Light Yagami is brilliant, bored and convinced the world is rotten. When a mysterious notebook falls from the sky - the Death Note, dropped by the Shinigami Ryuk - he discovers that any human whose name is written in it will die. Light sees it not as a weapon but as a tool for justice. He begins killing criminals. The world notices. And a detective known only as “L” begins to notice him.
What follows is one of the most psychologically gripping cat-and-mouse stories ever told - a battle of intellects played out across a supernatural stage, where the question of who is good and who is evil becomes increasingly impossible to answer. Death Note The Musical makes its world premiere as a fully staged production at the Barbican Theatre this summer, in a reimagined version of the show that has sold out across Asia since its debut in Tokyo in 2015.
The original manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata sold over 30 million copies worldwide and grew into a global cultural phenomenon - spawning an acclaimed anime series, films, a Netflix adaptation and now the definitive theatrical incarnation. Frank Wildhorn’s score brings the dark, high-stakes tension of the source material to life with full orchestral power, and this new production features a revised script and newly written songs alongside the original acclaimed score.
The creative team is extraordinary: director Stephen Whitson, who helmed Hamilton UK and Moulin Rouge! UK, works with Emmy-nominated designer Jon Bausor (Spirited Away, Bat Out of Hell) and Olivier Award-nominated choreographer Fabian Aloise (Evita, Sunset Boulevard) to bring the urban, supernatural aesthetic of the manga to life on the Barbican’s stage. Jason Howland handles orchestrations and arrangements, with additional lyrics by Morgan Reilly. Book your tickets now.
Why it’s worth the watch
A global manga phenomenon reaches the stage for its world premiere.
- A Frank Wildhorn score. The composer of Jekyll & Hyde brings full orchestral power to the story’s dark, high-stakes tension.
- A battle of wits. The cat-and-mouse duel between Light and the detective L is one of the most gripping in modern storytelling.
- Cult source material. Adapted from a manga that spawned an anime, films and a Netflix adaptation, with a devoted worldwide fanbase.
- A heavyweight creative team. Director Stephen Whitson and designer Jon Bausor bring the manga’s supernatural, urban aesthetic to the Barbican stage.
