Death Note musical to return to the Barbican next year

Exclusive: Write this down – Death Note: The Musical will return to London’s Barbican Theatre next year.

The move comes as the show approaches the end of its sell-out season at the venue this year.

The musical will run from 23 March to 15 May 2027, with tickets going on sale today.

Based on the bestselling manga series created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, Death Note: The Musical features music by Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award nominee Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Tony nominee Jack Murphy, additional lyrics by Morgan Reilly and a book by Emmy nominee Ivan Menchell.

It received a glowing review from WhatsOnStage earlier this year, being described as “a triumphant, fantastical manga thriller.”

The production broke the Barbican record for the highest grossing single week of a musical, before breaking the record for the highest grossing single performance of a musical five consecutive times.

The story follows Light Yagami, a gifted high school student who discovers a mysterious notebook known as the Death Note, which has the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it. As you can imagine, chaos ensues.

The new production is directed by Stephen Whitson, while Fabian Aloise is choreographer, with Jon Bausor as set designer.

Jason Howland is musical supervisor, orchestrator and arranger, with Katy Richardson as musical director. Billy Jay Stein / Strange Cranium is music producer, while Morgan Reilly provides additional lyrics.

Sachiko Nakahara is costume designer, Jen Schriever is lighting designer, Peter Hylenski is sound designer and Akhila Krishnan is video designer. Illusions are by Paul Kieve, with Campbell Young Associates overseeing wigs, hair and make-up.

Casting is by Natalie Gallacher for Pippa Ailion and Natalie Gallacher Casting, with US casting by the Telsey Office, Craig Burns.

Death Note, first published in Japan in 2003, has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into animation, video games, novels, films and television. The musical was originally produced by HoriPro in 2015, with the production subsequently staged in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and London.

The musical has also previously been presented in concert at the London Palladium.

Death Note: The Musical is produced in London by HoriPro and Trafalgar Theatre Productions, Haley Swindal and Timothy Laczynski, Annaleise Loxton, Willette Klausner, Spark Productions, Sophie Qi, Indie Slingshot and Abby Espiritu, in association with Julian & Otōsan-Ari Benmosché, David S. Stone, The Araca Group, Whitney Kroenke Silverstein, Vibecke Dahle Dellapolla and the Barbican.