Operation Mincemeat - New Diorama/SWP/Riverside/Fortune

I thought she was brilliant.

Sean was on for Charlie as the understudy when I first saw the show and I completely agree, he’s amazing.

Also really interesting to hear about Emily, it’s similar to what I’ve heard elsewhere. I really need to go back and see the new cast, but the ticket lottery seems harder to win than the actual lottery!

Considering that Holly has also stopped playing Montagu with a "Monty voice", I imagine it's a director choice?

I do agree with a lot of the humour being lost as a result. It's not necessarily bad, but I think the problem is that we've all seen Natasha do it soooooooo well. 

I feel that Holly still manages to maintain most of the comedy that Natasha had, even without the voice. I definitely think the voice helps create those comedic moments, but I don’t think it’s the main limitation with Emily.

The only time I've seen the show in back in April was with Holly, and I remember her voice being what I would describe as sort of butched up, but without going full male impersonation? Obviously have nothing to compare it to, but it worked for me!

When I went I didn't realize that parts of the band were pre-recorded. But maybe if I went back and watched it now (once was fine and once was enough) I'd be able to pick it out.

I never listened to the cast album before seeing it so my opinion may be diminished. I thought that the cast album stems were played on click track with the live piano and such? Common practice for some shows nowadays, Phantom's title song guitar solo being lifted straight from the Albert Hall cast recording.

If someone's going soon, maybe someone could ask staff?

I'd have to go again to know the real answer, but it's common practice to up the size of an orchestra on a cast recording, and rearrange liberally, and usually synth parts imitating instruments are replaced with the real deal. So if it's not like that in performance, I guess it can be underwhelming.

I always bring up Little Shop of Horrors, which had a five person band in the theatre but the orchestra on the cast recording is more like 14 people, and there are many production effects like double-tracked vocals and guitar, and many parts rearranged and brought up and down in the mix. So it never really represents the score as actually performed.

I've won the lottery but can't go in the next fortnight. DM me if you'd like the link

First time seeing three of the new cast (Emily Barber, Chloe Hart and George Jennings) last night. Always so interesting to see different performers take on these massive character roles and bring their own personalities to them.

The show is, of course, still as wonderful as it ever has been and certainly isn’t reliant on SpitLip to be in it for it to be magic. I do think it is obvious that the new cast are still feeling their way in and lack the confidence that those who have been with the show long-term, obviously.

When the first wave of covers took on the roles, certain lines that had been funny were downplayed but it was balanced out by putting their own comedic stamp on others. At the moment, the balance is off in my opinion. But I suspect that will only be quite so visible to someone who has seen the show 15 times, like myself.

And that high number of viewings means I’m in a privileged position to be able to nitpick. Equally, this was my first visit to Mincemeat since the fever dream that was the OG cast’s final performance, so there was always going to be an element of after the Lord mayor’s show. This was, however, the first time I’ve ever seen this show not get a full standing ovation at the bows.

I’m not going to go into the nitty gritty of each new cast member’s portrayals, as it really is semantics at this stage. I do agree that Emily needs to find more of a middle ground for Monty, similar to Holly. It doesn’t have to be an imitation of Tash to find the comedy of the Rolex The returning Claire-Marie Hall needs a shoutout though for finding genuine chemistry with any number of combinations of the company. Brilliant, brilliant show, as ever.

From seat view sites I've seen, the upper circle is a nightmare for this show.

Really, really uncomfy. No leg (knee or foot) room and the pitch of that section is such that you feel like you'll tumble all the way into the stalls if you lose your balance. The view of the stage was fine, if distant and the sound was fine.