MANILA, Philippines — Joaquin Pedro Valdes leads a number of actors with Filipino descent that will continue to star in the limited run of "Death Note the Musical" in London after a successful premiere at the Palladium on the West End.
The musical, a stage adaptation of the popular manga by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, debuted in Japan and then had shows in South Korea and Taiwan. The London runs are the first productions in English.
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Valdes portrays the lead character Light Yagami, a student who comes across the "Death Note" book, which kills anyone whose name is written on it.
The role comes right after Valdes starred in "Then, Now & Next," with past experiences in "The Lion King," "Miss Saigon," "The King and I," "Heathers: The Musical," "Fanny and Stella," and the world premieres of "Vanara" and "Killing the Cat."
With Valdes in the main cast is Christian Rey Marbella as Soichiro, who previously appeared in "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Full Monty," "Show Boat" and "The King and I."
Marbella's most well-known role is his numerous global appearances in "Miss Saigon," but he has also done several Filipino productions, such as "Cinderella," "Calamba Joe," "1896 the Musical" and "Rama Hari."
Actors of Filipino descent who will star in the Lyric Theatre run of "Death Note the Musical" this September include Deena Kapadia and Charlotte Coggin.
"Death Note" has been adapted into anime, numerous video games and live-action films, including a critically panned 2017 American production and a live-action series, which will be followed up by a new Netflix production by "Stranger Things" creators the Duffer Brothers.