Death Note: The Musical Review at Barbican Theatre London

Death Note: The Musicalis a stage adaptation of the Japanese manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics by Jack Murphy. First staged in Japan in 2015, the musical went on to productions across Asia, including South Korea and Taiwan. It made its English-language debut as a concert at London’s London Palladium in 2023, before returning to London in 2026 for its first fully staged English-language production at the Barbican. This new production brings a musical with a decade-long history in Asia to a UK audience for the first time in a full staging.

Death Note: The Musical follows brilliant student Light Yagami, who discovers a mysterious notebook with the power to determine who lives and who dies. Believing he can use it to reshape society according to his own vision of justice, Light’s actions soon attract the attention of the elusive and ruthless detective L. What begins as an attempt to create a better world quickly develops into a dangerous battle of morality, power and obsession. If you had the power to decide who lives and who dies, what would you do?

For the Barbican run, Stephen Whitson directs Xander Pang as Light Yagami, Colin Ryan as L, Stephanie Zaharis as Misa Amane, Telly Leung as Ryuk, Grace Mouat as Rem, Paolo Montalban as Soichiro Yagami, Chloe Saracco as Jerasu, and Elise Buckley as Sayu. Joining them in the ensemble are CJ Benoiton, Louise LilunaBrowning, Aoife Haakenson, Samantha Ho, Katie Ka Lay Ho, Olivia Hazel Jones, Matthew Koon, Abel Law, Luchia Moss, Patrick Munday, Richie Paisley, Regine Phua, Nicky Wong Rush and Ernest Stroud.

As Light Yagami, Xander Pang performed with a youthful exuberance. Vocally impressive from the opening number, Pang sang with a clear tone that allowed Light’s thoughts and feelings to come through naturally. He shared some beautiful vocal moments with Telly Leung’s Ryuk early on in Kira and delivered a powerful rendition of Hurricane towards the end of Act One. As the story progressed, Pang effectively captured Light’s growing obsession and determination, allowing the character’s darker side to emerge without losing that sense of youthful ambition. As the elusive L, Colin Ryan gave an exceptionally strong performance. From his introduction in The Game Begins, it was clear that Ryan’s L was full of eccentricity and quiet intensity. He brought a distinctive physicality to the character, balancing L’s unusual mannerisms with an underlying sense of intelligence. Ryan was equally impressive vocally, particularly in his performances of “The Way Things Are” and his duet with Pang’s Light, “Playing My Game”. Their chemistry was compelling throughout, with Ryan capturing L’s growing fascination with Light and the determination of his pursuit of Kira.

Grace Mouat gave a stunning performance as Rem, perfectly capturing the god of death’s ethereal and otherworldly presence. Mouat performed with a quiet intensity, while also showcasing her impressive vocal ability. She more than held her own with the beautiful 11 o’clock number “When Love Comes”. Stephanie Zaharis was absolutely captivating as pop star Misa Amane. Moving effortlessly between fully choreographed pop numbers and more character-driven musical theatre moments is no easy feat, yet Zaharis handled both of these with ease. Her performance of the simple “I’ll Only Love You More” in Act Two was hauntingly beautiful. Fresh from Broadway’s The Phantom of the Opera immersive experience Masquerade, Telly Leung gives an incredible performance as Ryuk. Commanding, engaging and playful, Leung brings an infectious energy to the role, while his powerful vocals make an immediate impression. London is certainly more than happy to have Leung back on a West End stage. His performance in the Shinigami opening number, “They’re Only Human”, perfectly captures the character’s mischievous nature while establishing a compelling presence that carried throughout the production. A chance to see a Broadway icon shine!

Alongside a stellar cast is an equally impressive design by Jon Bausor, incorporating lighting by Je Schriever, sound by Peter Hylenski, video by Akhila Krishnan and illusions by Paul Kieve. Together, the technical team delivers a level of spectacle that has been missing from the West End for some time. Watching their combined work in Death Note: The Musical feels reminiscent of the wonder audiences must have felt the first time they saw Audrey II come to life, the Phantom’s chandelier fall, the barricades form in Les Misérables or the helicopter take off in Miss Saigon. It is an astounding feat of design and good old-fashioned stagecraft, with every element working together to create something that feels almost like a character in its own right. This is a production that deserves to be seen simply to experience the sheer scale and ambition of what has been achieved on stage.

Glancing around the audience, it was clear just how passionate the Death Note fanbase is. Manga fans arrived in cosplay, parents and teenagers shared the show together, and there were even fans who had travelled from overseas after seeing previous productions of the musical.

There is a real appetite for Death Note: The Musical and I sincerely hope this English-language production gets the opportunity to transfer to Broadway or tour in its full form, allowing audiences beyond London to experience the production at its current scale. While Frank Wildhorn’s songs may not yet be familiar, there are certainly some standout numbers that, with a cast recording, could easily find their way onto AirPods, into rep books and concerts for years to come. Death Note: The Musical has created something that feels both fresh and spectacular, and it deserves the chance to reach the wider audience it has clearly earned.

Where I Sat

For this show, I was in Row R, Seat 26, which was right in the centre at the back. I was at perfect eye level with the stage, with an unobstructed view throughout. The sound board is directly behind this seat; however, there was no sound or light bleed from it at all. This seat provided plenty of leg room and a surprisingly intimate view of the stage.

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Reviewed by Stuart James for SeatPlan, August 2026