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The masterpiece manga Death Note written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata is becoming a stage musical. A new announcement has now been made regarding this project that surprised many people when it was first announced back in July. It has been decided that L, who battles wits with main character Light Yagami, will be played by Teppei Koike. Along with the announcement, a visual of him dressed as the character was also released. He magnificently portrays the hunchback L with his completely different than normal and slightly dark expression.
Teppei Koike won the Grand Prix at the 14th Junon Super Boy Contest in 2001 and is popular for his fresh look. He has played in the TV series Ama-chan and Black Kaisha ni Tsutometerun Daga, Mou Ore wa Genkai Komoshirenai among others.
Kenji Urai and Hayato Kakizawa have already been announced to be playing Light Yagami in the Death Note musical. Teppei performing along with the strategic acting of these two will likely be a highlight.
The original work to Death Note was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) from 2003-2006. The story follows Kira aka Light Yagami who comes into possession of a Death Note, a book with the power to kill whosever name is written in it. L, the greatest detective in the world, stands as Kira’s opposition. A game of intellects true to life in many ways then unfolds.
The series has over 30 million volumes in print domestically in Japan, and it was adapted into a TV anime in 2006 and 2007. This was a big hit as well. It was even highly popular overseas. Performances of the musical will begin in Japan in April 2015 at the Nissay Theatre. The musical will also be performed in South Korea beginning in July. This may be due to the series’ high popularity overseas.
For the musical, Frank Wildhorn will be creating the music. He is a world-famous composer known for his work on Jekyll & Hyde and other productions. This occasion marks the first time he will be creating music for a Japanese work. Directing the musical is Tamiya Kuriyama who has created many hit musicals including Marie Antoinette and Thrill Me. The wonderful staff are aiming to create a musical that meets the global standard. Keep a close eye on this for even more cast announcements to come.
Death Note Musical
Sponsor: Horipro / Musicalheaven
Dates: Japan, April 2015 - Nissay Theatre (Tokyo) / South Korea, July-August 2015 - LG Art Center (Seoul)
Composer: Frank Wildhorn
Screenplay: Ivan Menchell
Director: Tamiya Kuriyama
[Cast]
Light Yagami: Kenji Urai, Hayato Kakizawa
L: Teppei Koike
Source: animeanime
