Review: The Karate Kid The Musical at Sunderland Empire

“…an absolute visual feast…”

The Karate Kid The Musical by Robert Mark Kamen, Sunderland Empire

By Lauren Powell

Would you believe Karate Kid The Musical sparked some of the most in-depth debate I’ve had with a plus one about the nature of theatre? It raises questions like: can anything be a musical? And, should anything be a musical? What does this add to the property? Are any parts of this better than in the film? If there was a ‘Cobra Kai the Musical’, would I pay to go and see it? Personally, I was quite amazed that a premise raised in Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights as a joke could be so thought-provoking. 

You know the plot: new boy in town Daniel LaRusso, is bullied by Karate jock Johnny Lawrence, so much so that a mystical, elderly gentleman from Okinawa comes to the rescue. He teaches Daniel to defend himself and win fights against vastly more experienced foes through the power of housework. If you haven’t seen the film, I suggest you make it your business to go and watch it first. I don’t think people unfamiliar with the franchise will enjoy the musical because the premise is precariously balanced on peak Millennial/Gen X nostalgia.

Gini Ochello as Daniel LaRusso had an uphill battle to make a bland character entertaining and I think he managed that brilliantly through his liquid physicality. This show is his professional stage debut, and the only way you would know that is because he felt so fresh. This performance takes some liberties with the character of Mr Miyagi, played by Adrian Pang. In the film he is dry and dignified, but in this production he’s the comedy relief. I didn’t know how I felt about it at the start, but by the end I caught myself letting out some obnoxiously loud laughs at his banter.  My plus one called this the “James Gunn effect”, which I thought was apt – it is very much of the moment that witty banter is shoehorned into popular franchises. This is not so much a criticism as an observation. The show was stolen by Matt Mills, as the villainous John Kreese. He has an absolutely crushing stage presence. Baddies are blessed with the best outfits and the most enjoyable and unhinged motivations, so maybe Matt benefitted from that, but any time he was on stage you knew things were going to amp up! I also think that his songs and characterisation did a better job of explaining his trauma as a motivation than the film.

There is so much about this show that I got such a kick out of, but I do have one criticism and it is a doozy. In keeping with tonight’s theme  of questions, I’ll ask you: what is the one thing you want a musical to have? If you didn’t say “banging songs” or some variation of that then I don’t think you enjoy musicals at all. The songs in this show are bland, they are unmemorable, and I left tonight thinking about what a great song In This Corner from Kinky Boots was. For a show that was lavished with ’80s details, I feel the opportunity to lean into the period musically was sorely missed. A power ballad, some synth pop, a dash of hair metal – anything with a bit of period charisma. The tunes in this show fall into the truly shameful category of “alright”, which does a disservice to almost every other element of the show.

Criticism aside, Derek McLane (stage designer), Bradley King (lighting designer) and Peter Nigrini (projection designer) worked seamlessly together to transport you to 1980’s California. The clever choice of using shoji-style panels as the body of the set, and backdrop for projections was superb. Very atmospheric, less literal, and yet it felt very precise. It worked so well with the thoughtful use of lighting, the intensity of the spotlights varied in a manner so subtle and seamless I almost didn’t notice my attention being guided between characters.  

Another aspect of this show that is a delight – and actually the highlight of the show for me – was the combination of the work of the choreography (Keone & Mari Madrid) and the ensemble. I’ve been blessed to see some really strong ensemble work recently but this was great. The dance moves were crafted in such a way that often the dancers became one character, a representation of the vibe or even, at some points, Mr Miyagi’s Chi. Any scene with Mr Miyagi’s karate represented through the dance moves were flowy, any with Cobra Kai were short and choppy, and even in the arcade they danced in a way that was reminiscent of Space Invaders. It was brilliant. I found that whenever fights were performed as dances they were much more credible and dynamic than when they were not. The finale, which is a karate competition, managed to evoke an arena with multiple fights happening perfectly. 

Now I suspect you may have a question for me: would I recommend you go to a musical that I didn’t enjoy the songs of? If you are a Millenial looking to relive the warm, fuzzy feeling of a good old ’80s underdog story, then yes, this is made for you. If you are interested in seeing truly superior stagecraft and choreography, this is the show for you. Weird musical remakes of things that have no business being musicals are very much of the now, which is another reason I encourage you to see it. I don’t imagine it will be a classic and if you don’t jump at the chance to see it now you will miss all the magic that this show holds within it, and the opportunity to talk about “that time you went to see this” and what a weird concept for a musical this is. Everything about this show is brilliant, bar the songs. I would say it’s a truly great show, just not a very good musical. It is an absolute visual feast and, for me, that was genuinely enough.         

The Karate Kid The Musical plays at Sunderland Empire until Saturday 18 July. Tickets are available here.

Lauren Powell is a recovering academic from the North East of England. Currently residing in South Shields with her partner and two malevolent gerbils. Lauren is a short form writer who writes fiction as well as reviews. She has loved the theatre since childhood, and many years ago volunteered back stage with an amateur group, Stage Focus.  From one man readings to musical and beyond, Lauren can not get enough! You can find her on Twitter/X here.