Operation Mincemeat - New Diorama/SWP/Riverside/Fortune

Again, I really can't stress enough that this is not being stunt cast. So the question actually should be, who will be playing Jean in the UK?

I meant more as a strategy to keep it going eventually

I saw a post on instagram referring to some competition that they seem to be running whereby you solve a number of puzzles and are in with a chance of winning flights hotel and tickets for the opening night of the New York run should it transfer...

Feels wrong that this is being considered for Broadway before even touring it in the U.K. I’m already doubtful about seeing it (on the unannounced but inevitable U.K. tour) given concerns about it only really works with the original cast. I don’t think that performance at The Oliviers did it any favours either. You can put it in a big theatre and light it all up yellow but when you have a tiny cast playing multiple parts it comes off as cheap and compromised.

This works perfectly well with the current cast. You need a certain type of actor to pull off the multiple roles, fast changes, and sheer campness, but these are gifts of parts for the right people.

Not sure but it isn't unheard of to test shows in Toronto before heading to Broadway to get a feel for how North American audiences react to the material (Mamma Mia!, Priscilla, Girl From The North Country were among many that went this route).

Mincemeat would be well advised to consider this. I think there are a lot of assumptions that Bway audiences will be warm to this material and they may well be in for a £14 million dollar shock.

I wish them well....and yes, they did ask the Shubert org if they could paint the interior bright yellow and were flatly refused.

Made a visit this week. This was my first time after the original cast, and of course there's nostalgia clouding my vision, but they just didn't seem lively enough this time. I think playing Montagu more subtly than Natasha Hodgson is a fair decision, but Holly Sumpton (and the rest of the new cast) seemed too subdued when he's a character that needs a certain level of swagger, for lack of a better word, which meant some jokes just didn't land. I loved Claire-Marie Hall as usual, but her usual delivery felt too big for this new dynamic. "Useful" remains one of my favourite songs. (Random question I've always wondered about - is the way she pronounces "strength" more like "strenth" without a "g" standard for her accent?)

Having finally managed to win the ticket lottery last week after months of waiting, I finally saw the not-really-new-any-more cast yesterday afternoon. I thought overall the standard was similar to that of the original cast, though there were individual actors who I somewhat preferred/wasn't quite as keen on compared to their counterparts. I definitely prefer Sean Carey as Charles, which I already knew from seeing him understudying last year. They could do with changing the couple of lines about a tall lolloping sidekick though given the description doesn't really fit him. I was a bit dubious in advance about Emily Barber as Montagu, having read a number of comments on here from people who weren't too keen on her in comparison to Natasha Hodgson, but I really liked her & thought she had a lovely vocal timbre especially in her singing voice. Possibly not trying to sound as masculine might help with that. Jak Malone was the orginal cast member who I did find myself missing, as while Christian Andrews gave a very good performance I didn't think he was quite as good in acting some of the non-Hester characters and while his Hester was very well-acted I thought some of his highest notes weren't quite a secure. I thought Chloe Hart was very good, especially as Hasleden, though I think I slightly preferred Zoe Roberts as Bevan & Fleming. Obviously Claire-Marie Hall was aa good as herself! So overall it was pretty much a draw between the two casts for me. Jean is now the only role I've only seen played by one person. I'd like to see Holly Sumpton as Jean (I aw her as Monty last year) but without knowing cover dates in advance it's impossible, and even the cryptic emojis on Twitter seem to have stopped in recent months let alone any definite understudy information. I hope I'll get to see this cast again in the next few months but with prices what they are that'll depend on whether I happen to win the lottery again, as I really can't justify paying £50+.

Why the constant tiny extensions, I find it really aggravating!

Jeez, it is getting more pathetic than the 'final' extensions for 'Sleep No More'.

Everything around this show is just WEIRD. But as long as it is making them money, they (probably Avalon) won't stop this annoying behavior.

Why not - and how is their policy "aggravating" ? Keeps the buzz going and every extension gets them some free publicity  I hope the people behind the show are making loads of money and continue to do so home and abroad !

Regular short(ish) booking extensions clearly works for Operation Mincemeat. As well as receiving an email  I usually read about it in What's On Stage etc.  Book Of Mormon has quietly done something similar for years with a forward booking period of only about four months. That's never less than 90% full when I visit.

I think the innovative marketing is very clever and the way they use social media is to be applauded. Their pricing strategy has winners and losers but is little different to peak summer  rates at holiday hotels and airlines.  Monday shows I've attended seem to have a mainly-superfan audience with a great atmosphere, while Fridays and Saturdays have ample on the day availability for weekend tourists. They also avoid using Rush and other promotions as far as I'm aware so everyone pays the same depending on day of the week.

Don't think OM will equal Six as an international success but won't it be lovely if a show that's so quintessentially British does as well in the USA as the very American Hamilton has over here ?