Final casting announced for Death Note the Musical at the Barbican

Death Note the Musical has announced the full company for its much-anticipated reimagined production coming to the Barbican Theatre for a strictly limited run this July.

The previously announced Xander Pang and Colin Ryan will be joined by Stephanie Zaharis, Telly Leung, Grace Mouat, Paolo Montalban, Chloe Saracco and Elise Buckley.

Based on the bestselling manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata, Death Note the Musical arrives at the Barbican Theatre newly reimagined, with a revised script and newly written songs alongside the original acclaimed score by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and a book by Ivan Menchell.

The full cast of Death Note the Musical

The full cast of Death Note the Musical will include:

Xander Pang as Light Yagami
Colin Ryan as the detective L
Stephanie Zaharis as Misa Amane
Telly Leung as Ryuk
Grace Mouat as Rem
Paolo Montalban as Soichiro Yagami
Chloe Saracco as Jerasu
Elsie Buckley as Sayu

The ensemble is made up of CJ Benoiton, Louise Liluna Browning, 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. The company is completed by Nicole Carlisle, Renz Cardenas and David Ouch who are Swings and Sian Yeo as Swing / Dance Captain.

What is Death Note the Musical About?

The musical is based on one of the world’s most successful manga titles, Death Note, first published in Japan in 2003. Since then, it’s sold millions of copies worldwide and been adapted into video games, novels, films and even a Netflix series.

The story follows Light Yagami, an exceptionally gifted high school student, who one day discovers a mysterious notebook, known as the Death Note, that has the power to kill. Disillusioned by what he deems is a failing justice system, Light begins to take matters into his own hands, using the notebook’s power to eliminate criminals.

As more unexplained deaths begin to mount, the authorities turn to the enigmatic master detective L to discover the truth. What follows is a gripping psychological battle between two brilliant minds.

The creative team

Originally produced by HoriPro in 2015 with approval from the original creators, the musical adaptation has enjoyed productions across Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan over the past decade.

This new production reimagines the original. Directed by Stephen Whitson (Hamilton UK and Moulin Rouge! UK), the creative team also includes designer Jon Bausor (Spirited Away, Bat Out of Hell) and choreographer Fabian Aloise (Evita, Sunset Boulevard).

A revised book and new songs will feature alongside the original score by award winning composer Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, Bonnie & Clyde) with lyrics by Jack Murphy.