A ‘Karate Kid’ Musical Is Coming In 2022
The Karate Kid is on the road to Broadway. The musical adaptation of the 1984 martial arts drama is set to have its onstage debut at Stage St. Louis on May 25, 2022, after which it will move to The Ross Family Theatre at The Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. According to Playbill, producers Naoya Kinoshita of the Kinoshita Group, Kumiko Yoshii, and Michael Wolk are eyeing a subsequent Broadway run. The score comes from Drew Gasparini (It’s Kind of a Funny Story), with the book written by franchise creator Robert Mark Kamen.
So far, the musical adaptation has an impressive roster of theater professionals at the helm. Pacific Overtures’ Amon Miyamoto will serve as director on the project. Meanwhile, Keone Madrid and Mari Madrid will serve as choreographers, combining martial arts sequences with dance. Other crew members onboard include costume designer Ayako Maeda, set designer Derek McLane (Moulin Rouge!), lighting designer Bradley King (Hadestown), sound designer Kai Harada (The Band's Visit), orchestrator John Clancy (Mean Girls) and music director Andrew Resnick (The Cher Show).
Broadway has an abundance of musicals adapted from movies, a trend that only continues to grow. Mean Girls, Beetlejuice, Legally Blonde, Matilda, Once ... the list goes on and on. While we still don't know whether or not this upcoming musical will hit its mark, having Kamen involved in The Karate Kid adds an air of legitimacy to the whole project.
“Karate teaches that if you treat people with inner strength, humility, and the spirit of harmony, there will be no conflict,” Miyamoto said in an official statement (via Playbill). “My deepest hope is that our work resonates with audiences all over the world, spreading the ideas of acceptance and inclusion—which are the opposite of division.”