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REVIEW - OPERATION MINCEMEAT AT THE LOWRY — A NIGHT OF LAUGHTER, MUSIC AND SPY MISSIONS

  • Mar 2
  • 3 min read

Updated: Mar 8

Yellow background with black claw-like marks on the left and "Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical" text on the right. Bold and striking design.

Last week Lawrence and I had the lovely opportunity to attend the press night of Operation Mincemeat at The Lowry, and it turned into such a fun and memorable theatre evening together.


We were invited to review the show on its press night on Tuesday 24th February 2026, with the performance starting at 7.30pm. My dad kindly dropped us off at The Lowry at around 7pm, which meant we had plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere before the show.


Operation Mincemeat at The Lowry - Smiling person in front of bright yellow and green posters for "Operation Mincemeat" at Lowry. Posters feature blue stripes and text.

Arriving at The Lowry

As soon as we arrived, we headed inside and, of course, the first stop was the merch stand. I was really hoping to add a magnet to my collection, but sadly they didn’t have one this time. They did have a great selection though, including:


  • Operation List of Names T-shirt — £25

  • Sweater — £45

  • Tote Bag — £15

  • Notebook — £15

  • Sticker Sheet — £5

  • Pin Badge Set — £10

  • CD — £15

  • Vinyl — £35

  • Book (True Spy Story) — £12

  • Souvenir Programme — £12


Operation Mincemeat at The Lowry - Shelf displaying books, notepads, and a tote bag with yellow and black designs. Price tags range from £5 to £35. Books include "Operation Mincemeat."

After browsing, we headed over to the press desk to collect our tickets and programme.

There was a lovely press and guest area set up in the bar with drinks available — red wine, white wine, Buck’s Fizz, water and orange juice — and baskets of Operation Mincemeat themed biscuits which we couldn’t resist trying. Lawrence and I both grabbed one while we chatted and took everything in.


They’d also set up a yellow carpet with an Operation Mincemeat backdrop, along with a telephone prop and briefcase for photos, which was such a fun touch. Lawrence and I had our photo taken before heading into the auditorium.


Operation Mincemeat at The Lowry - A man on a phone and a woman smile in front of a yellow "Operation Mincemeat" backdrop. She's in a floral dress, he wears a graphic tee.

Our Seats

We entered through Door A as we were seated towards the back of the stalls in Row S, seats 23 and 24, right in the centre of the middle section. Even though we were near the back, the view was excellent — clear sightlines and really comfortable.


The Show

If you’re not familiar with Operation Mincemeat, it’s based on a real World War II intelligence mission involving an elaborate plan to mislead the Nazis using fake documents attached to a disguised corpse. It sounds completely unbelievable — but it actually happened.

Turning that story into a musical might sound unlikely, but it works brilliantly.


The show is fast-paced, clever, funny and surprisingly emotional. There’s a lot of humour, but also moments that really land emotionally, which gives the whole experience much more depth than you might expect.


One of the most impressive things is that there are only five performers on stage, yet they play multiple characters throughout the show. The speed of the costume changes and character switches is honestly incredible, and you quickly forget there aren’t dozens of people in the cast.


By the interval we were already really enjoying it and looking forward to seeing how the story would unfold in the second half.


Operation Mincemeat at The Lowry - Audience seated in a theater with purple chairs. A hand holds a yellow "Operation Mincemeat" program. Yellow curtain in background.

Interval

During the interval we headed back to the press and guest area where we could get another drink. Lawrence and I both went for orange juice before heading back into the auditorium for Act Two.


The Second Act

The second half keeps the same energy and momentum, with some really impressive musical numbers and choreography. There’s also a particularly moving moment later in the show that completely changes the tone and brings a real emotional impact.

The performance finished at around 10.10pm, with a total running time of approximately 2 hours 35 minutes including the interval.


Operation Mincemeat at The Lowry - Five performers in white shirts and black pants hold hands, smiling as they take a bow on stage. The background is dark with spotlight.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Operation Mincemeat was such a fantastic theatre experience and a really lovely night out for Lawrence and me.


It’s funny, inventive, emotional and genuinely unique — one of those shows that surprises you with how cleverly everything comes together. The performances are outstanding, the music is memorable, and the storytelling keeps you engaged from start to finish.

It’s easy to see why the show has received so many awards and five-star reviews.

If you get the chance to see it on tour, I’d definitely recommend it.


More Information

Operation Mincemeat will be touring the UK throughout 2026, so there are plenty of opportunities to catch this brilliant production if you missed it in Salford or want to see it again.


For more information about tour dates and tickets, visit the official Operation Mincemeat website.


If you’d like to read a more detailed review of the production, including my full thoughts on the cast, staging and music, you can also head over to my theatre blog All About Theatre here:Operation Mincemeat at The Lowry — Full Review



PR — Gifted Tickets



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