Following the seventeenth West End and fifth Broadway extensions, the Tony Award® and double Olivier Award®-winning musical Operation Mincemeat has announced the cast for the UK leg of its landmark world tour. Kicking off on 16th February 2026 at The Lowry in Salford — the venue that first championed the writers’ extraordinary debut musical and hosted its first-ever scratch performance in 2017 — the 40-week tour will play at theatre's across the UK through 28th November 2026, including 
Milton Keynes Theatre this June.
Reprising their acclaimed roles, West End alumni Christian Andrews (Sherlock Holmes and The 12 Days of Christmas), Seán Carey (The Play That Goes Wrong), Charlotte Hanna-Williams (Rogers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella), and Holly Sumpton (Lovers Actually) are joined by new recruit Jamie-Rose Monk (Rome & Juliet) to form the cast, while Katy Ellis (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Georgina Hagen (Only Fools & Horses), Jordan Pearson (Back to the Future: The Musical), and Morgan Phillips (The History Boys) complete the company.
SpitLip, the musical’s writers and composers, said:
"We're so excited to see Operation Mincemeat heading out on a world tour next year, and the fact that it's all kicking off at The Lowry, Salford - a venue who have fiercely championed us as theatre makers for over a decade, and where some of us made our professional debuts - is incredibly special. Having launched our show on Broadway this year, we know there's an appetite (and a need) out there for shows which champion joy, and the power of small groups of people to change the world. We're also delighted to be welcoming back our agents Christian, Charlotte, Holly and Seán, and welcoming our amazing new recruit Jamie-Rose, to kick off the UK leg of the tour - MI5 couldn't be in more capable or more spectacularly stupid hands. Father's never been prouder!"
Operation Mincemeat is currently running simultaneously in London and New York. The West End production at the Fortune Theatre has been extended for a seventeenth time through 27th September 2026, while the Broadway production has been extended for a fifth time, running through 26th April 2026.
The musical began as a tiny (and tiny-budgeted) production at London’s fringe New Diorama Theatre in 2019. It quickly developed a devoted following, leading to sold-out runs at venues including Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios. The show made its West End debut at the Fortune Theatre on 9th May 2023, winning the Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards® for ‘Best New Musical’ and earning 88 five-star reviews — becoming the ‘Best reviewed show in West End history.’
The decision to write the musical marked a last roll of the dice for SpitLip, a quartet of young British creatives who had spent years performing sketch shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Their journey echoes that of Beyond the Fringe, the world-famous quartet of Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1960 before transferring to the Fortune Theatre and later to the Golden in 1962.
In Operation Mincemeat, it’s 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes. Luckily, they have a trick up their sleeve — well, not exactly up their sleeve, but rather inside the pocket of a stolen corpse. Equal parts farce, thriller, and Ian Fleming-style spy caper (with an assist from Mr. Fleming himself), Operation Mincemeat tells the wildly improbable and hilarious true story of the covert operation that helped turn the tide of WWII.
The production is directed by Olivier Award-nominated Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre – Best New Musical Olivier Award winner), following his support of the Riverside Studios run. Olivier Award-nominated Jenny Arnold (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) continues as Choreographer. Also from Standing at the Sky’s Edge at the National Theatre on the creative team are Olivier Award-nominated Ben Stones (Sylvia, The Old Vic) as Set and Costume Designer, Tony Award, six-time Olivier Award, and BAFTA Award-winning Mark Henderson (Girl From the North Country, Broadway & Noël Coward Theatre) as Lighting Designer, and Olivier Award-winning Mike Walker (Jerry Springer: The Opera, National Theatre) as Sound Designer.
Grammy Award-winning and Tony, Emmy & 2024 ‘Outstanding Musical Contribution’ Olivier Award-nominated Steve Sidwell (Beautiful: The Musical, Broadway & Aldwych Theatre) serves as Orchestrator and Vocal Arranger, while 2024 ‘Outstanding Musical Contribution’ Olivier Award-nominated Joe Bunker is Musical Supervisor, and Sam Sommerfeld is Musical Director. Georgie Staight is Tour Director, Anna Marshall is Resident Director, and Paul Isaiah Isles is Associate Choreographer. Casting is by Pearson Casting. The debut musical is written and composed by SpitLip — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts.
Since premiering at London’s 77-seat New Diorama Theatre in 2019, the show has been nominated for 67 awards and won 25, including Best Musical four times at the Olivier Awards®, WhatsOnStage Awards®, BroadwayWorld Theater Fans’ Choice Awards®, and Off West End Awards®.
On Broadway, original cast member Jak Malone won the 2025 Tony Award® for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, having previously received the Olivier Award® for the same role in 2024. His breakout performance earned seven major accolades, including the Tony, Drama Desk®, Outer Critics Circle®, Drama League®, Theatre World®, BroadwayWorld®, and Dorian Theater Awards®. Meanwhile, SpitLip received nominations for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical from the Tony Awards®, Outer Critics Circle Awards®, Drama Desk Awards®, and BroadwayWorld Theater Fans’ Choice Awards®.
Operation Mincemeat’s Broadway, West End, and touring productions are produced by Avalon (in association with SpitLip). The show was commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, co-commissioned by The Lowry, and also supported by the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat.
Performances run at Milton Keynes Theatre from Mon 8 – Sat 13 Jun.
