{"rewrite":{"id":"r_7792419d238b94ee8f067baf","clusterId":"c_3a859d27dc6c2ef3751ec517","slug":"death-note-the-musical-opens-at-london-s-barbican-centre","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Death Note: The Musical Opens at London's Barbican Centre","summary":"Death Note: The Musical opens July 30 at London's Barbican Centre for 50 performances through September 12. Xander Pang plays Light Yagami and Telly Leung plays Ryuk. The musical, based on the manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, features songs by Frank Wildhorn and previously ran in Japan and South Korea in 2015.","whyItMatters":"The London production brings Death Note to the stage with a cast that includes theater veterans, aiming to introduce anime fans to musical theater and vice versa.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eDeath Note: The Musical begins its London run at the Barbican Centre on July 30, with 50 performances scheduled through September 12. Xander Pang stars as Light Yagami, and Telly Leung plays the Shinigami Ryuk, a role Leung\u0026#39;s friend Adam Pascal performed in the 2023 London concert version.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLeung, a musical theater performer, said he learned about Death Note through Pascal\u0026#39;s involvement in that concert. Pang, who grew up in an East Asian community, described Death Note as a pillar of anime culture. The production features songs by Frank Wildhorn, known for musicals based on Fist of the North Star and Your Lie in April.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Death Note: The Musical opens at London's Barbican Centre July 30, running 50 performances. Xander Pang is Light, Telly Leung is Ryuk. Frank Wildhorn wrote the songs.","twitterPost":"Death Note: The Musical hits London's Barbican Centre July 30 for 50 shows. Xander Pang plays Light, Telly Leung plays Ryuk. Frank Wildhorn composed the music.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Death Note: The Musical opens in London with Xander Pang as Light and Telly Leung as Ryuk. The production runs 50 performances at the Barbican Centre through September 12.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2026-07-29/light-and-ryuk-sing-in-death-note-the-musical/.239869\",\"title\":\"Light and Ryuk Sing in Death Note: The Musical\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4700,"outputTokens":530,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1785949529,"createdAt":"2026-08-05T17:00:47.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-05T17:02:23.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-05T17:00:47.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_3a859d27dc6c2ef3751ec517","canonicalTitle":"Light and Ryuk Sing in Death Note: The Musical","representativeArticleId":"a_87b9cdd4b60b8c8d2abbba95","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Death Note\"],\"manga_titles\":[\"Death Note\"],\"work_titles\":[\"Death Note: The Musical\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-29T13:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-29T13:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-05T17:02:24.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2026-07-29/light-and-ryuk-sing-in-death-note-the-musical/.239869","title":"Light and Ryuk Sing in Death Note: The Musical"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Death Note"],"manga_titles":["Death Note"],"work_titles":["Death Note: The Musical"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}