From Six to Operation Mincemeat – how cool indie musicals are sweeping the West End

Around the West End, a different tune is being sung. Among the long runners, Disney shows, film adaptations, jukebox sing-alongs and star vehicles, a different sort of musical is making a mark, with the rise of younger, fresher fringey British shows – written and performed by exciting young talent, and covering all sorts of subjects from podcasters to Second World War espionage with great brio. And audiences love it.

From Six to Operation Mincemeat, from Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) to Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, these are original shows with no marquee stars and small, unknown casts, yet have organically built huge followings on journeys that have often included runs at the fringe or regional theatre on their way into the West End.

Critics and audiences are taking notice, as are awards judges. This month Operation Mincemeat, a musical about an extraordinary true-life mission masterminded by British intelligence in the Second World