Review: DEATH NOTE THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT, London Palladium
Photo credit: Mark Senior
Death Note is like no musical we have ever seen before! Billed as a concert, it would be better described as a scaled down production. There was an epic set, brilliant costumes and even a few dance breaks; this production is far from the days of actors simply standing and singing behind microphones.
Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, Death Note tells the story of genius student Light Yagami. He discovers a mysterious notebook, the ‘Death Note’, which grants the user the supernatural ability to kill anyone whose name they write in it. The notebook belongs to a Shinigami called Ryuk who is, in simple terms, a Japanese Death God. Light uses the power of the notebook to kill the criminals of Tokyo under the alias ‘Kira’. He attempts to create a crime-free society while he is pursued by an elite police taskforce led by an enigmatic detective known as ‘L’.
Directed by Nick Winston, the cast are absolutely incredible. The care taken by the casting team to select such an outstanding group of actors of Asian origin is wonderful to see. Joaquin Pedro Valdes as Light and Dean John Wilson as his nemesis L are both powerhouses. They sing numerous duets which are absolutely electric, and one even includes them playing a game of tennis. Wilson’s physicality is particularly impressive. Francis Mayli McCann is perfect casting as Misa and her performance of ‘Borrowed Time’ is exceptional.
The score is written by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and a book by Ivan Menchell. Their work condensing the original manga series, which is twelve volumes, into such an intelligible and compelling two and half hours is an impressive feat. The response from the audience also tells us that there has been a lot of effort made to honour the source material. The music is beautiful and atmospheric, and the songs are varied with influences of pop and rock. There are upbeat dance numbers and heart wrenching ballads, which provide the perfect vehicle to explore the deep emotions of this fan favourite story. Every song receives a round of well-deserved rapturous applause.
The single set piece has been brilliantly designed by Justin Williams and is beautifully lit by Ben Cracknell. It transports us around Tokyo and into the world of the Shinigami, paired with excellent costumes by Kimie Nakano. The ensembles for Ryuk and Rem are particularly stunning and they match the power of Adam Pascal and Aimee Atkinson’s otherworldly performances.
Last night’s performance was the English Language premiere of Death Note and despite a few technical difficulties with microphones and mixing levels, this must be the start that any creative team would hope for. The downside to a concert is that there are no previews and hopefully in the further performances at the Palladium and the Lyric Theatre, these issues are ironed out.
Death Note is stunningly staged and sung, and one can only imagine what a full scale production would look like. It is a joy to see such an edgy and different story crossing cultures and enthralling a British audience. We certainly hope that its short run at the Lyric is not the last we see of this unique and exquisite musical.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Luck
Death Note plays at the London Palladium again today (22 August) and will move to the Lyric Theatre from 7-10 September, with further information here.