OPERATION MINCEMEAT Reviews- Page 5

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 3/27/25 at 10:38pm

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."

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/6/25 at 12:26am

what a strong season for new musical works. MHE was pristine, and we know Dead Outlaw is near perfect. But Mincemeat in many ways is most impressive-- the sheer creativity in 2.5 hours of nonstop lyrics, storytelling and superhuman performances. while the whole is not as strong as the sum of the parts (it lags here and there, and yes there is very British humor that doesnt perfectly translate) its quite a fun, intelligent and yes very moving evening.

i found myself comparing it to hamilton a whole bunch. in some ways unfavorably: the rapping in this is weaker, and the whole "let me sing a history lesson at you" is not as original ten years on. and the music in Hamilton is of course much much stronger, more diverse, more thrilling. but in some ways it compares quite favorably--whereas Lin putting himself in the show was fine, it was clear he was The Writer performing alongside considerably more talented vocalists and dancers etc. HERE you would never know that three of these guys are also the writers---Hodgson is particularly strong and I hope gets noticed come Tony time (as Supporting, given her lead competition). 

Jak Malone made me, and everyone around me, cry, out of nowhere, in a perfect 5 minutes of theater. but so did the finale, and there is truly an art to blending wit, silliness, history, some morality lessons, and moments of emotion all in one sweaty package. well done.

we spent alot of money for front mezz seats, but the last few rows of the rear mezz were not full. surprising on a saturday night. felt like a very subdued and very foreign (british) audience. 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 4/6/25 at 8:07am

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.