death Note: Musicalnow playing at London’s Barbican Center until September 12, is hugely entertaining, which is both its chief strength and its greatest weakness. It’s great fun, full of the energy you’d expect from a stage musical, and packed with tricks and ideas. What’s missing is the indifference of the source material, any deep immersion death Noteof immoral arrogance.
There was also no effort to update the story to the present day, thousands of angry keyboard warriors hope They can kill each other with words. Then again, maybe death Note No update required. In essence, its diabolically sublime concept is not aimed at millions of people. This is about you. Hey kids! Yes, that’s you, the one reading this. Shonen Jump comics. if what you Granted the power to kill anyone you want?
The show opens with a loud and energetic Tokyo schoolboy, Light Yagami, played by Xander Pang, complaining that the law is useless in fighting crime. His class argument with the teacher evolved into the first song (“Where’s the Justice?”) as other students gyrated in their seats to the music. Soon the light gained supernatural powers death Note This allows him to kill at will, simply by writing people’s names on the page. At first, he slaughtered terrible criminals. Soon he was murdering everyone who opposed his crusade. At the end of the musical’s first half, his victims literally dance to his tunes as he kills them Allover and over again.
Death Note: The Musical, Barbican Theater until 12 September. Tickets: DeathNoteTheMusical.com
This is a story of mortals and immortals. unlike Christopher Nolanof Odysseythere is no doubt that the gods are real. exist death Notethey are the Grim Reaper, the Grim Reaper, and we first see them walking on a sloping square metal frame suspended above the stage. One of them complained about how boring eternal life was. He is Ryuk (Terry Leung), dressed in stylish black clothes and gleefully stealing the show. Once he lands on earth and is paired with the light, he is filled with joy joie de vivre – It’s no secret that his love for Apple comes through.
The first half of the musical is mostly Light and Ryuk’s performance, as their relationship is the only one that registers. Wright’s nemesis, the great Detective L, is unlikely to have the same impact. He appears primarily as an isolated madman matrix A green computer type world. In the original film, Watari was the fatherly Alfred to L’s Batman, but he was removed entirely, and L’s relationship with Wright’s policeman father Soichiro (Paul Montalban) never got away from its antagonism. Souichiro becomes annoyed when the young man with disheveled hair and disheveled eyes suspects Hikari of being the killer they are vainly hunting for.
L still gets high marks – one song has him synchronizing with a set of dancing tag-teams, like something out of a 1980s music video. I also forgot about his hilarious explanation of why he sat hunched over like a human owl. But he is no match for his killer foe.
Instead (minor spoiler), the musical gives its second half its own identity by highlighting two other characters. They are pop singer Misha (played by Stephanie Zaharis) who is obsessed with the “Death Note” killer, and Misha’s own death companion, female anchor Rem (played by Grace Mouat). Another Grim Reaper, Gruss (Chloe Salaco), has just enough time to make a poignant impact before they bow out. Their inclusion appears to be a departure from previous performances of the musical, with Gruss reportedly not appearing.
Together, Gruss, Misa, and Rem address one of the musical’s themes, which is that love is a heroic folly that people embrace even after they’ve seen How that love will destroy them. In the musical context, it’s easier to accept Death’s sudden love for a human girl than to believe that L sees Light as a friend, as he clumsily and suddenly declares.
The second half of the play contrasts Light and L’s macho ruthlessness with Misa and Rem’s masochistic gleeful self-sacrifice. Misha never appeared in the original film death Note Story; when there was nothing left to do with her, she was dragged away. The musical does nothing to deepen Misa or give her more agency, and the sexualization of self-sacrificing women is regressive.
However, within the context of a musical that lacks nuance, it works both structurally and dramatically. While Wright and L may be their heroes, the musical subtly hints at real Heroes are characters that people rarely think about except as a means to their ends.
The songs were written by Jack Murphy (lyrics) and Frank Wildhorn (music). Wildhorn also created the stage musical Fist of the North Star and April is your lie – The latter comes to London in 2024 and I reviewed it for ANN. my reaction death NoteThe song is the same as the original your liesof. They’re always enjoyable but rarely memorable, save for the rising chorus “Kira!” “Kira!”. But the structure is still very strong, with Misa and Rem breaking up Light and L’s rock posture with romantic ballads in the second half.
Like the suspended platform on which Death walks, the stage is bustling with activity. The police station and recording studio went in and out smoothly again. We see projections of Tokyo’s high-rise buildings, while giant overhead screens show newscasters and Misa’s pop concert. After one of Wright’s massacres, particles of what appeared to be soot were floating in the audience. The unforgettable confrontation between Light and L from the manga and anime is recreated on stage in a way that’s both silly and delightful. Like Ryuk, he was probably our real stand-in on stage and we were constantly entertained.
But my main doubt remains; there are very few more More interesting than that. It emphasizes comedy, not only through Ryuk and his obsession with apples, but also through the girlish mannerisms of Misa and Light’s sister Sayu (Elise Buckley). “Show me your death!” Misha yelled at the light at one point, yes it plays exactly the same way That. All interesting, but where death NoteChills? Where are the moments like the plucky widowed agent Naomi from the original story, and the horrifying laughs? Don’t look for anything similar here.
fans death NoteOf course, they may be adding more serious baggage to their minds when watching the musical. But I doubt newbies death Note It might be quick to think this story is too silly, especially in its brief exposition. Death is real! The police rely on a great detective they’ve never seen before! You’ll never guess who Light’s father is! musical clip death NoteAlthough there are a few chapters, there are still quite a lot of stories. As a series, it can keep you hooked chapter by chapter. If you didn’t grow up in this environment, the absurdity of it might be too much to sit back on. Shonen Jump.
Furthermore, the musical’s ending is disappointing, glib, and arbitrary. There are better endings in Japanese live-action movies, Death Note: Last Namealso reducing the size of the original comic. The ending of the musical lets Some In a sense, given its subversive tendencies death Notecharacters, but the way it ends is still too deceiving.