Death Note: The Musical Returns to London's Barbican in 2027

Date: 2026 October 03 10:38

Posted by Joe

We've just received details about the next London run of Death Note:The Musical. The hit musical will return to the Barbican from 23rd March until 15th May 2027. The original London performance broke the record at the Barbican for the highest grossing single week of a musical and then went on to break the record five consecutive times for the highest grossing single performance of a musical.

You can book tickets on DeathNoteTheMusical.com as well as see a new trailer for the show. We suggest booking as soon as possible as we imagine this performance will also sell out.

You can read our review of the 2026 performance.

Full Story

Press release as follows:

HoriPro & Trafalgar Theatre Productions,
Haley Swindal & Timothy Laczynski
Annaleise Loxton, Willette Klausner, Spark Productions, Sophie Qi, Indie Slingshot and Abby Espiritu
in association with Ari Benmosché, David S. Stone, The Araca Group, Whitney Kroenke Silverstein, Vibecke Dahle Dellapolla
and the Barbican
PRESENT
EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK AT OFFICIAL TRAILER FOR
DEATH NOTE: THE MUSICAL
FOLLOWING ITS SELL-OUT 2026 SEASON,
THE HIT MUSICAL RETURNS TO THE BARBICAN IN 2027
Based on the bestselling Shueisha Manga series
By Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Music by Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award nominee Frank Wildhorn
Lyrics by Tony nominee Jack Murphy
Additional lyrics by Morgan Reilly
Book by Emmy nominee Ivan Menchell




TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM DEATHNOTETHEMUSICAL.COM


DEATH NOTE: THE MUSICAL today unveils its brand-new trailer, offering a glimpse at the electrifying scale and spectacle of the hit production before it returns to the Barbican in 2027. Following the sell-out success and critical acclaim of its strictly limited 2026 season, the worldwide phenomenon DEATH NOTE: THE MUSICAL will return to London's Barbican Theatre from 23 March - 15 May 2027, giving more fans and musical lovers alike the opportunity to experience this spectacular new musical. Watch the thrilling new trailer now at DeathNoteTheMusical.com.

Having broken the record at the Barbican for the highest grossing single week of a musical and broken the record five consecutive times for the highest grossing single performance of a musical, DEATH NOTE: THE MUSICAL was hailed by Radio Times as "the best show I have seen in the last decade" and by the Financial Times as "a riotous spectacle" and has become the hit of the year.

This bold new production brings the iconic Japanese manga to life with a thrilling rock score, soaring power ballads, spectacular design and a striking visual world. Its return to London in 2027 reflects the growing global influence of Japanese and Eastern popular culture, from manga and fashion to the worldwide phenomenon of K-pop.

The worldwide phenomenon DEATH NOTE: THE MUSICAL, based on the globally bestselling manga created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata, returns to the Barbican Theatre next summer in this reimagined musical production, featuring an acclaimed score by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and a book by Ivan Menchell.

DEATH NOTE: THE MUSICAL MUSICAL tells the story of Light Yagami, an exceptionally gifted high school student who one day discovers a mysterious notebook bearing a chilling rule: "Any human whose name is written in this notebook will die in 40 seconds." The notebook, known as the Death Note, has been dropped into the human world out of boredom by the Shinigami Ryuk. Disillusioned by a justice system he believes fails to punish criminals, Light tests the notebook's power triggering the sudden death of a criminal live on television.

Convinced he has been chosen to become the "god of a new world," Light begins using the Death Note to eliminate criminals across the globe. As unexplained deaths mount, the public coins the name "Kira" for the unseen killer, with supporters praising his actions as crime rates plummet. With no physical evidence to follow, the authorities turn to the enigmatic master detective L, setting the stage for a gripping psychological battle between two brilliant minds.

One of the world's most successful manga titles, Death Note, first published in Japan in 2003, has sold over 30 million copies worldwide and grown into a global cultural phenomenon spanning feature animation, video games, novels, films, television adaptations, and an acclaimed Netflix series, including a blockbuster two-part live-action film adaptation released in 2006. Originally produced by HoriPro in 2015 with the authorization of the original creators, the musical adaptation has since enjoyed acclaimed productions across Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and London over the past decade.

Death Note delivers a thrilling exploration of justice, power, and the price of playing God. The storytelling is clear, the stakes are human, and the drama is universal. Audiences are invited to witness the clash of minds and morals, where every choice is fatal, and nothing is written in stone. If you already know it, this is the definitive way to experience it. If you don't... you should.

CREATIVE TEAM
Stephen Whitson - Director
Fabian Aloise - Choreographer
Jon Bausor - Set Designer
Jason Howland - Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator and Arranger.
Morgan Reilly - Additional Lyrics
Billy Jay Stein / Strange Cranium - Music Producer
Sachiko Nakahara - Costume Designer
Jen Schriever - Lighting Designer
Peter Hylenski - Sound Designer
Akhila Krishnan - Video Designer
Paul Kieve - Illusions
Campbell Young Associates - Wigs, Hair and Make-Up Designer


LISTINGS INFORMATION
Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
First Performance: 23 March 2027
Press Night: 30 March at 7.45pm
Final Performance: 15 May 2027
Performances: Monday - Saturday at 7.45pm & Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm
Running time: Approx 2 hours 30 minutes (including interval)
Age guidance: 12+
Tickets from £30
Barbican Box Office: Barbican.org.uk or 020 7870 2500
(Telephone lines open Monday to Friday, 12.00 - 5.30pm)

Website: DeathNoteTheMusical.com
Facebook: DeathNoteTheMusical
Instagram: DeathNoteTheMusical
TikTok: DeathNoteTheMusical
Reddit: DeathNoteTheMusical

About HoriPro
Founded in Tokyo in 1960, HoriPro Inc. is one of Japan's leading entertainment companies, working across talent management, music, film and television production, and live theatrical entertainment. Led by the founder's son, Chairman Yoshitaka Hori OBE, HoriPro has played a central role in Japan's entertainment industry for more than six decades.

The company operates a broad range of businesses throughout the entertainment world, including a full-service talent agency, music production across all major genres, film and television production activities, and the production and presentation of high-quality musical and theatrical productions, ranging from internationally acclaimed titles to original works.

HoriPro's Live Entertainment Division collaborates with internationally renowned directors and creatives including Jonathan Kent, Gregory Doran, Maria Friedman and the late Yukio Ninagawa, alongside leading producers of globally successful plays and musicals. Its productions range from classic repertoire to new works, and include major Broadway and West End titles such as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Billy Elliot, Come From Away, Mary Poppins, Love Never Dies and School of Rock.

In the UK, HoriPro and Thelma Holt have enjoyed a decades-long partnership, collaborating with the Royal Shakespeare Company on numerous acclaimed Shakespeare productions at venues including the Barbican and the National Theatre. Over the past 20 years, HoriPro has also presented Matthew Bourne and New Adventures' productions throughout Japan.

HoriPro continues to produce and present globally recognised theatrical works in Japan and internationally. Recent productions include the acclaimed stage adaptation of Haruki Murakami's internationally bestselling novel Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, scheduled to tour Singapore, London, Paris and Seoul in 2026-2027, as well as Death Note: The Musical, originally produced by HoriPro in 2015 with the authorization of the original creators and since performed across Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, alongside sold-out record-breaking concerts at the London Palladium in 2023.

About Trafalgar Theatre Productions
Founded by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire Squire in 2017, Trafalgar Entertainment is an award-winning global live-entertainment business focused on new productions, venue operations, live music and comedy, events and hospitality, Performing Arts education, ticketing, the distribution and filming of event cinema and TV live-streaming innovative content (from David Tennant in Macbeth to Taylor Swift) and the provision of great spaces where people can come together to share in the experience of live entertainment. Trafalgar Entertainment is home to Trafalgar Theatres Theatres (with 21 venues in London, Sydney, and across the UK), ), Trafalgar Theatre Productions, Trafalgar Releasing (distributors of specialised content to over 13,000 cinemas, television and other broadcast platforms in more than 132 countries worldwide, with content ranging from Beyoncé to the Royal Opera House), Stagecoach Performing Arts, Drama Kids, Trafalgar Tickets, London Theatre Direct Direct (one of the UK's leading ticket retailers and distributors), Stagedoor, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Imagine Theatre (one of the UK's biggest pantomime and family entertainment producers with 21 pantomimes in 2024/25).

The production arm of TE, Trafalgar Theatre Productions, produces new shows and classic musicals in London and internationally. In 2026, Trafalgar Productions' summer season at London's Barbican Theatre will kick-off with a lavish and much-anticipated new production of Cole Porter's musical masterpiece High Society starring national treasures Helen George and Felicity Kendal, followed by a major UK Tour. Other major productions in 2026 include a gripping pre-West End adaptation of one of the greatest crime novels of the 20th Century, Double Indemnity, starring Hollywood icon, Mischa Barton, and the acclaimed hit new musical The Ballad of Johnny & June which makes its dazzling debut this side of the Atlantic in 2026 with a major UK Tour.

At the Barbican Centre, Trafalgar also produced the sold-out transfer of the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's Fiddler on the Roof (followed by a major UK Tour), the acclaimed Tony Award-winning production of Good Night, Oscar Oscar starring the Emmy and Tony Award-winner Sean Hayes, one of the all-time classic musical comedies, Kiss Me Kate starring the multi-award-winning Adrian Dunbar and Broadway Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block, The National Theatre's co-production of Michael R. Jackson's critically acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize and multi award-winning A Strange Loop, and major revivals of the award-winning classic musical Anything Goes in the summers of 2021 and 2022, starring Sutton Foster, Robert Lindsay, Felicity Kendal and Gary Wilmot.

Trafalgar produced The Lincoln Center's award-winning production of The King and I in London and worldwide,  The Merchant of Venice 1936 starring Tracy-Ann Oberman in partnership with the RSC (London and UK Tour), The Duchess (Of Malfi) starring Jodie Whittaker in London, the new musical comedy Clueless based on the Paramount Pictures classic film, the Tony and Olivier award-winning smash hit musical Jersey Boys, which opened the renovated Trafalgar Theatre in London alongside UK-wide Tours, and the tenth anniversary UK & Ireland tour of the acclaimed National Theatre production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. World Tours of The Rocky Horror Show continue to delight audiences with numerous engagements in Australia, the UK, and Europe, and in 2026, the show opens on Broadway.

continue to delight audiences with numerous engagements in Australia, the UK, and Europe, and in 2026, the show opens on Broadway. Jagged Little Pill which opened at Trafalgar's Theatre Royal Sydney in December 2021 and became the first major international production of it to open in Australia straight from Broadway without a West End season, War Horse with The National Theatre in Australia and Asia-Pacific and The Lehman Trilogy in London and Sydney.

In the West End, previous productions have included On Blueberry Hill, The National Theatre's A Taste of Honey starring Jodie Prenger, Peter Nichols' A Day in the Death of Joe Egg starring Toby Stephens, Claire Skinner and Patricia Hodge, Equus by Peter Shaffer, the hit comedy Education, Education, Education, the acclaimed award-winning play Admissions starring Alex Kingston, new British musical Tom Morris' The Grinning Man, Apologia starring Stockard Channing and Killer Joe starring Orlando Bloom. Other co-productions have included the two sell-out ground-breaking productions: the Bush Theatre's Misty and National Theatre's Nine Night.

Co-productions include Good starring David Tennant, Death of a Salesman, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Starry Messenger starring Matthew Broderick and Elizabeth McGovern at Wyndham's Theatre, Mary Stuart starring Juliet Stevenson and Lia Williams at the Duke of York's, and London season of The Messiah starring Hugh Dennis and The Height of The Storm at Wyndham's Theatre starring Jonathan Pryce and Dame Eileen Atkins.

About the Barbican
The Barbican is a catalyst for creativity, sparking possibilities for artists, audiences, and communities. We showcase the most exciting art from around the world, pushing traditional artistic boundaries to entertain and inspire millions of people, create connections, provoke debate, and reflect the world we live in.

We are an international arts and events centre rooted firmly in our own neighbourhood, collaborating with local communities and putting the City of London on the map as a destination for everybody. Central to our purpose is supporting emerging talent and shaping opportunities that will accelerate the next generation of creatives.

As a not-for-profit, we rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations, including our principal funder the City of London Corporation. Every ticket purchased, donation made, and pound earned supports our arts and learning programme and enables the widest possible range of people to experience the joy of the arts.

Opened in 1982, the Barbican is a unique and audacious building, recognised globally as an architectural icon. As well as our theatres, galleries, concert halls and cinemas, we have a large conservatory with over 1,500 species of plants and trees, a library, conference facilities, public and community spaces, restaurants, bars, and a picturesque lakeside oasis.

We're proud to be the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, our Resident Orchestra, and a London base for the Royal Shakespeare Company. We regularly co-commission, produce and showcase the work of our Artistic Associates the Academy of Ancient Music, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Boy Blue, Darbar Arts, Culture and Heritage Trust, and Serious, who produce the EFG London Jazz Festival, alongside other associates and partners including Doc'n Roll Film Festival, London Palestine Film Festival and Trafalgar Theatre Productions.