Death Note: The Musical at the Barbican might just be the best night out in London right now. Based on a famous manga and anime series, it was first turned into a musical in 2015, but this new reimagined version is a spectacular mystical noir with big songs and bigger set-pieces. “It’s about a young guy called Light who finds a book on the floor that has been dropped from the Shinigami realm – the Shinigami are the gods of death,” says Grace Mouat, “The book gives him the power to kill someone in 40 seconds just be writing their name in it.”
Without giving away spoilers, Light (Xander Pang) decides to use the power to anonymously kill criminals and becomes a folk hero – but taking the law into his own hands in such a way is viewed as serial killing by the chief of police, who happens to be Light’s father. A detective called L (Colin Ryan) enters the frame in a game of cat-and-mouse with the killer. Having the most fun are the Shinigami, which includes Mouat’s Rem.
