Back To Shore

Lyrics: “Just For Tonight” ~ Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical, 2023

This might be the most niché blog post I’ve written in a while; possibly only interesting for people who have already seen “Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical”. Or those who at least have listened to the album, which was released on Friday. But I guess most people who listened, did so, because they have seen the show before. I can’t help it, when I love a piece of art / entertainment, I sometimes feel the need to shout about it from the rooftops. And my blog is the best rooftop for me to do so. That’s why I’ve shouted about Mincemeat here many times before. I’ll link to those posts at the end.

Anyway: we’ve finally got the cast recording. With proper orchestration. Some strings, some brass, some woodwinds, more percussion. All the bells and whistles and it’s marvellous and it makes these gems of songs dazzle so prettily.

I guess it’s time to dust off my old assertion that I don’t know anything about making music and thus lack the vocabulary to properly talk about music. I deal with words. They use more than enough words in this musical as well and I will gush over those in a minute.

But the opening song “Born To Lead” is a good example of why I love the music in this musical so much. It’s this wonderful blend of catchy melodies, impressive rap and beautiful harmonies – either as almost instrumental backdrop e.g. for the rap section or shining in full force in the chorus. I’m also always impressed, when they sing different and sometimes contrary lyrics at the same time; Johnny and Monty here towards the end. It’s almost impossible to catch all of the words while sitting in the auditorium, because you also need to watch what’s going on. Which is why I’m so happy that I can finally listen to theses songs over and over and over again to focus on different parts of it.

I also absolutely love the prelude of this opening song and thus the show, as it gives the first glimpse of the scope of instrumentation. Such a far cry from the piano, bass guitar, drums they had on previous runs of the show. It’s a proper West End musical now. I will never get tired of saying that.

But back to “Born to Lead”. And don’t worry, I won’t dissect every one of these songs to this extent. But I absolutely adore this one, because it sets the tone for the whole show so wonderfully and introduces all the elements: Three of the main characters, the basic plot of what it’s all about, the variety of voices and musical styles. The witty lyrics and the humour, without brushing over what’s at stake. It’s this perfect blend of exciting (and yes, Monty, it’s fun) spy operation and necessary pathos for a nation at war. While at the same time poking fun at the establishment, that existed back then and still does in the UK today, which in my eyes makes this WWII story quite relevant to modern audiences.

A few examples, starting with the biggest shout-out to Zoe Roberts in the role of Johnny Bevaon for her impeccable rapping skills all through the show. So many words in such rapid succession, it just blows my mind.

Gotta make Hitler believe Sicily isn’t where we’re gonna be
Gotta proceed with some dishonesty
Gotta deceive cos what I wanna see is hundreds of thousands of Germans getting off our property.

The pathos comes from Johnny Bevan with these words 

We are not heroes, we play our parts,
We do our duties, nothing more
And when this war is done and fades to dust
There’s no applause or fame for us

while Ewan Montagu at the same time proudly claims the role as born leader

For some were born to follow, but we were born to lead
We are the masters, we are the clever men who hold the reigns. […]
And when this war is done and fades to dust
The world will turn and say to us that we were born to lead

As audience you only forgive this arrogant stance, because it’s right away juxtaposed with it’s ludicrous sides, you can only laugh about

I’ll definitely get a knighthood
And a Victoria Cross or three
Look up victory in a dictionary
There’s a picture there of me

Oh, just have a listen, if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

I’ll try to keep the rest of this to a more general commentary, I promise.

The wonderful instrumentation helps to set the mood in all the other songs as well. Sad and melancholic with sparse woodwinds. Full of suspense with more percussion and some strings. Cheerful and triumphant with the brass section. That’s the beauty of a bigger musical ensemble, but also of skilled people who write the scores and arrange it all. I love it.

Being able to listen to the songs without distraction now makes me notice and consequently appreciate the harmonies of these five beautiful voices even more. As mentioned above either as a backdrop (e.g. at the end of “Act As If You Do”) or as the centre point in quite a few of the songs. Most of all probably in “Sail On, Boys”, which in it’s purest form is just a beautiful sea shanty. 

I love that they created such a variety of signature motifs which are picked up in other songs later on. So many tiny details I only noticed now while listening with headphones and not being distracted by action on the stage. The reprise of “Born to lead” in “Just For Tonight” for instance. There are probably more I still haven’t figured out yet. 

Last but not least I’m in awe of how they managed to blend all of this together in one single – albeit 9:30 minutes long – song: “Making a Man”. It is their musical theatre masterpiece. Period. Closely followed by “The Glitzy Finale”, which excels at bringing all the themes (plot and music) back once more and ending on such a wonderful tribute to Glyndwr Michael.

Let me now bring the focus back to some lyrics. There are too many to pick from to showcase SpitLip’s skills with rhyme & rhythm, so I won’t even try. But I also do appreciate the social commentary in some songs, besides the aforementioned poking fun at the establishment. I’m glad they kept the “empowering women” theme from the very first version in 2019. “All the Ladies” is the perfect “call to arms” anthem (pun intended) for me with lyrics like these

No more riding side saddle
It’s time for our battle to start
Get in the system, rip it apart

The other theme is fascism and more importantly the current rise of it in the western world. There are sections in two songs which made me stop short and gulp the first time I heard them. Because they are delivered in such a fun context, but they are so true.

You think were badass, you ain’t see nothing
Democracy you won’t see us coming

“Das Übermensch”

And later on the US pilot Watkins sings about the defeated Nazis

They’re losers but they just don’t mind
‘Cos when the chips are down and you’ve lost your way
There’s a home for you in the USA …
(Make America Great Again!) 

“The Glitzy Finale”

Not quite social commentary, but something I can very well relate to is the theme of Charles’ song “Dead in the Water”. From the very first time I heard it in 2019, I was in awe how well it reflects my own fears of not being good enough. Not smart enough. How well it reflects my tendency to let that fear hold me back. Reflects my wish / dream to magically overcome it all and show people what I’m capable of. I’m happy to say that I think I’ve taken some helpful steps in that direction since then. Or at least cope better with some of the fear. (Three cheers for therapy!). 

One day I’ll metamorphosise
The scales shall tumble from their eyes
And thus shall end this wretched old routine
They’ll hear all these ideas of mine
And realise that all this time
There’s more to me than they have ever seen

“Dead in the Water”

I want to end this long, fangirling post with sharing the lyrics, which I probably will have engraved in a simple silver bracelet this summer; similar to the few Frank Turner lyrics I’ve already done this with. I just love the simplicity of these words and the inspiration I take away from them. I also have a thing about the sea, so I’m partial for any good sea metaphor. 

Set your hearts to the horizon
Leave your fears upon the shore

“Sail On, Boys”

I could go on and on on about “Operation Mincemeat”, but I’ve already done that before. And I might again. I’m scheduled to see the show twice more this summer. Next time in about three weeks time and I can’t wait! 

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My previous reviews of the show

April 2023: “Be Proud, Cause Baby You’re The Best Thing Ever”
July 2022:  Big Flash of Joy: Operation Mincemeat – The Musical
January 2020: “Operation Mincemeat” – Gets Better & Better With Every Run
May 2019: Operation Mincemeat” – Absolutely Brilliant

Lyrics: “Letter To Myself” ~ The Lottery Winners, 2023

This morning I started writing the first section for today’s blog; the prompt was sleep(less) and I was in proper bad mood. During the day I also jotted down various prompts which I had planned to elaborate on. Regular run-of-the-mill content. But then the Lottery Winners released a new song today. What a lovely surprise. They did not mention that at all, when I saw them play a gig in Oxford, UK three days ago. And what a great song it is. I saw the tweet (with the song title) and read the linked Big Issue interview . Just from the title and the few words Thom (Lottery Winners singer and songwriter) and Frank Turner, who lends his voice for the chorus, said about the song, I thought it might be one I can very well relate too. 

I had planned to check it out during my lunch break, but by then one of my music (okay Frank Turner) friends already texted me about it and shared the video and I didn’t even have to look for it myself.

OH MY GOD, this song made me cry a bit. It definitely moved me in ways not many other songs or artists have before. Frank managed to with quite a few of his songs, as my many blog posts about that should have proven by now. But there are not that many others. The first song on which the Lottery Winners asked Frank to join them – “Start Again” in 2021 – and through which I first heard of them was one of those songs. 2021 was a hard year for me and this song helped me through some of it with it’s simple invitation to “get up and start again“. The “Open Letter to Creatives” also has got many lyrics which mean a lot to me. Because even though I’m not a proper creative (as in earning my living through things I create), some of the words spoke and still speak to me. 

It’s not arrogant to be proud of yourself
It’s not arrogant to be sure of yourself
It’s not arrogant to love yourself
So love yourself

And also 

Celebrate every win no matter how small

which made it on the cover of my “good moments / gratitude” journal.

I had a really good time at their show on Friday. I might not know all the songs or lyrics yet, but every song definitely had me moving and dancing and humming along. And now this new song: “Letter to Myself”:

So many of the lyrics of this song hit home for me here. So so many! I guess that’s what a year of therapy does to you. In the best way possible. Because therapy made me realize how many “little T traumas” (as some therapists like to call it) little me had suffered through. I still very well recall the feeling of being different and of not really fitting in and of not being lovable and all that. It took me longer than the teens and twenties (in the song) to actually realize this and to work through some of this. I’m turning 48 in a week. Just sayin’. 

Anyway, part of therapy has been to reconnect with this inner child and take care of her and validate her and support her. It feels a bit weird saying this out loud. But that’s basically what it was. I didn’t actually write a letter to myself, but everything close to it. So Thom’s words feel quite real and true to me. Because once you’ve been through all of it – and the decades of reading self-help books before that – there does come the time when “everything seems smaller”. All the fears and worries about insignificant things, that kept me awake for hours and hours for too long: They don’t really matter all that much once I got some perspective. And that feels so good.

“Your going to find songs of ‘The Smith’ 
And in that a whole universe for you to exist
It’s going to teach you that others feel the same way
They’re going to be your friends
They’re still your friends today”

So many lovely people I met and became and stayed friends with through Frank’s music.I will forever and ever be so so grateful for this connection Frank and his music brought into my life. But also grateful for all the great music he brought into my life, like… “The Lottery Winners”. Fingers crossed for them getting the #1 with their new album. They so deserve it! 

Lyrics: “Be A Freak” ~ Felix Hagan & The Family, 2017

Picture the scene: The year is 2016. I’ve travelled from Germany to Edinburgh to see my 25th Frank Turner show. On this UK run Frank had brought along a rather unknown glam-rock-pop band called “Felix Hagan & The Family” as support and they got me hooked pretty quickly. I started following them as band and the various members on social media. In 2018 I was lucky to see them play three gigs: two at/around the Lost Evening Festival in London in May, one supporting Arkells in November in Germany and I don’t think they have played many more – if any – shows since. I don’t know if they ever will to be honest, because they all had / have other work or projects going on as well and we’re getting to that now. Because also in 2018 Felix Hagan and Tash Hodgson, one of the singers, started tweeting about how they teamed up with two more members of comedy troupe Kill the Beast to write a musical about a secret WWII mission: “Operation Mincemeat”. It sounded mad and fun and something I was absolutely interested in. This newly formed troupe SpitLip started sharing some work in progress videos with songs on Youtube and I enjoyed everyone of them.

For 2019 Frank had moved Lost Evenings to Boston, USA, which wasn’t a trip I was willing to take. I went up to Scotland for other fan-related events instead. But I had the foresight to schedule a stop in London on the way back home to see the first ever run of “Operation Mincemeat” in the New Diorama Theatre. 80 seats, which were only about half-filled on this Sunday matinee on their first weekend. The programme was a two page flyer (one piece of paper printed double sided). They had one person for lights, one for costumes (and props?), Felix played keys himself along with two more musicians (bass and percussion). I absolutely loved it and wrote about it here.

From 2020 to 2022 SpitLip did three more runs of the show in two more theatres. I’ve written extensively about the two I’ve seen: here (2020) and here (2022). Along the way they aquired a bit more support in ways of director and choreographer and they also rewrote quite a bit. They cut scenes and songs. They added scenes and songs. They cut / changed scenes and songs they had added before. It’s been a fascinating ride to have been along for. Assuming the ride has stopped yet. You never know with these guys.

In 2023 they’re now doing this show – their own show – in the London West End. The WEST END! With a proper set. Proper walls and doors. Two sturdy desks instead of three file cabinets. They’ve got understudies and a proper big production team. There are head and deputies in some departments! Some of the songs can be heard as instrumental score from the speakers before the show. The programme includes about a dozen pages on Spitlip as writers, extensive information on all the actors and the dozen other important people involved.

It’s mad! And I’m so so happy for them. They’ve come such a long way and they so deserve it in my opinion. We caught Felix after the show yesterday and he said that he sometimes still fears this is the biggest prank someone is playing on him.

So, what about the West End version? When the curtain opened on Saturday and I saw the new stage for the first time I admit my first thought was “Mmh. Where are the familiar file cabinets? Will this mad show work without them ?” Fear not people, it does work. So well. Even with a bigger production – and more money to it – it has kept its fast pace of changes of characters and scenes; by the drop of a hat often quite literally. Even on seeing it for the 7th time now since 2019 I’m in awe how they do that. It’s brilliant.

They haven’t changed too much dialogue or scenes from the run in 2022. The things they did change worked well / better than before. That’s the whole point of making changes, right? Thinking of the even more complex hats / phones / briefcase exchange makes me grin again. All in all everything got a bit bigger! Like the sturdy desks. The set and the props and the costumes are all just a bit more elaborate. More glitzy in the most unforeseen moments sometimes. The finale… well it’s called the Glitzy Finale for a reason. It’s big. And I really mean BIG! I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but there at least two things you probably won’t expect to see. And in typical “Mincemeat the musical” fashion you won’t have finished laughing about the first one when the scenes change and the next one will have you in stitches all over again. It might especially on Coronation Day (May 6th) is all I’m saying.

As mentioned above I’ve written extensively about the previous runs and sang the casts’ praise extensively then. I don’t want to bore you all by repeating my words from last year or the year before. Everyone is so so so good. Still a few (final for now) thoughts on some of them:

As much as I enjoyed Sean Carrey stepping in to play Charlie last year, I was glad to see David Cumming back on stage, because no one does the lolloping sidekick as well as he does. It’s his long arms and legs, I guess.

Zöe always blows my mind with the physicality of her acting and the faces she’s able to make. Just look at the waiter in the final restaurant scene with Monty and Jean.

And Tash… what can I say. I feel the urge to quote myself after all, because it’s still all so true.

Also worth noting that my ‘girl crush’ on Tash is back full force. Which seems weird, because she’s playing a straight – and let’s be honest not always very nice – man here. Just shows that gender and crushes and all are fluid and isn’t that a wonderful thing? Within seconds she always makes me forgot it’s not a man playing Ewen Montagu. The arrogance, the swagger, the outrageous confidence. For some reason this time around I also was fascinated how quickly she can change moods and give off very different vibes. From being the cold, stern superior officer, when Charlie didn’t let go of the file: “I’ve issued you an order, Lieutenant” to the embarrassed and squirming – “It’s just a first draft” – amateur filmmaker within just a few quick moments. God, she’s brilliant.

my own blog in summer 2022

I’m so glad I’ll be back for it once more in early June. And then hopefully will be able to buy all the merch. I mean ALL the merch. The cast recording will be out everywhere on May 12th. I just ordered the digital version on Amazon Germany and can’t wait to finally sing along to all the songs. For days and weeks and months probably. I’ll be annoying the hell out of everyone around me and I don’t care….