Multi-award-winning new musical Operation Mincemeat to come to Northampton as part of landmark world tour

The 2025 Tony Award nominee for Best Musical and 2024 Olivier Award winner for Best New Musical Operation Mincemeat has announced a landmark world tour, which includes a week at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate in July 2026.

The world tour begins on in February 2026, at The Lowry in Manchester, the venue that first encouraged the Olivier Award-winning and Tony-nominated writing team to create their debut musical, co-commissioned the production, and supported its early development, including hosting its first-ever scratch performance in 2017. The hit musical takes to the Derngate stage from 13 to 18 July next year.

This announcement comes after the production’s third Broadway extension, and its fifteenth West End extension both through February 2026.

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In Operation Mincemeat, it’s 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes. Luckily, they’ve got a trick up their sleeve. Well, not up their sleeve, per se, 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 turned the tide of WWII.

Smash-hit musical Operation Mincemeat is coming to Northamptonplaceholder image
Smash-hit musical Operation Mincemeat is coming to Northampton

SpitLip, the musical’s writers and composers, commented: "Broadway opened the literal world to us, and we couldn't be more grateful for every unpredictable twist of this astonishing journey. Most of all, we wish to thank the audiences who continue to carry this show with love and enthusiasm. Operation Mincemeat reminds us that in uncertain times, the bonds between allies are more important than ever - and that message feels especially relevant as we consider all the great nations in which our show will now have the opportunity to play. This show continues to be the adventure of a lifetime, and we're wildly excited about what's to come.”

Directed by Robert Hastie, Operation Mincemeat began performances on Broadway on 15 February and is now playing at the historic Golden Theatre (252 West 45th Street).

Currently starring in Operation Mincemeat are David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Olivier Award-winner Jak Malone, and Zoë Roberts, who have reprised their original, acclaimed performances for the musical’s Broadway (American) premiere.

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The decision to write the musical was the last roll of the dice from the quartet of young British creatives after years of performing sketch shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and echoes the journey of Beyond the Fringe from the world-famous quartet Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller, and Dudley Moore, which premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1960 before moving to the Fortune Theatre and later to the Golden in 1962.

Operation Mincemeat began as a tiny (and tiny-budgeted) production at London’s New Diorama Theatre. The show quickly gained a devoted following, spurring sold-out runs at venues including Southwark Playhouse and Riverside Studios. It finally premiered in the West End on 9 May, 2023, at the Fortune Theatre, where it has since received 74 five-star reviews and counting, becoming ‘the Best Reviewed Show in West End History.’ Now in its third sold-out year, the show continues to play to standing-room-only crowds and has built one of London’s most passionate fanbases, affectionately known as the "Mincefluencers."

Operation Mincemeat has been nominated for 64 awards since opening at the 77-seat New Diorama Theatre in 2019, winning 13, including Best Musical 3 times, from the Olivier Awards®, WhatsOnStage Awards, and Off-West End Awards. On Broadway, the show is nominated for 4 Tony Awards® in 2025, including Best Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical for Malone, who previously won the Olivier Award® in the same category. The production has also received nominations for Outstanding Production of a Musical at the Drama League Awards, Outstanding New Broadway Musical at the Outer Critics Circle Awards, Best Musical at the BroadwayWorld Theater Fans' Choice Awards, and Favourite New Musical at the Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards.

Tickets are now on sale for the Northampton dates, Monday 13 to Saturday 18 July 2026, and can be booking online at royalandderngate.co.uk/operation-mincemeat or by calling Box Office on 01604 624811.

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