Musical Theatre Valdes moved to the UK in 2017, when he was cast as understudy Thuy in the UK tour of
Miss Saigon. In 2018 he joined the International tour of
The King and I, understudying the role of Lun Tha and performing alongside
Kelli O'Hara and
Ken Watanabe. Valdes was then cast as Ram Sweeney in the West End run of
Heathers: the Musical in 2021, with
Jordan Luke Gage as JD,
Christina Bennington as Veronica Sawyer,
Jodie Steele, Bobbie Little and
Frances Mayli McCann as "The Heathers". In May 2023 it was announced that
Death Note: the Musical will have its English premiere at the
London Palladium in August, as a staged concert version. Valdes was cast in the lead role of Light Yagami, together with
Frances Mayli McCann as Misa and
Dean John-Wilson as L. The creative team of the UK version of the musical included
Alexzandra Sarmiento as associate director and choreographer, Kimie Nakano as costume designer and Ben Cracknell as lighting designer. The show's run was then extended to September and moved to the
Lyric Theatre, with new cast members
Georgie Maguire, Jessica Lee and Carl Man, taking over the roles of Ryuk, Misa and alternate L respectively. In June 2023 Valdes joined the cast of
Then, Now and Next at the
Southwark Playhouse, as Alex's (
Alice Fearn) love interest Stephen. The musical was written by Christopher J Orton and
Jon Robyns and directed by
Julie Atherton.
Music In 2002 Valdes joined the boy band
17:28, under the name Wakie Valdes. The group included
Jonard Yanzon,
Giancarlo Magdangal and
Chino Alfonso. In 2005 the group announced their split to pursue different ventures. == Theatre credits ==