Review: Karate Kid

13-05-26 Manchester Palace Theatre by Fio Trethewey

The Karate Kid Musical opened last night at the Manchester Palace Theatre. Due to the Karate Kid Franchise’s ongoing popularity with the spin-off series Cobra Kai I was curious to see how a musical version would fare for audiences.

The Karate Kid story follows the journey of Daniel LeRusso, a New Jersey boy moving to California with his mother who meets a World War Two war veteran/ maintenance man from Okinawa, Mr Miyagi. The two characters form a father-son bond which leads to Daniel learning Karate from Mr Miyagi and taking part in the local Karate Championship to prove himself equal to his bullies. A coming-of-age tale that talks of the courage to stand up to your oppressors, and that the strongest path isn’t fighting, but knowing your worth, and what’s worth fighting for. I’m very glad to say that this speaks true of the Musical adaptation too.

Daniel, played by Gino Ochello, and Miyagi, played by Adrain Pang, steal the show. But there are stand out performances from the rest of the cast, including a great expansion of some of the film’s smaller roles, notably Matt Mill’s John Kreese, and Sharon Sexton’s Lucille DeRusso, who has some heartbreaking musical moments.

The music seems to take inspiration from teen musicals such as Dear Evan Hansen, particularly in Daniel’s ‘I Want’ songs, and while half the score is truly excellent (particularly “Strike First. Strike Hard. No Mercy”, “If I Could Take His Pain Away” and “The Whole World Will Be Watching “) the other half feels forgettable and even bland.

Despite these criticisms, I love the infusion of Okinawaian music into Miyagi’s songs, showing a care and attention to his culture which the film (and especially its sequels) sorely lack at times.

The dancing is also incredible, the ensemble bringing martial art and dance together in a truly captivating way. Whether inside the foreboding Cobra Kai dojo, or in Mr Miyagi’s “Greek Chorus” or Kuruko (invisible “stage hands” in traditional Kabuki Theatre, moving props and scenery.)

These additions in particular, described by Director Amon Miyamoto as “Spirits”– visual representations of the five elements “Fire, water, earth, wood and metal” who appear on stage alongside Miyagi – are especially interesting. Symbols of the human spirit, of the unseen forces binding humanity together, and of knowledge passed down from generation to generation.

I do feel that the musical may alienate newcomers, with its minimalistic staging leaving much to the imagination, as well as an over-reliance on dialogue and jokes often lifted word-for-word from the film, straddling a difficult line it doesn’t always manage to balance.

Overall we had an incredible experience watching the show, and I highly recommend it for fans of the film! The Karate Kid The Musical is on tour over the summer across the country until the 1st of August.

Visit the official site for tickets HERE