Death Note in concert - London Palladium / Lyric Theatre

[c4ndyc4ne]

Depending on the size of the production, I expect we'll see this springboard into the West End in full form in a similar vein to Bonnie and Clyde – possibly a run at the Arts again

[viserys]

Not gonna lie, I don't care for Wildhorn's forever samey sounding shows in general (sludge indeed), but this one made me sit up and take notice, because a musical based on a manga and generally involving East Asian contemporary culture is such a breath of fresh air. I'm really glad that this part of pop culture is gaining more traction in western theatre - My Neighbor Totoro has been a similar success for the Barbican and while the K-Pop Musical flopped on Broadway, at least it got a chance to exist.

Meanwhile Evita feels done to death and I can't muster any interest in LND at all. So I'm quite happy really to see that Death Note has caused such a stir and if it does indeed encourage them to mount a production - hopefully somewhere better and bigger than the Arts - I'd be there for it.

[nwtheatre]

Matinee added and on sale - tickets from £40 left

[mattnyc]

Staring Adam Pascal & Aimie Atkinson!!!

www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Adam-Pascal-Aimie-Atkinson-and-More-Join-the-Cast-of-DEATH-NOTE-THE-MUSICAL-In-Concert-20230724

[mrbarnaby]

What is this? Did Wildhorn write this and it was staged in Korea or something? And this is the English language version?

[WireHangers]

Jul 24, 2023 18:21:13 GMT mrbarnaby said:

What is this? Did Wildhorn write this and it was staged in Korea or something? And this is the English language version?

Exactly.

[evilmat360]

6 performances announced for the Lyric

[sf]

Jul 24, 2023 18:21:13 GMT mrbarnaby said:

What is this? Did Wildhorn write this and it was staged in Korea or something? And this is the English language version?

1. Musical adaptation of a popular manga series.

2. Japan first, but yes.

3. Yes.

Having seen the show in Tokyo, part of me is curious - but maybe it's better left as a memory. in Japanese.

[capybara]

I’ve put a £29 ticket on the listings board if anyone wants it for 21st Aug.

[anthony]

It is like a sauna in here. I am dying.

[anthony]

Saying this is a concert does it a complete disservice. It’s practically fully staged - full set, costumes, choreography.

Can’t saying I’m loving it too much - I appreciate the songs but the sound quality is so bad that it’s hard to follow (No real idea of the plot). Adam Pascal is pretty great.

[c4ndyc4ne]

Aug 21, 2023 19:39:18 GMT anthony said:

Saying this is a concert does it a complete disservice. It’s practically fully staged - full set, costumes, choreography.

Can’t saying I’m loving it too much - I appreciate the songs but the sound quality is so bad that it’s hard to follow (No real idea of the plot). Adam Pascal is pretty great.

Knowing the original made this easier but the sound operation was absolutely naff. Don’t really understand the point of staging, blocking and choreographing so much if the audience can’t hear a show properly due to poor sound.

I expect there’ll be improvements tomorrow after some harsh words by producers / directors.

[anthony]

Aug 21, 2023 21:24:05 GMT c4ndyc4ne said:

Aug 21, 2023 19:39:18 GMT anthony said:

Saying this is a concert does it a complete disservice. It’s practically fully staged - full set, costumes, choreography.

Can’t saying I’m loving it too much - I appreciate the songs but the sound quality is so bad that it’s hard to follow (No real idea of the plot). Adam Pascal is pretty great.

Knowing the original made this easier but the sound operation was absolutely naff. Don’t really understand the point of staging, blocking and choreographing so much if the audience can’t hear a show properly due to poor sound.

I expect there’ll be improvements tomorrow after some harsh words by producers / directors.

Yes, the sound issues were borderline embarrassing. By the time we got to the second act, I heard audible moans at points.

Overall, I did really enjoy it. I love Wildhorn, so I was probably going to love it anyway - a lot of the melodies are ripped from Rudolf and Monte Cristo. The fans were crazy, though. The merchandise queue was shocking - spiralled all the way back past the bar. I imagine there won't be any programmes left come tomorrow evening, it was honestly wild. People were buying 3-4 programmes each (I guess for their friends/fans of the anime?)

I thought Dean John-Wilson was great. Obviously a lot of people were negative about him on the previous page. I'd never heard of him, or seem him before, but I thought his L was wonderful. Captivating, even. 

The woman behind me, however. Clearly a huge fan of the show. Bent forward the whole time - I could sometimes feel her breath on my neck. Her breath was shocking... never encountered a situation like that, so just suffered in silence...

[hadeswasking]

I had such a fantastic time tonight.

Tech issues aside (and there were a lot of them) this completely surpassed my expectations. I refuse to call it a concert production. It's genuinely a miracle that with 2 weeks rehearsal and them being "put in" last night that it was in this state! Shouldn't need excuses when charging these prices though...

I started off the night in the grand circle. From here you can't see the back wall or the left of the stage and with some leaners (you'll get them) you'll see even less of the front of the stage. Luckily at interval I found out there was a row in the dress circle randomly free? So me and about four others all individually had the brilliant idea to move. Feel much better about the £50 spent for that view!

The show moves at a rapid pace, fantastic song after fantastic song. They have a lot of story to get to so don't dwell too much on the book scenes. This was worrying at first but it slows down a bit during act 2. Not sure how newcomers to this story will grasp this though.

From the first scene joaquin pedro valdes kills it as Light. What a voice!

From his first song I wasn't sure I was going to like Dean's take on L. This character is so vital to get right for the story to work. I'm glad to report he does some great work, especially during act 2.

Frances' Misa is also just fantastic. I think this is my favourite role I've seen her in.

Adam Pascal chews the scenery here and does a delightful job of bringing Ryuk to life.

I could talk about this for hours but those are some of my basic thoughts. Had a thrilling evening at the theatre.

[anthony]

Actually think I might have liked this a bit more than I initially thought. Spent this morning watching the Japanese proshot on YouTube (with subtitles!) and it's actually pretty great.

I don't know why they're saying it's a concert, though. The set for the Palladium is literally more of a set than the actual Japanese run had... It really isn't a concert; it's a fully fledged production.

[mattnyc]

I had a pretty good time tonight. I don’t think it’s an amazing musical but the energy from the fans made it a really enjoyable experience, it felt like I was at a Taylor Swift concert with the reactions this show got. I have no clue if it could ever have a profitable run if a full production was mounted but there were several people around me from other countries who flew in just for this. I’m sure they’d definitely come back if it were.

And did the Palladium not pay their bills and couldn’t afford to run air conditioning? My God, it was HOT in there!

Also, if anyone else got a signed program can you tell me who all signed it? Thanks!

[westendboy]

Going into this last night, I didn't know what to expect. I'm a huge fan of the anime, having first watched it about ten years ago, so it holds a special place in my heart. I remember hearing about the musical adaptation and listening to the concept album and to my surprise, ended up enjoying the music. I never imagined that this musical would ever make a stop over in the UK, let alone in one of the West End's largest and most iconic theatres. So when I learnt this was making it's English language premiere at the Palladium, I immediately booked a ticket when priority booking opened. Now having seen this and letting it sink in. here are my thoughts;

Like what others have said, I'm hesitant to call this a 'concert', as there was a full set where the orchestra hid behind. The set itself was simple, but worked well enough. I liked the details of the walls facing stage-left (my right) being white and the walls facing stage-right (my left) being black, which in my eyes reflected both the duality of Light and L's relationship, as well as Light's view of the world (black and white).

In regards to the costumes, I'm glad that they did't go down the route of them looking more like 'cosplay', which is something I've noticed a lot of stage adaptations of popular manga/anime tend to do. Got to give a special shout out to the shinigami costumes looking so lush, especially Rem's.

In terms of audio/sound, some who saw it on Monday felt that the music was too loud, although personally I didn't experience this issue at first. The only time this was the case was around the beginning of Act 2. There were some mic cuts, as well as some diction being off, but I imagine this would be the case if they had little rehearsal time. I felt that the actresses playing Misa and Sayu (Light's sister) had the best voices, with the highlight song being 'I'll Only Love You More'. My favourite song from listening to the concept album was 'When Love Comes', sung by Rem, so out of all the songs in the show, this was the one I was most looking forward to hearing live. In all honesty, I preferred how it sounded on the concept album. Nothing wrong with the vocals from Rem's actress, but more with the music itself, if that makes sense?

Now on to the most important element, aside from the music, that being the story. Now I was curious to see how they would adapt a 108 chapter manga/37 episode anime into a 2 hour and 20 minutes musical, knowing that there would be inevitable cuts/rearranging scenes. I think they did a decent enough job, considering the limitations they had. There were times when it felt a bit rushed, especially in Act 2, but I imagine this would be the case when condensing a multi-chapter manga into a shorter runtime.

With how the characters were portrayed, I think everyone did decent jobs. I liked how Misa was less "dumb" in this as she was in the manga/anime, which did make her a bit annoying in those. As for L, my favourite character from the series, I felt that the actor was a bit too "good looking" for my liking. As for his performance, I feel he did get most of the mannerisms of the character down, although I felt that his posture was a bit too straight at times. He had a solid voice though, so no complaints there. Light Yagami himself I felt had the most issues with diction. There were times where I found him hard to understand, but I liked his performance. His good looks suited the character more than L and he also had good vocals as well. In terms of characterisation, I didn't feel that he had truly sunken low by the end, as he did in the manga/anime. However this wasn't due to his performance, but instead more due to the condensing of the story, as Light's fall to 'villainy' was obviously more developed in the manga/anime. The three standout performances in my eyes were Ryuk, Rem and Sayu. Ryuk was delightfully sinister and funny at the same time, whilst Rem was both soft and powerful. Sayu didn't have a lot of stage time, but she she was onstage, she had this innocence and admiration for her brother which added something to her character.

Having said all of this, how do I compare this musical to the anime? Whilst I obviously prefer the latter, I still enjoyed last night and don't regret seeing this. As others have also said, they audience had a fiery energy, which may have added to my enjoyment. I can definitely say that the majority of audience members consisted of fans of the manga/anime, with some even coming in cosplay (I noticed quite a few women dressed as Misa). I'm not sure how the 'average joe' would enjoy this, seeing as it's based on such a (I hate saying this) "geeky" property, but I can see theatre fans enjoying the music. I would say that this is more for fans of 'Death Note' than anything, who I'm not sure would be enough to keep a 'proper' staged version afloat in today's climate. But who knows, stranger things have happened (one of them being this 'concert' happening in London) and if this does get a full production on it's feet, it would be interesting to see if the fans can keep the ship sailing.

Overall, I enjoyed this musical adaptation to a series that holds such significance to me, despite some issues with the pace of the plot which can be forgiven. As I've said before, this is more for fans of the original manga/anime, but theatre folks may find something to enjoy out of this, whilst casuals may be a bit lost, especially if they've never seen or read the manga and/or anime.

[yokollama]

It appears I'm in the minority and I was fighting the urge to walk out. It's been ~15 years since I last read the manga or watched the anime so my memory's rather hazy. It's inevitable that a lot would be cut out (including the part where the agent's fiancee, Misora Naomi, meets her end - she's a side character after all, but that scene stands out to me as being quite chilling). I didn't mind the rewritten/condensed ending though I found the execution somewhat sloppy and it elicited a few sniggers amongst the audience. The translation to stage felt a bit too hammy for my liking and loses a lot of the nuance, tension and darkness of the source material.

Highlights for me were Ryuk and Rem. Dean's L also exceeded my expectations.

Dear sound mixer, please get it right for the Lyric run.

[capybara]

I saw this on Monday and was sort of caught in two minds about it. I certainly didn’t love it, but I didn’t really dislike it either. It was a kind of indifference that I felt immediately after the show.

I went with the manga madness in the first act but I feel like it lost its way slightly in the second. The score isn’t amazing but it’s perfectly listenable as well. The whole show is a bit of a weird one, to be honest.

Joaquin Pedro Valdes was superb and showed his merits for bigger roles in the future. Aimie Atkinson was great in the few moments we got to see her and I enjoyed Frances Mayli McCann also. Her pop number was a vibe, to be fair.

I found Adam Pascal’s character tiresome. He didn’t seem to do much apart from stalk Light around the stage, making bad jokes. Didn’t really connect with L as a character either… just found him a testing watch.

I’m sure this show will come back and have some degree of success but it didn’t really wow me. However, the set was great and I enjoyed the lighting design. The less said about the sound the better.

Overall, the score was solid. The cast was predominantly engaging. But the story leaves a lot to be desired. A generous three stars.

[Oobi]

Saw last Tuesday's matinee. Had a good time overall; catchy Wildhorn songs, great performances (especially Dean John-Wilson as L), impressive production values for a concert - but the story feels like it's missing a few beats.

For example, we're supposed to feel at least some engagement in L and Light's relationship, but L's "only friend" line really didn't land for me. I think they need at least one scene of interaction between Stalemate and Playing His Game. Maybe adapt the anime's café scene, but have L ask Light for help in identifying the second Kira? It would be ironic if, in Light's attempts to win L's trust, he inadvertently gave away clue that implicated Misa.

In Act 2, I was kinda disappointed that my favorite song, The Way Things Are, had basically no setup. We already have the beat of Misa mentioning Shinigami in her video message, so why not have a scene showing L and Shoichiro's immediate reactions? It's a pretty iconic moment in the anime.

Speaking of Shoichiro, for a character with two solos it's very strange that his character has basically no resolution. Here's an idea off the top of my head: after Misa's memories have been wiped, we could have a scene where L is furiously interrogating her while she grows increasingly distressed. Then Shoichiro can sing a short reprise of There Are Lines ("You can't beat someone/With no evidence/You don't treat someone/This way in self-defense") before angrily rebuking L and making the executive decision to release Misa. You could even have him affirm his trust in his son and express suspicion of L actually being Kira - which would neatly set up Light's final plan.

This would also provide a nice segue into The Way Things Are (Reprise), since L would actually have a diegetic reason to grab a gun and threaten Light - he's scared this is his last chance before getting kicked off the case.

Misc. other suggestions:

1: The murder of the FBI agents is an important scene but it needed more foreshadowing/"pathos". In the current script it's introduced and resolved in the span of about five minutes. 

2: It was very underwhelming for me that after the FBI agents have been killed, there's this melodramatic number where all the detectives lament how their lives are at stake, but in the end only ONE of them leaves. Surely it would be more emotionally resonant for all of them except Shoichiro to leave?

3: One moment where the book should be cut down instead of up - why the hell do we need Rem to explain everything surrounding Gelus? Just have her say that she, like Ryuk, was bored and dropped her own Death Note. Ryuk has already explained that Shinigami die when they extend human lives, so we lose literally nothing except a very tedious exposition dump.

4: I also think the musical as a whole would be stronger with Ryuk in a narrator/storyteller role... but that admittedly would require bigger rewrites.

[anthony]

Aug 25, 2023 15:57:58 GMT Oobi said:

Saw last Tuesday's matinee. Had a good time overall; catchy Wildhorn songs, great performances (especially Dean John-Wilson as L), impressive production values for a concert - but the story feels like it's missing a few beats.

For example, we're supposed to feel at least some engagement in L and Light's relationship, but L's "only friend" line really didn't land for me. I think they need at least one scene of interaction between Stalemate and Playing His Game. Maybe adapt the anime's café scene, but have L ask Light for help in identifying the second Kira? It would be ironic if, in Light's attempts to win L's trust, he inadvertently gave away clue that implicated Misa.

In Act 2, I was kinda disappointed that my favorite song, The Way Things Are, had basically no setup. We already have the beat of Misa mentioning Shinigami in her video message, so why not have a scene showing L and Shoichiro's immediate reactions? It's a pretty iconic moment in the anime.

Speaking of Shoichiro, for a character with two solos it's very strange that his character has basically no resolution. Here's an idea off the top of my head: after Misa's memories have been wiped, we could have a scene where L is furiously interrogating her while she grows increasingly distressed. Then Shoichiro can sing a short reprise of There Are Lines ("You can't beat someone/With no evidence/You don't treat someone/This way in self-defense") before angrily rebuking L and making the executive decision to release Misa. You could even have him affirm his trust in his son and express suspicion of L actually being Kira - which would neatly set up Light's final plan.

This would also provide a nice segue into The Way Things Are (Reprise), since L would actually have a diegetic reason to grab a gun and threaten Light - he's scared this is his last chance before getting kicked off the case.

Misc. other suggestions:

1: The murder of the FBI agents is an important scene but it needed more foreshadowing/"pathos". In the current script it's introduced and resolved in the span of about five minutes. 

2: It was very underwhelming for me that after the FBI agents have been killed, there's this melodramatic number where all the detectives lament how their lives are at stake, but in the end only ONE of them leaves. Surely it would be more emotionally resonant for all of them except Shoichiro to leave?

3: One moment where the book should be cut down instead of up - why the hell do we need Rem to explain everything surrounding Gelus? Just have her say that she, like Ryuk, was bored and dropped her own Death Note. Ryuk has already explained that Shinigami die when they extend human lives, so we lose literally nothing except a very tedious exposition dump.

4: I also think the musical as a whole would be stronger with Ryuk in a narrator/storyteller role... but that admittedly would require bigger rewrites.

I don't really know too much of the plot other than what we saw in the concert - but both acts were pretty short (around the 50 minute mark, both of them). Made me think that they cut out all of the talking scenes for the "concert"? 

[Oobi]

I don't really know too much of the plot other than what we saw in the concert - but both acts were pretty short (around the 50 minute mark, both of them). Made me think that they cut out all of the talking scenes for the "concert"?

They cut a few dialogue bits, but as far as I can remember from the time I watched the Japanese proshot on YouTube, all the problems I listed were still present.

[usbuzzer]

Is Adam Pascal in for the Lyric Theatre performances?

[dollybm]

No, George Maguire is Ryuk for the Lyric performances.

[kz]

I've booked to see this on Friday night and just had an email from Nimax to ask me to check in online. It said I had to check in before my tickets could be sent (with the option to exchange if I could no longer attend). I've never had this before and wondered if anyone knew if it was standard, a new thing or specific to the concert?