Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, the award-winning wartime comedy based on one of the most improbable intelligence missions of the Second World War, is coming to New Theatre Oxford this spring.
The hit production will run in Oxford from Tuesday 31 March to Saturday 4 April 2026 as part of its first UK tour, following major success in the West End and on Broadway.
Fast, funny and built around a true story that still sounds almost impossible, Operation Mincemeat tells the story of a secret British deception plot in 1943 involving a stolen corpse, falsified papers and a plan designed to mislead Nazi Germany.
At a glance
- Show: Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
- Venue: New Theatre Oxford
- Dates: Tue 31 Mar – Sat 4 Apr 2026
- Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes incl. interval
- Age guidance: 6+
- Evening performances: 7.30pm
- Matinees: Wed, Thu and Sat at 2.30pm
- Tickets: ATG
What is Operation Mincemeat about?
Set during the darkest days of the war, the musical follows the extraordinary real-life mission that helped convince Hitler that the Allies planned to invade Greece rather than Sicily.
The premise is startling enough on its own. Add a fake love letter, military deception, absurd bureaucracy and a creative team determined to mine the story for comedy as well as tension, and the result is one of the most unusual musicals to arrive in Oxford in recent years.
The show has been widely praised for combining espionage, satire and emotional weight, with critics describing it as both hilarious and unexpectedly moving.
The Oxford Connection
The Oxford dates form part of the musical’s first ever national tour, bringing one of the most talked-about stage productions of recent years to a regional audience after its West End breakthrough.
Oxford also has a direct link to the real story. One of the men behind the original operation, Charles Cholmondeley, studied at the University of Oxford before going on to help devise the deception plan that inspired the show.
That gives the New Theatre run an added local angle, with a story shaped in part by an Oxford-educated intelligence officer returning to the city on stage.
Award-winning success in London and New York
Operation Mincemeat won Best New Musical at the 2024 Olivier Awards and has also enjoyed major success in the United States.
The production picked up a Tony Award on Broadway and received further international attention for its inventive retelling of a remarkable wartime episode.
It has built a strong following through word of mouth as much as reviews, helped by its offbeat subject matter and energetic, ensemble-led style.
What audiences can expect
The tone is not that of a traditional war drama. Instead, the show leans into the sheer absurdity of the real operation, blending quick-fire humour with songs and a story that repeatedly makes audiences ask: did this really happen?
Promotional material describes it as a collision between wartime thriller and musical comedy, and that is a fair summary. It is knowingly theatrical, sharply written and fast-moving, with the humour balanced by the very real stakes of a world at war.
For theatre-goers who enjoy history, political absurdity or modern British musicals with a comic edge, this is likely to be one of the more distinctive productions to visit Oxford this year.
Oxford performance details
Show: Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Venue: New Theatre Oxford, 24-26 George Street, Oxford, OX1 2AG
Dates: Tuesday 31 March to Saturday 4 April 2026
Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes, including interval
Age guidance: 6+
Performance times
- Tuesday to Saturday evenings: 7.30pm
- Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees: 2.30pm
Opening night: Tuesday 31 March
New Theatre Oxford’s box office opens 90 minutes before the performance. The venue also offers pre-show and interval drinks, a cloakroom and a bookable Director’s Box VIP experience.
Useful venue information
New Theatre Oxford is the city’s largest live entertainment venue and is located in the city centre, within easy reach of shops, restaurants and Oxford railway station.
That makes the run well suited to audiences planning a full evening out, particularly for weekday performances and Saturday matinees.
Full UK tour dates
| Dates | Venue | City |
| 16 – 28 Feb 2026 | Lowry | Salford |
| 02 – 14 Mar 2026 | Theatre Royal Bath | Bath |
| 17 – 21 Mar 2026 | Wolverhampton Grand Theatre | Wolverhampton |
| 23 – 28 Mar 2026 | Fareham Live | Fareham |
| 31 Mar – 04 Apr 2026 | New Theatre | Oxford |
| 06 – 11 Apr 2026 | Alhambra Theatre | Bradford |
| 13 – 25 Apr 2026 | Lyceum Theatre | Sheffield |
| 27 Apr – 02 May 2026 | Regent Theatre | Stoke-on-Trent |
| 04 – 09 May 2026 | Storyhouse | Chester |
| 11 – 16 May 2026 | The Alexandra | Birmingham |
| 19 – 23 May 2026 | Marlowe Theatre | Canterbury |
| 25 – 30 May 2026 | Theatre Royal Brighton | Brighton |
| 01 – 06 Jun 2026 | Grand Opera House | York |
| 08 – 13 Jun 2026 | Milton Keynes Theatre | Milton Keynes |
| 15 – 20 Jun 2026 | New Victoria Theatre | Woking |
| 22 – 27 Jun 2026 | Newcastle Theatre Royal | Newcastle |
| 29 Jun – 04 Jul 2026 | Theatre Royal Plymouth | Plymouth |
| 06 – 11 Jul 2026 | Hull New Theatre | Kingston upon Hull |
| 13 – 18 Jul 2026 | Royal & Derngate | Northampton |
| 20 Jul – 01 Aug 2026 | Theatre Royal Nottingham | Nottingham |
| 04 – 08 Aug 2026 | Congress Theatre | Eastbourne |
| 11 – 15 Aug 2026 | His Majesty’s Theatre | Aberdeen |
| 31 Aug – 05 Sep 2026 | Cliffs Pavilion | Southend-on-Sea |
| 07 – 12 Sep 2026 | Grand Theatre | Leeds |
| 15 – 19 Sep 2026 | New Theatre | Cardiff |
| 21 – 26 Sep 2026 | Swansea Grand Theatre | Swansea |
| 28 Sep – 03 Oct 2026 | Wycombe Swan Theatre | High Wycombe |
| 05 – 10 Oct 2026 | Norwich Theatre Royal | Norwich |
| 19 – 24 Oct 2026 | Arts Theatre | Cambridge |
| 26 – 31 Oct 2026 | Victoria Theatre | Halifax |
| 02 – 07 Nov 2026 | King’s Theatre | Edinburgh |
| 10 – 14 Nov 2026 | Theatre Royal Glasgow | Glasgow |
| 17 – 21 Nov 2026 | Mayflower Theatre | Southampton |
| 23 – 28 Nov 2026 | The Hawth | Crawley |
