Death Note at the London Palladium

I was fortunate enough to attend the Tuesday Matinee performance of Death Note at the London Palladium. As someone whose anxiety is related to a fear of death, this show felt risky to watch, however after listening to the soundtrack and falling in love with the show Death Note quickly became a must-see show for me. My anxiety meant that the themes of the show would prove to be extremely challenging for me and I struggled to feel comfortable enough to book the show questioning if my anxiety would trigger a panic attack. Due to this, I decided to do everything I possibly could to see it as I did not want to let my anxiety cause me to miss out on an opportunity to see this show live. Prior to seeing the show I called the London Palladium box office who were extremely helpful. They advised me to send an email regarding the content of the show which they would forward to the production company Carter Dixon McGill who responded the next day with a full content list which I have been given permission to include as part of my review (can be found in the content warnings section).

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

My Review:

This may be one of the best shows that I have seen this year, it was completely dynamic and immersive. Also, the vocals from both the leads and the ensemble were phenomenal and everyone had such powerful voices. Joaquin Pedro Valdes' rendition of Hurricane was a privilege to watch live and his talent was further showcased during Where is the Justice and all of reprises of this song. The opening of the show really set the tone for the whole performance as the power of and choreography in Where is the Justice was the perfect way to open this show. This opening made the show entertaining and engaging from start to finish and at no point did any scene or plot point feel unnecessary. Aimie Atkinson and Adam Pascal, as Rem and Ryuk respectively, were perfect casting and it was a joy to watch them play off each other and use their ability to be visible or invisible to interact with other characters on the stage. Their renditions of They're Only Human and Mortals and Fools were gorgeous to listen to and their voices were perfect as part of their portrayals of their respective characters. Adam Pascal was truly brilliant as Ryuk and it was a privilege to see him live, surprisingly for me Ryuk was the main source of comedic relief throughout the show from his constant mocking of Light, such as during scenes where the rivalry between Light and L was shown. All his mocking comments were perfectly timed as well as his random appearances onto the stage and looking back this portrayal was perfect for a character who released a Death Note just to subsidise his own boredom. Frances Mayli McCann had the perfect level of energy for Misa at the start of the show and it was amazing to see this innocent and energetic portrayal of Misa at the start of the show during I'm Ready change as the plot progressed to Borrowed Time when Misa has now since been arrested and we see her loss of hope and faith as she begs Rem to end it for her. Frances Mayli McCann was also able to perfectly encapsulate the adoration that Misa had for Kira shown by her doing everything in her power to help Light who she now knew to be Kira, even if it meant sacrificing or endangering herself. Her rendition of Borrowed Time was stunning to listen to and felt so much more powerful due to Misa being restrained and blindfolded. Frances used her voice as her main form of expression during this song and this really came through with how emotionally powerful her delivery of Borrowed Time felt as a member of the audience. The portrayal of L by Dean John Wilson was once again perfect as all of this casting had been and his ability to capture the calculating and analytical nature of L was amazing. Seeing this character develop, as a member of the audience, during scenes where the inquisitive and immature side of L is portrayed such as the tennis match between Light and L and when L reveals himself to Light. Dean's constant adaptation of L scene by scene really came across as a member of the audience watching L evolve from a data-driven detective to someone who frankly was enjoying the cat-and-mouse game that had developed between himself and Light.

The show unfortunately had slight sound issues throughout mics dropping or sound being distorted by Rem's costume however these moments were infrequent and were to be expected since this was the second-ever performance of this show. On a more positive note with the staging, choreography and dialogue, the performance definitely did not feel like a concert and felt much more like a fully staged show. The set was designed by Justin Williams and the three distinct sections of Light's room, L's room and the police department office which doubled as the newsreader's office felt perfect and the consistent use of just this set and simply allowing the actors to adapt themselves based on the scene perfectly supported the show without being overbearing. It was amazing to see just one static set somehow contribute so much to a show and the use of levels throughout was wonderful to see and showed the different levels of power between character relationships. The use of lighting throughout the show to add to the atmosphere and introduce various characters was extremely clever and added to the experience. A small moment that I felt was extremely clever was the shadow that can be seen of Light and Ryuk during Kira where you can see Ryuk leaning over Light and the shadows of their characters becoming merged with Ryuk being more visible as I felt that it showed how Ryuk's influence over Light through the Death Note and how Ryuk will always truly be in control of the situation despite what Light thinks. Such as Ryuk keeping L's true name a secret from Light so he can see how the relationship between Light and L plays out for his own entertainment and it is revealed that Light having the Death Note was always for Ryuk's selfish gain and that Light never truly understood the consequences of picking up the Death Note in the first place.

Overall the entire show of Death Note was thoughtfully produced and a joy to watch. I am truly grateful to have been able to watch this show and that is wholly down to the theatre and production company who were more than happy to facilitate my getting a more detailed content warning list. I would advise anyone who feels worried to just speak to the theatre as I am sure that most theatres would be happy to accommodate this need for a more detailed content warning list to help more people see various shows. This is a brilliant show and one I hope to see again, it was completely engaging and dynamic and so I would urge any considering booking the Lryic Run to book tickets if they are able to as this is an amazing production to see live and none of the videos I have seen have done the production justice.

Content Warnings:

The full content warning list that I was sent by Carter Dixon McGill was as follows:

Violence and Death: The musical concert includes depictions of violence, death, and discussion of mortality, as it revolves around a notebook that grants the power to kill people whose names are written in it.
Suicidal Themes: Some characters may contemplate or attempt suicide during the course of the story, which could be upsetting for some viewers.
Mental Health and Psychological Distress: The plot explores complex psychological themes, including the mental toll of holding the power of life and death.
Dark and Intense Atmosphere: The concert may maintain a dark and intense atmosphere throughout, which could be emotionally challenging for some viewers
Sensitive Topics: The story touches on sensitive topics such as justice, morality, and the consequences of one's actions.

I was extremely grateful for this content warning list as it allowed me to feel comfortable to book the show and prepare myself accordingly, however, I was disheartened to see that these types of warnings were not visible anywhere in the theatre and after speaking to some members of the Front of House Staff, I discovered that they had not been made aware of these warnings and would do their best to support members of the audience who may find moments of this show distressing to the best of their ability. Instead, the only warnings visible around the theatre were advising the audience that the production contained: haze, flashing lights and sudden loud noises & sound effects (inc. gunshots).

Watching this show there was only one scene where I found myself having to distract myself and not listen to the dialogue and this was when Ryuk, played by Adam Pascal, beings to tell Light played by Joaquin Pedro Valdes that there is no heaven or hell and that all people go to the same place regardless of how they spent their lives. I do not know if Ryuk specifies what happens any further as at that moment I opted to essentially zone out momentarily as I knew that that type of discussion could be triggering for me as my fears of death are closely intertwined with the existence or lack of existence of an afterlife.

There were other scenes throughout the show that I made note of that did not trigger me personally but that I felt may be a possible trigger for others. Some of these scenes had been alluded to in the content warning list I was sent but they still felt unknown so I will say there is a spoiler risk should you read this list. However, I felt that it was important to include these moments for people who want to be fully prepared for what may trigger them and what they are going to watch without having to read a full synopsis and essentially spoil all of the show for themselves.

There is a countdown once the first name is written in the Death Note where the stage goes red and the ensemble counts back from 40, personally, I found this scene stressful as I expected some sort of sudden loud noise at the end however it was just to build tensions and there is not sudden noise at the end.
The introduction of the Death Note explains how when a name is written in the book the person will die within 40 seconds either by the cause of death listed after their name or if no cause of death was specified by a heart attack. For me, this was hard to hear but did not trigger me as the introduction was over quickly and I was quickly able to move on from the ideology that one person controls death and can decide how a person will die.
There are gunshots near the end but these are essentially preempted as we see L holding a gun so whilst the exact moment the gunshots go off is unknown the audience is aware they are coming. Also, I cannot speak for other runs but at the Palladium the gunshots were quiet and actually felt a little bit underwhelming, especially with how intense the rest of the show had been.
There are open discussions of self-sacrifice, mostly between Rem and Misa, specifically during Borrowed Time as Misa discusses her desire to die as she views every breath as being on borrowed time after she sacrificed half of her lifespan earlier on in the show. Alongside the discussions of sacrifice are also many discussions about killing people and these are mostly between Light and Ryuk
There are mentions of people being forced into various suicide methods as the Death Note allows the holder to specify the cause of death and as Light kills more and more people he becomes more creative with his methods. The only method that is made partly visual is when a character is made to jump in front of the train but other than hearing the build-up nothing visual happens and the actor simply walks off the stage.
Near the end of the show when Light and L face off the audience learns that L is now in the Death Note and L is made to read his own fate, this scene may be upsetting for some viewers as the audience is made to watch as L begs for his life and tries to move the gun away from his head to resist his fate of suicide that has been written in Death Note.
At the end of the show, Ryuk reaches into Light's chest to insert the Death Note and removes an apple to take a bite which signifies Light's heart. There is a squelching noise that accompanies this scene and may be slightly uncomfortable for some people to hear.

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer