European premiere of manga stage musical Death Note announced

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. Performances will be held on 21 and 22 August 2023. Tickets go on sale 2 June 2023.

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Based on the best-selling Japanese manga series of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, this groundbreaking musical (Winner Best Musical, Korea Musical Awards) has a score by Frank Wildhorn (‘Jekyll & Hyde’, 4 years on Broadway, ‘Dracula’, ‘Bonnie & Clyde‘) with lyrics by Jack Murphy and book by Ivan Menchell.

It will be directed by Nick Winston and is produced by Carter Dixon McGill Production (‘Chess in Concert’, ‘Kinky Boots in Concert’, ‘Treason the Musical in Concert’) and Indie Theatrical.

Light Yagami, a bright but dissatisfied high school student in Tokyo comes across a discarded notebook owned by Ryuk, a mythological god of death. Discovering he can kill anyone by just writing their names in the supernatural notebook, Light takes justice into his own hands by filling the notebook with names of the nation’s most wanted criminals. But a detective only known as “L” is soon tracking him down…

Death Note: The Musical premiered in 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. A 2022 Korean production won four awards at the Korea Musical Awards after being nominated in 10 categories (“Death Note offers a glimpse at the future of musicals”, The Korea Herald).

In 2017, Netflix released a TV adaptation of ‘Death Note’ starring Willem Defoe.

Frank Wildhorn said: “Death Note: The Musical has been the most unique, strange, edgy, and wonderful musical journey for me. It’s been a dream of mine to bring this show from Asia to the West End of London, and here we are!”

The producers said: “We are beyond excited to be presenting the first English language production of Death Note: The Musical for two nights only this summer! Fans and those we look forward to welcoming into the world of Death Note are in for a musical treat.”

Cast to be announced.

Death Note the Musical in Concert Creative Team
Director and Choreographer Nick Winston
Associate Director and Choreographer Alex Sarmiento,
Costume Designer Kimie Nakano
Musical Supervisor  Katy Richardson
Musical Director Chris Ma
Orchestrator Jason Howland
Designer Justin Williams
Lighting Designer Ben Cracknell
Sound Designer Ben Harrison
Casting Harry Blumenau
Artwork by Rebecca Pitt Creative
Producers Carter Dixon McGill Productions and Indie Theatrical