The Karate Kid - The Musical, UK Tour Review
Written by David for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
It’s been over four decades since the premiere of the Eighties blockbuster The Karate Kid, and like several movies from that decade, it’s now a musical. In 2026, Daniel LaRusso’s rise to being a disciplined ‘karate kid’ under the mentorship of the wise Mr Miyagi is accompanied by cheesy music and uninspired choreography that leaves the show idly riding on the success of its source material.
The adaptation, heady with nostalgia, lacks a carefully fostered connection to the original film; instead, it’s a two-dimensional rehash. The creative team’s odd vision only serves fans of the film (if they can remember it well enough).
Perhaps most bizarre of all is original screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen’s adaptation of his own film, with an awkward pacing pervading the action. He distills the film into choppy sequences that hinder key character relationships; even Daniel and Mr Miyagi’s relationship is given little space to organically develop.
Director Amon Miyamoto, similarly, lacks a careful hand. Movement is often stagnant and incongruous with the action. The show’s climax, Daniel’s karate tournament against rival Johnny Lawrence, is overshadowed by juvenile blocking that makes the fight seem like a mere playground brawl.
Critically unsure is composer and lyricist Drew Gasparini’s commercial-sounding music, which maintains a sober upbeatness with irrelevant, cliché lyrics that’ll have you grimacing. It’s somewhat saved by John Clancy’s orchestrations, which feature the shakuhachi (Japanese flute), but not by much.
Performances from the cast are, on the whole, satisfying given the material they are lumbered with. Gino Ochello’s Daniel is not wholly inspiring; his two-dimensional characterisation is conditioned by the show’s entanglement with Eighties American nostalgia. When he subtly conveys Daniel’s adolescent uncertainty in his voice, it’s fulfilling, but even that can’t save the character from being simple. But, it is Adrian Pang’s Mr Miyagi who saves the show from ruin, carrying the karate master’s idiosyncratic nature with a measured combination of tolerance, humour, and subsequent vulnerability.
With forgettable music and rapid pacing, The Karate Kid unfortunately joins the list of musical adaptations that are self-serving and lazy.
Alas, it’s a ‘no Daniel son’.
Runs until Saturday, 27 June at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. UK Tour continues until August.
★★
