Broadway Breakdown: Matt Reviews Buena Vista Social Club and Operation Mincemeat
Host: Matt Koplik
Date: March 21, 2025
Episode Theme:
Matt Koplik offers in-depth, candid solo reviews of two major new Broadway musicals: Buena Vista Social Club and Operation Mincemeat. Drawing on questions from his Discord community and his signature blend of irreverence, knowledge, and foul-mouthed humor, Matt dissects the shows’ narratives, performances, production aspects, and Tony awards potential, while keeping the discourse insightful for theater lovers – diehard and casual alike.
Episode Overview
Matt devotes this double-header episode to reviewing and analyzing two fresh transfers to Broadway:
- Buena Vista Social Club: A jukebox musical adaptation based on the iconic Cuban musicians and their legendary album
- Operation Mincemeat: The Olivier-winning British import, a madcap, cheeky retelling of the real WWII undercover operation
He addresses listener questions from Discord and gives honest, nuanced takes on what works, what misses, and each show’s chances at the Tonys.
Part One: Buena Vista Social Club
[00:20–34:18]
Main Theme & Setup
- Matt approaches Buena Vista Social Club with fresh eyes, knowing little about its legendary source material (“I did not know anything about this musical ensemble. I did not know anything about the album itself…” [06:00]).
- He asserts: “Great works about true events and real people should be able to stand on their own to someone who doesn’t know anything about it. And then…more things in the show can really make a larger impact.” [07:40]
Story Structure & Plot
- The musical moves back and forth between 1956 and 1996 Cuba:
- 1996: Producer Juan DeMarcos (Justin Cunningham) reassembles veteran Cuban musicians to record the Buena Vista Social Club album—a comeback project for star singer Omara (Natalie Venetia Belcon).
- 1956: Young Omara (Issa Antonetti) and her sister Haiti (Ashley De La Rosa) are an upper-middle-class singing duo faced with the country’s impending revolution. The sisters are scouted by Columbia Records; Haiti signs on to escape, Omara stays for her artistic passion and loses contact with Haiti.
- Throughout: Omara confronts her demons about leaving her sister and falling out with her first love, Ibrahim (Mel Semé plays older Ibrahim).
- Narrative focus: Young Omara’s trajectory is more detailed than grown Omara’s, as Matt notes:
- “It is centered around her character. But that character is split in two… I would argue more of the running time…is dedicated towards young Omara’s narrative.” [19:24]
Key Performance & Character Notes
- Natalie Venetia Belcon: Central but not lead status:
- “The character of Omara is absolutely the central role of the show. But Natalie herself is not on stage enough… the younger self, more of the running time.” [19:20]
- Predicts she will fare better petitioned as featured at the Tonys.
- Issa Antonetti (Young Omara): “Very charming, amazing voice…wasn’t as compelling as Natalie Venetia Belcon or even Ashley De La Rosa.” [23:04]
- Ashley De La Rosa (Haiti): “Major props…takes a part that really is there to be a springboard for young Omara’s journey…does a really good job of making Omara’s sister Haiti a full person…dropped in performance. I was very impressed.” [23:50]
- On the ensemble: “No one who really feels like the absolute lead…It’s quite an ensemble show.”
Book, Pacing, & Dramatic Structure
- Book is “probably the weakest thing in the show, but…it mostly gets the job done.” [25:46]
- Lacks tension: “The present-day stuff wasn’t fleshed out enough…(conflicts) felt resolved very quickly…never really got a lot of drama with the making of the album.” [26:35]
- “The final number, fun as it is, also felt a little sped up…could have embellished a bit more in the final number…could have added a few more minutes.” [28:00]
Notable Quotes
- On generational memory:
“In pop culture some things can make such a huge impact for so much of the world…and then over the years…fewer people who are growing up or coming on the scene will maybe know about it. They kind of have to seek it out.” [06:30]
- On Tony categories:
“This is not a category (Best Book) that has had nothing but bangers since its creation.” [29:44]
- On Justin Peck’s choreography:
“This is definitely the most I have liked Justin Peck’s work in the musical theater realm to date…It is pretty character-specific…never gets quite to the moment of explosion dance-wise as I want it to, but it does have an ebb and a flow.” [31:15]
Creative & Production Elements
- Choreography (Justin Peck and Patricia Delgado): Front-runner for Tony.
- Improved specificity, character, period-appropriateness; “most I’ve liked his work…to date.” [31:33]
- Yet, still struggles with “structure building of a number in the dance…choreography always matches that energy.” [32:30]
- Design: Strong costuming and lighting; crisp sound design.
- Music: “Fantastic and so well arranged,” a highlight even when dramatic beats stumble.
Tony Awards Prognosis
- Likely Nominations: Best Musical (“absolutely in play”), Choreography (probable frontrunner), Costumes, Lighting, possibly Book (“on the bubble”), plus potential Featured Actress for Belcon.
- Performance Standouts: Ashley De La Rosa and Issa Antonetti could end up in featured categories, but Belcon has clearest Tony shot.
Listener Q&A Highlights
- On dramatic authenticity of the real story: “It did feel true. Nothing seemed terribly outlandish… looked up some stuff after the fact…certain elements…were not clear to me about why it was happening… now I understand…” [33:14]
- On ensemble nature and Tony categorization: Most of the cast feel “featured,” not strictly supporting or leading.
Part Two: Operation Mincemeat
[34:37–1:12:25]
Main Theme & Personal Context
- Matt saw the show in London (with mostly replacement cast) and was underwhelmed: “I ended up being super underwhelmed by Operation Mincemeat…didn’t laugh a great deal, I didn’t find it terribly compelling.” [34:37]
- On Broadway, Matt watches with original Olivier-winning cast, hoping for a fresh perspective.
Show Premise & Style
- Based on the true WWII British intelligence caper involving planting a corpse with falsified documents to misdirect Nazi troops.
- Tone: “It’s like 39 Steps meets Hamilton…five actors playing multiple roles, and lots of gender-bending casting…a scrappy underdog musical, very small, very cheeky, very fun.” [36:20]
Cast & Key Performances
- David Cumming: Plays Charles and other parts; “doing the most British music hall kind of performance…big, bold choices” [40:30]
- Jack Malone: Transforms into each role with range; “good blend of big enough to fill the theater, but not so big that it feels put upon.” [41:20]
- Claire Marie Hall: The company’s emotional anchor as Jean.
- Natasha Hodgson: Ewan Montague, the “cohort” with a “really good job of embodying egotistical, priggish man…without making it seem too calculated or too caricature-y.” [42:50]
Comic Tone & Audience Reception
- The show’s humor is very British—repetitive, silly, playful with gender and self-awareness.
- On audience reaction:
"There were three musical numbers that really got the audience's, you know, they were really responding to. And only one of them was kind of a quieter number.” [36:51]
- “At the end, jump to your feet, scream and shout… It's a very full theater… very attentive… typical Wednesday matinee crowd.” [37:40]
- Musical’s “tonal whiplash”:
“A comedy with a lot of heart… they want it to be clear… they respect the stakes of World War II, but there are times where it goes for super, like, Faulty Towers-esque broad comedy and then really hits you hard emotionally. That’s a knife’s edge…” [55:25]
Key Songs & Standout Moments
- “Dear Bill” (Jack Malone):
- “Probably has the best song in the show…an emotional song… gets emotional in a way that is very British, hiding pain with a stiff upper lip… My biggest issue with Dear Bill… it's ultimately too long… starts to become a little repetitive. But the idea and overall structure work.” [47:13]
- Act 1 Finale: Well-staged, favorite production moment.
- Act 2 Nazi number:
- “For me, it’s the ultimate example where I don’t trust an audience. The song ultimately is meant to trick an audience’s Pavlovian response of, again, cheering for something because it’s big and loud and campy, but it’s all about Nazis.” [58:18]
- “In London, the audience fully went crazy for it; on Broadway, like, half the audience really whooped and cheered and the other half gave sort of like mild golf claps… I'm like, you don't get to have your cake and eat it too with this.” [59:22]
Book, Score & Staging
- Book: Tonally inconsistent, but “the cast does make it come off better.”
- Score: “Relatively clever lyrics… some solid melodies… but nothing ever really sticks. Nothing ever really excites me.” [48:58]
- Staging: At times “intricately figured out,” other times “kind of basic and a little sloppy.” [51:36]
- Sound design: “Kind of poor… the band sounds very far away, and whenever the whole cast is singing together, a very quick lyric… can’t really make out the forest for the trees.” [57:24]
Notable Quotes
- On improved perspective:
“Did my opinion change since London? And the short answer is, you know, I did enjoy it more than when I saw it in London… the original cast definitely helped me enjoy it more…” [43:54]
- On British comedy:
“British humor is very different from American humor…one of the things British humor really loves is repetition…(but) in American TV…characters have growth…that provides more opportunity for comedy…not really how it works with British sitcoms.” [65:00]
- On meta-jokes and audience complicity:
“Mincemeat…are trying to trick the audience into applauding for a Nazi number…but sometimes a bop is not necessary in a moment…you have to ask yourself what it is you’re trying to get an audience to feel or do.” [59:52]
Tony Awards Prognosis
- Likely Nominations: Best Musical, Book, Score, Featured Actor (Jack Malone).
- Production: Possible nods for costumes, lighting, direction.
- Matt’s prediction: “I think it’ll get nominations. I think ultimately maybe Happy Ending and Dead Outlaw are the two that are really gonna vie for it. I think Mincemeat is gonna seem like a contender because it might rack up a couple of nominations…” [70:45]
- On Best Musical wins for British imports: “Tony voters have been very wary of giving British musicals wins these days…After the mega-musical, the Broadway community…really supports our own.” [69:00]
Listener Q&A Highlights
- On adaptation for American audiences: “Ultimately the same show. I can’t tell you intricacies…I'm sure there are some jokes that got tweaked for American audiences… but the sound design is, in my opinion, kind of poor.” [57:09]
- On repeated motifs, British vs. American structure: Extensive comparison to “Miranda” and trends in comedy writing [65:59].
Closing Summary & Takeaways
- Matt finds both shows have merit, but Buena Vista Social Club had “greater highs and I was more engaged and swept up in it than I was in Mincemeat.” [71:44]
- On his own role:
“What we like about this discourse…the reviews this way is that it does sort of feel like a conversation and exploring the nuances, not being a 50-character tweet… when I don’t like something, I try to be very respectful of how I don’t like it. If I love something, I really try to find the specifics…” [71:30]
Memorable Quotes
- “Let’s just be a respectful little bitch about it, shall we?” – Matt, on review embargoes [02:15]
- “The music is so fantastic and it’s so well arranged…” – [29:00], on BVSC
- “I don’t trust audiences anymore. I just. I really don’t.” – [61:20], on Operation Mincemeat
- “If you like it, I hope you continue to like it. I’m not here to convince anyone otherwise.” – [70:10], on Operation Mincemeat
- “I am much more likely to recommend Buena Vista Social Club, which also has its bumps. It’s not quite great, but for me it had greater highs…” – [71:44]
Key Timestamps
- 00:20: Episode intro, structure, Discord involvement
- 06:00: Matt’s knowledge pre-BVSC, contextualizing nostalgia/pop culture
- 10:40: BVSC plot structure overview
- 19:20–24:00: Lead vs. Featured discussion for Tony purposes (Natalie Venetia Belcon)
- 25:46: Book/structure critique
- 31:10: Choreography commentary (Justin Peck)
- 34:37: Operation Mincemeat intro, London vs. Broadway expectations
- 42:50: Cumulative cast analysis and comedic style
- 47:13: “Dear Bill”/Jack Malone’s standout number
- 55:25: Musically mixing genres, tonal whiplash
- 58:18: Act 2 Nazi number and audience complicity
- 65:00: Cultural differences, British humor, sitcom comparison
- 69:00: Tony prognosis and Broadway bias
- 71:44: Final comparative endorsement and mission statement
Final Thoughts
This episode embodies Matt Koplik’s thoughtful blend of Broadway expertise and “most opinionated” podcasting. With deep dives and sharp critiques—sprinkled with affectionate profanity and robust listener Q&A—the show offers a clear-eyed, passionate perspective on two very different new musicals. Whether you’re Tony-pool-obsessed or wondering what the hell “Operation Mincemeat” is, this recap gets you up to speed.