Posted in: Comics, Manga, Pop Culture | Tagged: barbican, death note, theatre, west end
The new production of Death Note: The Musical gets a London world premiere at the Barbican Theatre this summer
Article Summary
Death Note: The Musical premieres globally at London’s Barbican Theatre in summer 2026 for a limited run.
Based on the hit manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, exploring justice, power, and morality.
Features a new script, fresh songs, and the original Frank Wildhorn score, helmed by Stephen Whitson.
Produced by HoriPro and Trafalgar, tickets go on sale March 4, 2026; casting to be announced soon.
HoriPro and Trafalgar Theatre Productions, in association with the Barbican, have announced the world premiere of a brand-new production of Death Note: The Musical, based on the bestselling Shueisha manga series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata.
Death Note began as a manga series serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006, spanning 108 chapters collected into 12 volumes. Created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata, the story centres on Light Yagami, a brilliant but bored high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook called the Death Note. Dropped into the human world by the shinigami (death god) Ryuk, the notebook grants the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it, provided the writer knows the victim’s face.
Light, disillusioned with the world’s corruption, uses the Death Note to eliminate criminals, adopting the alias “Kira” and aiming to create a utopia where he rules as a god. This sets off a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with the enigmatic detective L, leading an elite task force to stop him. The series explores themes of justice, morality, and the corrupting influence of power in a dark, psychological thriller, dense, fast-paced, and filled with complex characters. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, Death Note has spawned an anime series, live-action films, a Netflix adaptation, and more.
The musical adaptation, featuring music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy, and book by Ivan Menchell, first premiered in Tokyo in 2015 at the Nissay Theatre. Originally written in English and translated for Japanese and Korean productions, it has enjoyed multiple sold-out runs across Asia, including Seoul in 2015, 2017, and beyond, as well as encore performances and concerts. It even had record-breaking concerts at the London Palladium in 2023.
This new London production promises a revised script, newly written songs, and the original acclaimed score, reimagined for the West End with an eye toward a future Broadway run. It opens at the Barbican Theatre on July 30, 2026, with press night on August 11, and runs through September 12, 2026, a strictly limited six-week season.
The production boasts a creative team including director Stephen Whitson (Hamilton UK and Moulin Rouge! UK), Emmy-nominated designer Jon Bausor (Spirited Away, Bat Out of Hell), and choreography by Olivier Award nominee Fabian Aloise (Evita at the London Palladium and Sunset Boulevard at The Savoy). Jason Howland handles orchestration and arrangement, with additional lyrics by Morgan Reilly. Casting is to be announced soon.
Composer Frank Wildhorn expressed his excitement: “I am humbled, honoured and beyond excited to bring Death Note to the Barbican this summer. I hope it’s a step in a beautiful, long life for our manga musical in the West and beyond. So very grateful to HoriPro and Trafalgar for giving our ‘voice’ a chance to be heard!!”
Mr. Hori, Chairman of HoriPro Group, added: “Since its premiere in Tokyo in 2015, our aspiration has always been to bring Death Note to the London stage. We are delighted to present this work in partnership with Sir Howard Panter and Trafalgar Entertainment, a collaboration built on an enduring artistic kinship and shared vision spanning more than three decades. It is also a privilege to return to the Barbican; having brought a wide variety of our productions to this stage for many decades, we are immensely proud to once again call this iconic institution our home in London.”
Sir Howard Panter, Joint CEO and Creative Director of Trafalgar Entertainment, said: “Our partnership with HoriPro spans more than three decades, and it is a pleasure to work with them to bring this global phenomenon to the London stage for the first time. Following our recent successful summer seasons at the Barbican, we know it is a theatre that demands work of scale and ambition. With Frank Wildhorn’s electrifying score and this exceptional new creative team, we are creating a production that will truly be a landmark, once-in-a-lifetime event.”
Tickets go on general sale on March 4, 2026, at 10am from DeathNoteTheMusical.com. Performances at the Barbican Theatre will run Monday to Saturday at with matinees on Thursday and Saturday. The running time is approximately two and a half hours, including an interval.
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