Singaporean Actor Xander Pang Is About To Be London’s Next Light Yagami

Is Light Yagami an anti-hero, or simply a villain? Think about it: he had a pretty noble cause, got way too power-hungry, developed an obsession with justice and control, and had tyrannical run under the title as the ‘God of the New World’ – all in the name of fulfilling his ultimate goal of cleansing the world of crime and evil. 

It’s a loaded question, but it’s one Death Note fans are probably thinking about with the manga’s newest musical adaptation this July. At the centre of this story is the brilliant and bored protagonist, Light Yagami – and 25-year-old Singaporean actor Xander Pang is going to be the one who brings him to life.

For those who love a childhood classic-turned-musical, Pang might look familiar because this isn’t his first musical rodeo. Prior to being cast as Light Yagami, he played Luke Castellan in The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical in 2025, and was also in Pangdemonium’s 2024 staging of Dear Evan Hansen as Connor Murphy.

“[The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical] was so much fun to do – and again, another thing based on source material that’s very much from my childhood,” Pang says, about his experiences working on these productions, “I think everyone in Singapore and Asia would know what Death Note is, but also, Percy Jackson was this worldwide phenomenon, and luckily I was taking over from a team that had already been doing it, so elements of it had already been fleshed out. 

But to take on a character that already has such a fan base was such a cool experience. Fans were so gracious, so kind and so excited to see new takes on the character, and anytime we finished the show, there would always be such a warm reception outside from fans of the musical, and fans of of the source material. Going into Death Note is the same, but different – it’s a different fan base with very similar aspects, but also with that same really strong passion, which is really, really exciting. But I also do feel the pressure – but in a way that is going to spur me on positively.”

Death Note: The Musical is Pang’s third professional musical production, ever – his first being Pangdemonium’s staging of Dear Evan Hansen in 2024, fresh out of Cambridge University after finishing his psychology degree. 

“Before going to university, I always saw myself as just a straight actor because I couldn’t even name you more than five musicals.” It was during his time at Cambridge where he started gaining interest in musicals. “One musical was put on after another that I actually knew and was actually really excited about, and I just slowly started building up this rep of doing musical after musical after musical, and I was like, ‘Actually, this is really fun!’”

Despite his newfound passion for musicals, Pang actually started off with no formal musical theatre training — and it’s something that’s only pushed him to continue to hone his craft. “I didn’t go to drama school, I didn’t do musical theater training, and there are a lot of people around me who have. I’m up against these really, really, really talented people, so there’s almost that kind of imposter syndrome… The journey that I’m trying to take is trying to transform intuition into tangible or describable skills.”

Perhaps what he might lack in technical skills, he makes up for in experience. While musical theatre was something he, in his own words, had “kind of fallen into,” acting, however, is in his DNA. 

With actor father, Adrian Pang, and artistic director mother, Tracie Pang, who co-founded Singapore-based theatre company Pangdemonium together – acting was something that Pang had always known he was going to do. “I did a show in 2010 called The Full Monty, which was my first ever time acting on stage,” he shares, “My mum always tells me about the first time I came off stage after the first show, and being like, ‘Oh my God, I want to do this for the rest of my life!’”

The obvious question here is whether the family business adds any pressure. His father has been in the industry since 1998, while his mother is an award-winning artistic director in the local theatre scene. The short answer is a very self-aware “no”.

“Obviously, there is that idea that I’m following in their footsteps, and whether I feel like I need to break out of their shadow, but honestly, I see it as an honor to kind of, in a way, carry on the family name. I am so proud of the work that they do, and I think the work that they do is amazing. So I don’t have to be shy about being a part of that family...it just drives me forward to want to do the same, basically.”

Other than landing Death Note: The Musical, Pang’s also charging right into the local movie scene, having starred in Annette Lee’s directorial debut, Dream Stall this past May. “I haven’t done screen work in a long time,” he says about the experience, “I did a bunch when I was a teenager on some Okto shows here and there...it’s a completely different style of acting, but such a nice challenge. It was so fun to try and figure out my face, and then seeing it on screen was so crazy. It was so weird. I was like, ‘Oh, wow. So that’s what I look like.’”

After the movie’s premiere, Pang’s next step is returning to London, where he’s been based since graduating from university. Shortly after, rehearsals for Death Note: The Musical officially begins in mid-June, just weeks before the musical debuts in July. Basically, his summer is jam-packed with work — something Pang sees as a blessing, especially as a full-time actor.

“Being able to come back [to Singapore] for work is is a privilege. So I would love to be able to come back a lot more, but it’s just about what what comes up, you know? I’m at a stage where beggars can’t be choosers — so whatever comes up, I’m just happy to be here!”

Here’s the million-dollar question: what can fans expect from this reimagined production of Death Note: The Musical? “The fans can expect the best of the anime and the manga,” Pang says without spoiling too much, “I think what’s been adapted for the musical is what people really love about the original source material, especially the dynamic between L and Light. I think that’s really the sole focus of this musical. And then you add in some bangers — I think people are gonna really, really love and appreciate that.”

He’s about to take on a behemoth of a role — after all, Death Note has a well-established fanbase and is an anime classic. If there’s one thing this young actor wants the world to know about him, Pang says that it would be: “That I am a Singaporean at heart. I feel like people tend to forget that sometimes. I’m mixed race, so growing up in Singapore and being called ang moh my whole life, then moving to the UK where I only get seen as being Asian... no matter where I am, I feel like I’m always kind of seen as ‘the Other’ — and also my accent’s really weird, and I’m going into the arts, which is not a very traditional Singaporean pipeline. But Singapore is my home, I grew up here, and my heart lies here — and I’m just as Singaporean as everyone else.”

Death Note: The Musical runs from July 30 to September 12, 2026, at the Barbican Theatre in London.