Operation Mincemeat gets a Broadway thumbs up from US theatre fans

Operation Mincemeat has its eyes on a cross-Atlantic journey – and the signs may be favourable.

The show, which won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best New Musical and two Olivier Awards (including Best New Musical), sent out an email to its mailing list last month suggesting that “significant investors and producers” on the other side of the Pond are concerned that that the show is “too British”.

The reactions to the poll may suggest otherwise. The survey, which utilised best practices for US polling, sampled 1000 Americans who have seen the show in the West End. The sample excluded those who had seen the show multiple times to maintain a representative cross-section of the standard theatregoer.

According to the survey, 94.3 per cent of respondents identified English as their first language, with 66.6 per cent experiencing the show for the first time at the Fortune Theatre. A smaller segment, 1.6 per cent, first saw the show in 2019 at the New Diorama Theatre. On average, respondents have seen the show 2.3 times, with one dedicated viewer reporting 97 attendances (these results were not factored into the “American sample” discussed below).

Among this American sample, 90.2 per cent stated that Operation Mincemeat is not “too British” for Broadway. Additionally, 23.3 per cent of respondents had listened to the soundtrack prior to attending the show, and 75.6 per cent expressed interest in a potential Broadway pre-sale.

Regarding the clarity of the performance, 81 per cent of respondents found the lyrics during the live show to be “crystal clear,” while 85 per cent reported the same for the dialogue. Furthermore, 78 per cent indicated that they generally do not struggle with UK accents.

So could a Broadway run be on the cards? We’ll have to wait and see…

The show has also now extended its West End spell into 2025, with further plans to be revealed.