(4 / 5)
Having never seen the film, I went into The Karate Kid: The Musical with minimal expectations. I have obviously seen the infamous crane kick, heard the iconic ‘wax on, wax off’ and had a basic premise of the plot of the underdog rising up to win the Karate Competition against the bully, with the aid of the slightly enigmatic, but hilarious Mr Miyagi.
What I found in this production was a hugely pleasant surprise. It’s a well paced script, with lots of great songs, incredible lyrical, beautiful choreography, clever staging and set and a really fantastic cast! The beats of the film are all hit here and I was informed by my friend, (who has seen the film!) that the final karate competition fights were recreated incredibly faithfully. Book Writer, Robert Mark Kamen, has captured the essence of the film to great effect, whilst expanding certain key scenes, such as the drunken Miyagi scene, to quite devastating effect.
Director, Amon Miyamoto and choreographers, Keone and Mari Madrid weave a seamless story on stage. The choreography is stunning and perfectly executed by a talented ensemble, with incredible timing and poise. They shift seamlessly between the soft, lyrical movements of the karate lessons with Mr Miyagi to the harsher, stronger movements of the Dojo of the Cobra Kai. This is also directed ably with them bringing on set, remaining on in scenes to become the various backdrops of the show, (including some excellent buzzy flies to catch with a certain set of chopsticks), and creating the karate sequences of the production. My particular favourite was the final crane kick which was executed seamlessly with the aid of these talented performers.
The set is also very cleverly designed to evoke the dojo, with sliding screens, freestanding ones that are moved onstage and offstage to great effect, and other interesting set pieces which move us with ease between the various settings. The set never imposes upon the action and in fact only heightens the depth and interest of the different environments that they create. The lighting too is excellent, with a fantastic colour palette which aids in conveying the story.
The cast are, without exception, incredible. We had several understudies on opening night at Cardiff, but there was not a pause or stutter in sight, the complicated fight choreography delivered to perfection. I adored Sharon Sexton as Lucille, Daniel’s slightly chaotic, yet loveable mother. If I Could Take His Pain Away was sang beautifully, a real highlight of the show. Abigail Amin portrays Ali (with an ‘i’) Mills and also has a fantastic powerhouse voice. Her rendition of Who I’m Going to Be was a heartfelt ‘I want’ number which was beautifully delivered.
Gino Ochello was a truly wonderful Daniel LaRusso; his pain at losing his father is palpable; he is instantly endearing and loveable as the titular Karate Kid. He delivers every musical number with incredible sincerity; his voice easily switching between a beautiful softer resonance and a fantastic, strong belt. Finally, Adrian Pang truly embodies Mr Miyagi, owning every moment he steps out onto the stage. He has the audience in the palm of his hand, having only to say a single word or give one look to have the audience chuckling. His performance is nuanced, and the more somber moments had tears rolling down my cheeks. He is worth the admittance price alone; this is a truly lovely interpretation of the character.
New musical theatre pieces can be hit or miss admittedly, but this is a sure fire win; the pacing is good, the dancing and movement is exceptional, the songs are a great listen and the performances are really brilliant. In a time where audiences won’t always take a chance on new work, I really implore you to go and watch this production; it really deserves to succeed and to have a life beyond this premiere tour.