Lead actors Danny Becker and Peter McGovern talk ‘Operation Mincemeat’: “It’s a glowing vindication of what happens when producers believe and invest in unknown talent”

As the show celebrates its second triumphant year in the West End, a new troupe of agents set base at the Fortune Theatre headquarters — determined to carry on with the laughter, tears, and heart of one of the best-received British musicals in the last few years. Guillermo Nazara chats with two of the production’s stars — to learn more about their new onstage mission, whose success is anything but a top secret.

How does it feel to be starring in probably the biggest, most recent sensation in British musical theatre?

PM: It’s an enormous privilege and I feel very lucky to be in this position. I celebrated pretty hard when I booked this job as I really wanted to do it. As you say, there’s a huge buzz around the show — its trajectory from the London fringe to the West End and Broadway is the stuff of dreams and has really caught the public’s imagination. The show is enormously challenging in a number of ways — mentally, physically, and vocally. It is a moving train that you jump on to for two and a half hours and hold tight to.  But it’s also incredibly rewarding – more so than any job I’ve done before, and I’m having a blast.

DB: It feels absolutely incredible, I’m about to celebrate my 10-year anniversary as a professional actor, and to be doing it and Operation Mincemeat is a total dream come true. As cliche as it sounds, this is the stuff of dreams.

When the show originally opened in the West End, it featured its own creators as part of the cast. Does that create a bigger challenge or responsibility for you to take over?

PM: Well, fortunately they’re very busy out in New York at the moment, so they can’t see what I’m doing…

In all seriousness, I suppose it made the audition process slightly more daunting, as they were in the room. It’s always a bit intimidating to audition in front of the writers, but when those writers are also the original performers, it adds an extra layer of nervous energy. It sort of feels like you’re looking after someone else’s baby, whilst they watch and make notes!

Fortunately, as you would expect, they were a very generous presence during the audition process, and although they’re currently on the other side of the world, they have been incredibly supportive during our takeover.

I think there’s an element of trust on their part — they’ve cast the right people and that we will take good care of their baby. I have nothing but total respect for everything they’ve achieved and for the masterpiece that they’ve created, and I’m very grateful that they’ve trusted me with it.

DB: I wouldn’t say this creates any bigger challenge than taking over in any other smash hit musical. Obviously, you always want to live up to the fans and audiences expectations and love for these characters. However, it’s our job as actors to find our own way in so we can make it as authentic and real for our audiences every night.

How would you describe your approach to the role? Are there any personal additions in your delivery?

PM: I haven’t gone out of my way to be different from what has gone before, I’ve just responded to the material in front of me. I think that, when taking over a role, the biggest mistake an actor can make is to try to be different for difference’s sake. The text has to be your starting point, rather than yourself. I’ve always had a clear idea, from the very first audition of what is on the page and how I would inhabit this character, and I have stayed true to that instinct.

The fans of the show have commented on some changes and additions and I’m sure it’s interesting for them to see the characters in a new light, but I never set out to make changes or additions. Inevitably, without even trying to, when a new actor steps into a role, they will bring their idiosyncrasies to it but in the Venn diagram of previous Charles Cholmondeley’s, I expect there is still a great deal of crossover. All I try to do is stay true to the character on the page and to my instincts as an actor.

DB: To be honest, I feel like I’m finding her more and more every night as I get to inhabit her and bring myself and the day I’ve had into the role every night, which allows me to constantly be learning and fleshing out who she is. I wouldn’t say I’ve had a majorly specific approach apart from what I always do, which is getting all my lines learned before rehearsal starts, so I can be as free as possible in the room, then I get the music feeling comfortable in my voice. And then it’s always just about playing and responding to the other actors —that’s my favourite part about theatre!

What has your preparation for the main roles been like? Have you done any research on the historical characters?

PM: Yes, research always plays an important part of my process, particularly when playing a real-life historical character. It’s one of the aspects of the job that I enjoy the most. It helps to add colour to the world of the piece and the role that I’m playing and often helps to fill in any blanks – things that there simply isn’t time to cover on the page.

So, I started out by doing a fair bit of wider research concerning the period, the war and the deception operation itself. There is lots on information online. I also read a couple of books: ‘Operation Mincemeat’ by Ben Macintyre and ‘The Man Who Never Was’, which was written by Ewan Montagu, one of the characters in the show.

That was all really interesting and informative. But once rehearsals started, I realised that as helpful as all that research was, it wasn’t going to help me with my quick change or help me to remember which pocket my hat should be in! So, once I’d digested it, I put it to one side. This show is insanely fast paced, so once you’re doing it, you haven’t really got time to think about that bit of research you did a few months ago.

I’m quite a visual person, so my dressing room has images that help to place me in the period and a few things that seemed pertinent to my character, Charles Cholmondeley. It’s a useful reminder that although the show is great fun, it is about real people and a very important period in British history.  

DB: I love doing research when it comes to finding a role, as it makes me feel I have a more solid foundation to make bold choices from. I started with going through the script and making sure I understood every word — there are, of course, a lot of words I had to look up such as “Blighty” and some other more old-fashioned phrases. Then my research went onto the time period, I tried to watch films set in World War II to get a greater understanding of what it was like and the struggles people were going through at the time. I also like to explore music from the time, and sometimes I play some 1943 tunes in the dressing room to get into the mood. My final bit of research centered around the big song I have to deliver every night, which is called ‘Dear Bill’. For this, I scoured the Internet for real war letters, which really helped me get a greater understanding of what this song really means and the responsibility I have to deliver it authentically every night.

The show features a cast of five doing an endless roster of characters, all of whom are very different in nature. What’s the preparation behind to jump from one role to another as swiftly as the script requires?

PM: I think you need to prepare each character as if it were your only role in the show. Although an audience may only see a brief glimpse, it’s important that we as actors have done the work and that we know who they are. Then, it’s about finding each character’s silhouette – a physical shape that you can quickly inhabit which communicates who they are to an audience. They need to know who that character is, what they think of themselves, and what they think of those around them, in a fraction of a second. And then, there’s the voice – we all play across ages, genders, and accents in this show, so it’s important to find a vocal placement and quality that you can slip in and out of easily. As a general rule on the show, the less a character is featured, the broader our interpretation can be, which leads to some quite bold, but hopefully rather fun choices.

DB: To be honest, for me this aspect it’s as hard as it looks. To keep switching characters is just so much fun, it feels a bit like a magic trick sometimes. I try not to overthink it, and it just feels like it happens in a silly and brilliant way. The only switch of character that I find challenging is coming out of my very emotional song ‘Dear Bill’, who I sing as Hester (a 45-year-old woman), and then I have to go straight into this strong masculine Submariner, —this can sometimes be challenging, but in the best way.

Have you found any other particular challenges in this production?

PM: Well, this is my first professional musical, so that has been my personal challenge. Although I did musicals at school and with local amateur societies as a teenager, my last musical was at drama school almost twenty years ago. So, there is a slightly different language and way of working that I’ve had to adapt to. Rehearsals were particularly challenging, as there is just so much to learn in a relatively short space of time.

The show requires such confidence, relaxation and mental clarity. I’m still learning what I need to do in order to be at my maximum level. However, the main challenge is stamina. The show is incredibly demanding, in a way that only those who have done it truly understand. I’ve had to learn what I need to do to look after myself offstage (before and after each performance) in order to get through each show and keep doing it eight times a week.

DB: As there is only five of us telling this absolutely epic story, and playing up to 25 characters each, singing and dancing and acting our hearts out every night, the demands are high. So, really, it’s just been about looking after myself and making sure I’m healthy physically and mentally to deliver the show to the highest standard every night. This includes LOTS of water and sleep.

The entire show is a raucous celebration of theatrical joy, which involves a lot of physical acts. Have you had any fun bloopers you would like to share?

PM: Erm…well, obviously nothing ever goes wrong on this show. A line is never missed; a prop is never dropped and no one EVER corpses…

If you don’t believe me, you’ll have to come and see the show and see for yourself.

DB: We are quite early on in our run so nothing major yet (laughs). Just the standard missed line here and there.

Which moment in the show has the strongest connection with you and why?

PM: I think it’s the ‘Making A Man’ section, where the MI5 crew are bringing the world of the soldier to life, deciding what to name him and convincing their senior officer that the plan can work. There is something so beautiful about their collective endeavour. I’m always moved by stories of individuals coming together to try to achieve something.  Also, the name ‘Bill’ or ‘William’ has a really strong connection to me, so whenever I hear it used, I can feel the emotion creeping in. It feels deeply personal, and I like that.

DB: Unexpectedly, I think it’s a duet I get to sing and act with the character of Jean (played by the fabulous Roshani Abbey) in Act 2. It’s called ‘Useful’ and it’s the most beautiful, lovely moment of two people coming together and accepting that they will do the work they need to do, even if they don’t get the external validation or recognition that they deserve. I just find it so moving every night, and I look forward to performing it every day — it’s such a brilliantly written and structured song, as they all are to be honest!

Why come see ‘Operation Mincemeat’?

PM: It’s an unbelievable story that actually happened, and it’s about a significant part of history that hasn’t had the recognition it deserves. It’ll make you laugh til you cry, and cry until you feel better. It features the hardest working cast in the West End.

By coming to see it, you are supporting fringe theatre, theatre makers, and story tellers everywhere. The amazing Spitlip, who wrote and originated the show built it up to where it is now over a number of years, and their success is both a triumph and a glowing vindication of what happens when producers believe and invest in unknown talent and grassroots theatre.

DB: Because it is the most extraordinary true story of five unexpected heroes winning the war! You will laugh so much, and you might even cry. It’s the most special piece of theatre, you don’t want to miss it.

Peter McGovern’s headshot credit to Sam Mackay. Danny Becker’s headshot credit to Melanie Gail.

Danny Becker, represented by BBA Management, is a performer currently starring in Operation Mincemeat. His theatre credits include The Prince of Egypt (The Dominion) and Aladdin (Prince Edward Theatre). https://bba.management/home

Peter McGovern, represented by BBA Management, is a performer currently starring in Operation Mincemeat. His theatre credits include Much Ado About Nothing (The Globe) and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery (Criterion Theatre). https://bba.management/home

Operation Mincemeat plays at London’s Fortune Theatre from Monday to Saturday. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara