Death Note: The Musical, the stage adaptation of the popular Japanese manga series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, is coming to the West End for two nights in August.
The musical, which enjoyed acclaimed adaptations in Japan and Korea, is coming to The London Palladium on August 21 and 22. This will be the first time the Noughties manga series has been adapted for the stage in English.
Tickets for the two-night show went on sale this morning.
Death Note tells the story of Light, a genius high-school student who discovers a magical notebook called Death Note, which kills anyone whose name is written in its pages. Light then uses the book to kill off criminals. But of course, this kind of power is a dangerous thing, as is playing God. A Japanese police force, which is led by a detective called L, try to stop him.
Nick Winston (Chess, Cats, Guys and Dolls) will direct, while the score has been written by American composer Frank Wildhorn, who wrote Whitney Houston’s Where Do Broken Hearts Go as well as the 1990 Broadway musical Jekyll & Hyde.
NEWS: Following acclaimed productions in Japan and Korea Death Note: The Musical will get its English language premiere with two star-studded concerts at The London Palladium 🍎
— The London Palladium (@LondonPalladium) May 24, 2023
🎟️ Tickets go on general sale Friday 2 June, 10am. Learn more here: https://t.co/M8XvTVZKSG pic.twitter.com/5K8StCY5Cu
“Death Note: The Musical has been the most unique, strange, edgy, and wonderful musical journey for me,” said Wildhorn. “It’s been a dream of mine to bring this show from Asia to the West End of London, and here we are!”
Jack Murphy, whose work on the Broadway musical The Civil War earned him a Tony nomination, has written the lyric, while the book has been written by writer and producer Ivan Menchell.
The stage adaptation premiered in Tokyo in 2015, and a Korean production ran that same year. The musical ran in both countries again in 2017, and then in Tokyo in 2020 and in Seoul in 2022. In 2022, a Brazilian adaptation of Death Note opened in Rio de Janeiro.
This week the musical also announced some of its cast, with Olivier Award nominee Frances Mayli McCann (Les Misérables), Dean John-Wilson (Aladdin, The King and I), and Joaquin Pedro Valdes (The Lion King) all set for lead roles in the upcoming production.
McCann will play model Misa, John-Wilson will play unorthodox detective L, and Valdes will play Light. Further casting is still to be announced.
“Oooh I’m ready,” tweeted McCann about her upcoming role.
Death Note began as a manga series, which ran for 12 volumes between 2003 and 2006. It has been adapted numerous times, including into an anime television series, a Nintendo DS game and a novel.
