommend for ages 5 and up but that seems a bit young. I have a very well behaved elementary kid (older than 5) who actually likes the soundtrack and I guess not all kids are the same but 5 seems quite young and I was very surprised when I read that on their site."

That just means they don't allow anyone younger than 5 in the theater. Such a mature subject matter requires one to be at least 12 or 13 to get it, appreciate it, and not disturb other patrons. Restless, squirming children asking" how much longer" loudly is as annoying as any phone or drunk person in the theater.

I started listening to the cast recording a couple of weeks ago and loved it. partly as very familiar with the story but also think its very clever.

I had seen a performance of Dear Bill online at a Rememberance Day concert in the UK and teared up.

I really hope this makes its way to Sydney down the track, it would do well here I think.

Jak Malone’s Guide to Singing the Best New Song on Broadway

https://www.vulture.com/article/jak-malone-operation-mincemeat-dear-bill.html

I had the best time at this and immediately wanted to revisit it and talk it up to people I know. I get that its brand of humor isn't for everyone and respect that. Sure worked on me, though.

Mincemeat reminded me why history was my favorite subject when I was a student because it scratched that same, familiar itch where you learn a weird, funny historical fact or story and joke about it for the rest of the semester, and it took that to the nth degree. Like, if my high school self could hypothetically do a group history project for extra credit, got handed a multi-million dollar budget, and happened to be incredibly talented, I'd want to make something like this musical and would have a blast. And I did have a blast, watching this show! While it started off a bit static for me and took a few numbers to hit its stride, once it was off to the races I lived for its chaotic energy with a dash of heart. The pacing and comic timing were great and I didn't expect some of the music to be so catchy, especially the act one finale. And what a crackerjack cast. All the praise for Jak Malone and "Dear Bill" is earned and he deserves a cockney "yay," and I was buying everything Natasha Hodgson was selling with her bro-y swagger. I keep rewinding and relistening to the beginning of "The Pitch" on the cast recording because her deliveries just get me every time, without fail. It makes sense that she's eligible for leading, but dang, I wish she was competing in the featured category this year. I do wonder if this would've worked as well for me had the cast not been so strong, because so much of what had me rolling were their deliveries, but I can't know for sure. Either way, I'm grateful that we have these five being silly onstage as part of such a strong season. We're so lucky.

Mincemeh. Jak Malone’s “Dear Bill” is the clear highlight. I think your mileage will vary based on how much you enjoy what David Cumming is doing. His topknot was a bad omen, but I’m really not a fan of that Rowan Atkinson/Mr. Bean style of comedy “acting,” so I just grew more and more exasperated with him.

This show is brilliant. Finally got to see it today and left smiling ear to ear. Witty, smart, beautifully written and with heart. A rare feat.

bear88 said: "It’s been a couple of weeks since my New York City trip, and I still can’t get over ‘Dear Bill’ and Jak Malone.

I knew it was an acclaimed, change-of-pace ballad in the otherwise comic show that had received a lot of praise and an Olivier Award for Malone. I just wasn’t prepared for how good it turned out to be.

In the midst of a fast-moving, fast-talking, sometimes-hard-to-understand-every-word musical comedy, we get aone-act play that works only if everyone understands every syllable of every word. Because every pause matters. Every changed word choice or name matters. The shift in tone, dipping into sarcasm and self-pity, matters. The partial recovery matters.

What’s especially stunning is, as others have noted, it comes out of nowhere. The song is preceded by a long, comic song featuring lots of characters (including Malone in a very different role) and a fair amount of chaos. The song elevates the show, setting the stage for some of the sentiment that occasionally follows along with the laughs.

But just on its own, ‘Dear Bill’ is a stunning achievement. A young man, portraying a self-controlled older woman with total sincerity, stands on stage and breaks your heart in six minutes."

I was already excited about this show to transfer to Broadway hearing many many great things across the pond. I didn’t want to know anything about the story or how it was conceived as I want to go in blind. All I know is from the press release about the show being like Monty Python and 39 Steps with a little bit of Six and Hamilton mixed in and I was also made aware of all the awards and accolades it received in London.


But then I came across this TikTok add featuring Jak Malone singing Dear Bill in the studio. I couldn’t help myself so I watched it. God it was so heart breaking! I was sobbing in the subway as I was going to work at that time. I’ve never had a song hit me so hard without having watched the show yet. I even thought it was a gay song as I just saw a bearded Jak Malone singing solo in a sound stage studio about a man he lost in the war!

So after that I watched the bootleg recording of a West end production and I bawled yet again. I made sure to get front row seats house left right there and then to make sure that I would be right in front of Hester when she sings this song! The experience was so sublime! One of the best theater going experience in my life! (and I have been watching theater for three decades now!) That Tony belongs to Jak Malone. Dear Bill is undoubtedly the best song of the season (arguably in my opinion the best song from a new musical since 2015 - all the way for the past ten years since She Used to Be Mine from Waitress and It’s Quiet Uptown from Hamilton).

I can't imagine they won't use accents.

Saw Operation: Mincemeat on 5/3 at the evening performance. I knew what the basic plot was, but I stayed away from checking any of the music or reviews because I wanted to experience it fresh. Well! Until Saturday my favorite musical this year was Maybe Happy Ending, and I still love that show but Operation: Mincemeat is my new fave. I LOVED this show! Not only are the songs great, but the script and the cast are FABULOUS! The 5 actors need to literally wear so many hats, and play so many roles that they are constantly on stage and off making quick changes yet their timing is impeccable. Since they did this show in the UK for a few years they obviously know their roles perfectly. This is what iold fashioned Vaudeville must have been like. I cannot say enough about this show. I'm going to have to see it again soon. Jak Malone deserves that Tony nom. I hope he wins.