The Karate Kid – The Musical
★★★☆☆ Nostalgic
Festival Theatre: Tue 23 – Sat 27 Jun 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
The Karate Kid – The Musical, at the Festival Theatre this week and the Glasgow Theatre Royal next, is one of those shows that is touring ‘ahead of its West End debut’.
While there are many things to like about the production, there are also reasons to suspect that a long London run is unlikely.
The original 1984 movie was a teen martial arts drama that has spawned a whole franchise including sequels, remakes and TV series. This musical, with songs by Drew Gasparini, was first seen in the USA in 2022 and goes back to the original film, with a book by its screenplay writer Robert Mark Kamen.
A scene from The Karate Kid – The Musical. Pic: Manuel Harlan.
Daniel LaRusso and his mother move from New Jersey to California, where Daniel attracts the attention of some bullies from the local karate school. It’s made worse because of Daniel’s burgeoning relationship with Ali, who just happens to be the ex-girlfriend of chief bully Johnny. But the taciturn maintenance man at the LaRussos’ new flat, Mr Miyagi, just happens to be a karate expert himself…
While the musical tones down some of the content of the original (notably the drug use that makes it a 15 certificate nowadays), it isn’t as kid-friendly as some of the remakes. The guidance of 6+ on the website makes this sound like far more of a family show than it actually is; children under 12 are likely to be very bored.
a command and fluidity
Not that it’s necessarily riveting for adults either. Promising themes of ‘resilience, mentorship and the quiet strength that bridges generations’, it comes across as more superficial and disjointed. While some aspects of the production are first-rate, others are distinctly iffy.
There are certainly no problems with the performances. Gino Ochello, making his professional stage debut, is thoroughly likeable as Daniel. There’s a command and fluidity to his movements, but he is also vulnerable when required.
Adrian Pang with Gino Ochello and members of the Karate Kid ensemble. Pic: Manuel Harlan.
Adrian Pang is commanding and wonderfully comic as Mr Miyagi. Sharon Sexton is grounded and beautifully emotional as Daniel’s mother Lucille. Matt Mills is appropriately villainous as evil dojo owner John Kreese, while Joe Simmons is lively and spiteful as bully Johnny.
Abigail Amin is poised and clear-voiced as Ali, but the character points up one of the main problems with the production. Writer Kamen understandably seems a little too wedded to the original’s characters. In a musical, there isn’t always room for as many participants as in a film, and here it just seems odd that some (such as Ali) are absent for such long stretches.
fleeting appearances
Daniel’s friend Freddie (Finley Oliver) suffers even more. Introduced at the beginning, he seems sure to be a major character, but then disappears completely, with only a couple of fleeting appearances to remind you he’s still about.
Other characters, such as Ali’s parents, have even less to do, and could be eliminated altogether; it would be easy to explain their opinions in a couple of lines of dialogue, which would also give Ali more to do.
Sharon Sexton and Gino Ochello. Pic: Manuel Harlan.
That this needs to be a musical at all is not entirely clear. The one occasion where a song has its traditional role of amplifying a character’s feelings is If I Could Take His Pain Away, sung by Sexton with great distinction.
Otherwise, the musical numbers slow the action down, and Amon Miyamoto’s direction, although sympathetic, is oddly paced at times. This makes the narrative lop-sided (especially galling in a show that keeps going on about ‘balance’). The first half in particular never settles into any kind of rhythm.
interesting touches
Which would matter less if the songs themselves were more distinguished. Unfortunately, they are musically less than memorable. Lyrically they tend to stand out for the wrong reasons, with some unfortunate and decidedly forced rhymes.
The large live band are unflagging and there are some interesting touches in the score featuring flute and sanshin (an Okinawan forerunner to the more familiar guitar-like shamisen). However, too often a spangly 80s keyboard sound washes over everything and the sound is not always as clear as it might be.
A scene from The Karate Kid – The Musical. Pic: Manuel Harlan.
This, then, is one of those musicals where the audience is more likely to leave whistling the scenery. Derek McLane’s scenic design, with its use of Japanese screens, is clever and versatile. It also lends itself to quick scene changes, which is one of the many ways in which a large ensemble excels.
However, just because you can switch scene so quickly doesn’t mean you should do it quite so often; the opening five minutes have more than that number of changes. By the end, you do get bored of the constant ‘flats on, flats off’.
gripping
Keone and Mari Madrid’s choreography, however, is beyond reproach. That large ensemble is used beautifully, and the karate sequences (aided by fight consultant Kev McCurdy) are gripping.
Despite all of the unconvincing elements, there is enough commitment in the performances and staging to satisfy any fans of the film who want a nostalgic rush. Anyone who thinks it isn’t necessary to turn every single 1980s movie into a musical is going to be less satisfied.
Running time: Two hours 30 minutes including one interval
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicholson Street, EH8 9FT
Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 June 2026
Daily at 7.30 pm; Matinees Thurs, Sat 2.30 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Glasgow Theatre Royal, 282 Hope Street, Glasgow G2 3QA
Tue 30 Jun – Sat 4 Jul 2026
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Mats Wed, Thurs Sat: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Abigail Amin and Gino Ochello with members of the Karate Kid ensemble. Pic: Manuel Harlan.
ENDS
