Courtesy of STAGES.
STAGES St. Louis will roll out the red carpet at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center tonight, offering a Hollywood welcome for some of the original stars of The Karate Kid as its musical adaptation hits the stage.
Some things about The Karate Kid: The Musical, which begins its pre-Broadway run at KPAC tonight, may delight them—original star Ralph Macchio peeking out from a The Outsiders poster in Ali’s (with an I!) bedroom, the unmistakable notes of “You’re the Best Around” backing a party scene—and they may find a few things that can improve. The pacing, which moves from a breakneck first act into a sometimes slow (we, like Daniel, must have patience) second, comes to mind.
But like the audience that walked out of Tuesday night’s preview, I imagine they’ll be smiling and laughing. Because The Karate Kid: The Musical has retained the essential parts of its blockbuster predecessor. It’s a classic zero-to-hero story with enough heart to make you feel something, and enough laughs to balance its moments of melancholy and intensity. Above all, it is fun.
The '80s outfits, the shower curtain costume, the sparse but always well-timed quips from Mr. Miyagi, the karate training sequences, of course–they’re all there. Highlighted on stage by the set and lighting design from Derek McLane and Bradley King respectively, these moments are given new life. And The Karate Kid creator Robert Mark Kamen's first pass at theater reframes the story slightly and gives his film’s characters added richness.
Both Miyagi and Kreese, karate masters at odds, are given more dimension by Kamen, who takes some time to examine the costs of war (As Miyagi muses after Daniel exclaims that the Vietnam War was “so long ago,” when someone goes to war, war also goes with them. His own lasting scars are examined in “Kiyoko, My Love.”) and why these men are the way they are, decades after serving in separate conflicts.
John Cardoza, fresh off his run with the original Broadway cast of Jagged Little Pill, is endearing in the same way Macchio was as Jersey boy Daniel, who lands in California as the new kid despite his protests and worries. (Best of luck to all the future theater teens who will audition with his first solo number, “Square One,” if The Karate Kid: The Musical finds success.) He's charming, sincere, and easy to root for. It's a joy to watch him grow under the tutelage of Jovanni Sy's Mr. Miyagi, whose wisdom and humor are the quiet, beating heart of the show.
Two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin, whose powerful vocals shine on “Doing Something Right” and “If I Could Take His Pain Away,” embodies the pleasantly supportive dream mother, Lucille LaRusso. While Jetta Juriansz’s Ali (again, with an I!) gets the short end of the stick as far as places to show off her vocals, you can’t help but cheer for her when she finally socks Johnny. And Johnny, well, he’s the exact piece of work he needs to be. Jake Bentley Young plays him as a cocky snake with boy band moves and maybe, just maybe, something redeemable deep down. He, along with every Cobra Kai appearance, got some of the loudest cheers of the night. (One has to wonder about the effect of Netflix’s Cobra Kai on all the love from the crowd.)
It is a fact universally acknowledged that villains get the bangers, and that remains true with “Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy,” a rocking number that introduces the rival dojo and their fearless–this guy hates fear–leader, Kreese. Alan H. Green gives the intimidating sensei dimension, and his show-stopping vocals on both “Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy” and Act I closer “The Whole World Will Be Watching” drew roaring applause. Other highlights throughout the show include “I Want to Know What You Know” (another one I imagine high school theater directors will be hearing in a couple years) and “Balance,” which pits Daniel and Miyagi’s calm, defensive karate choreography against the unbridled aggression of the Cobra Kai. It’s perhaps the most visually exciting number of the bunch.
Those going in expecting to see the movie played out on stage will only get some of what they’re looking for, but The Karate Kid: The Musical stands on its own two feet. Or maybe on one, well-balanced and poised for the iconic crane kick. Its new elements–Kabuki-inspired “Spirits” facilitating movements on stage, traditional Okinawan musical elements, moments reframed from Miyagi’s, not Daniel’s, perspective–are interesting and beautiful to watch.
For fans of the movie and fans of musicals in general, The Karate Kid: The Musical is a spectacle worth investigating. While I’m not sure if this iteration will be its final form—musicals, like people and the bonsai, always have room for improvement—it’s certainly a night of nostalgia and fun, and its pre-Broadway debut is an experience we hope that STAGES and KPAC have the chance to repeat.
The Karate Kid: The Musical runs May 25 through June 26 at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available at stagesstlouis.org.
