Death Note West End Reviews

Fortunately, the whole thing starts strong, with a floodlit opening scene that combines brilliantly athletic dance moves (by a supporting company that is excellent throughout) and a schoolroom debate about the ethics of justice, and just keeps going ...

Fortunately, the whole thing starts strong, with a floodlit opening scene that combines brilliantly athletic dance moves (by a supporting company that is excellent throughout) and a schoolroom debate about the ethics of justice, and just keeps going from there – with neat forced-perspective sets, flashy back projections and amusing sliding stage elements. Death Note purists might not be completely on board with the alterations, but I would challenge anyone not to have a good time with this.

Much of Death Note is, for all those faults, hugely entertaining, particularly for a younger demographic who will see versions of low level adolescent neuroses on stage and, as is the case for Dear Evan Hansen, will gain that glorious glow of underst...

Much of Death Note is, for all those faults, hugely entertaining, particularly for a younger demographic who will see versions of low level adolescent neuroses on stage and, as is the case for Dear Evan Hansen, will gain that glorious glow of understanding that they are not alone. To be fair, it’s not much different to the feeling us older theatregoers get watching Chekhov or Ibsen, so why not?

Whether fans of the original Death Note will be happy with some of the cuts and changes to fit the story into a two-act musical structure, there is no denying that the result is a taut, compelling tale that is accessible to anyone unfamiliar with the...

Whether fans of the original Death Note will be happy with some of the cuts and changes to fit the story into a two-act musical structure, there is no denying that the result is a taut, compelling tale that is accessible to anyone unfamiliar with the source material. Utilising the Barbican Theatre’s stage to its fullest extent, this is a musical that earns the hype.

Broadway’s Telly Leung offers some camp light relief as the mischievous Shinigami Ryuk, who plays with humans for his own amusement and devours apples at a rapid pace. His costume and make-up are far less terrifying than in the concert version at t...

Broadway’s Telly Leung offers some camp light relief as the mischievous Shinigami Ryuk, who plays with humans for his own amusement and devours apples at a rapid pace. His costume and make-up are far less terrifying than in the concert version at the London Palladium in 2023 (which more faithfully recreated the manga), though Nakahara’s exposed, black rib-cage design is imaginative. Grace Mouat, as the death spirit Rem (Ryuk’s foil in white), is heartbreaking in the ballad “When Love Comes”, when she sacrifices herself for a human.

This is a stunning adaptation of Death Note which will write its way into the history books. This short six-week run at the Barbican is the first of, hopefully, many revivals of this show. Death Note is triumphant, exhilarating and a pure shot of adr...

This is a stunning adaptation of Death Note which will write its way into the history books. This short six-week run at the Barbican is the first of, hopefully, many revivals of this show. Death Note is triumphant, exhilarating and a pure shot of adrenaline from start to end. If you enjoy a magnificent cast, a phenomenal adaptation, brilliant sets and a stunning night out, then this is the perfect show for you this summer.

Vocally, all perform well with Frank Wildhorn’s rock opera score, but the breakout performance comes from Grace Mouat as Rem, a rival shinigami keeping an eye on Light’s love interest. Her power ballad When Love Comes gives the audience a hairs-o...

Vocally, all perform well with Frank Wildhorn’s rock opera score, but the breakout performance comes from Grace Mouat as Rem, a rival shinigami keeping an eye on Light’s love interest. Her power ballad When Love Comes gives the audience a hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck moment, as Rem realises she’s going to have to intervene even at the cost of her own immortality. Earlier, the gods have united for one of the show’s most memorable numbers in They’re Only Human. Rem, an ice goddess in white, fails to maintain this chilly attitude to mortals, but Ryuk, beautifully costumed by Sachiko Nakahara in black leather and exposed bones, stays deliciously aloof.

If there’s one word to describe this Death Note, it’s ambitious. Stephen Whitson’s direction treats the Faustian and often ludicrous material with Shakespearean levels of drama and camp that only a stage as large as the Barbican’s could fill....

If there’s one word to describe this Death Note, it’s ambitious. Stephen Whitson’s direction treats the Faustian and often ludicrous material with Shakespearean levels of drama and camp that only a stage as large as the Barbican’s could fill. However, it occasionally feels ambitious to a fault. Ivan Menchell’s book carries fascinating ideas surrounding the moral ambiguity of vigilantism and mortality, but adapting a 12-volume manga into a two-and-a-half hour show leaves them feeling underexplored.

In every song and each scene, you find yourself drawn to the story, wanting to know what happens next and how each character will find their way out of the predicament. It’s easy to laugh off the story as a work of fantastical madness, but it’s a...

In every song and each scene, you find yourself drawn to the story, wanting to know what happens next and how each character will find their way out of the predicament. It’s easy to laugh off the story as a work of fantastical madness, but it’s almost impossible to not become engrossed. I’m not afraid to admit that Death Note: The Musical is the best show I have seen in the last decade.

It’s a pleasure to see manga translate so well to the stage. It would be easy to draw a comparison with the recent success of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro, but this is a very different beast. Whitson’s produ...

It’s a pleasure to see manga translate so well to the stage. It would be easy to draw a comparison with the recent success of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s adaptation of My Neighbour Totoro, but this is a very different beast. Whitson’s production thrives on a noirish intensity, reflected in the towering cityscapes of Akhila Krishnan’s video design, glimpsed through – and framed by – the sharp-edged brutalism of Jon Bausor’s massive, split-level set. Everything seems to loom over the characters.

The musical condenses the series into a 2 hour 20 minute show that serves plenty. It’s extremely polished with a talented cast and some belting voices. Pang and Ryan deliver powerful performances while Stephanie Zaharis as Misa Amane is a pocket ro...

The musical condenses the series into a 2 hour 20 minute show that serves plenty. It’s extremely polished with a talented cast and some belting voices. Pang and Ryan deliver powerful performances while Stephanie Zaharis as Misa Amane is a pocket rocket, commanding the stage.

You’d be hard pressed to send this music anywhere other than the bin: it serves up tranche after tranche of undifferentiated rock-opera sludge, with rudimentary lyrics, and far too many songs that run in circles getting the story nowhere. I can’t...

You’d be hard pressed to send this music anywhere other than the bin: it serves up tranche after tranche of undifferentiated rock-opera sludge, with rudimentary lyrics, and far too many songs that run in circles getting the story nowhere. I can’t feel bad for the writers, but I do for the musically capable performers dragged into this abyss.