Review: The Karate Kid - The Musical (New Theatre Oxford)

I was invited to see The Karate Kid – The Musical at New Theatre Oxford. Directed by Amon Miyamoto, this was of interest to me due to the fact that it raised the question, why has this been reimagined as a musical. I went along to find out.

Now is probably the time to admit, in the past, musicals based on earlier films have often not tended to be my favourites to watch.  However, what this show does differently to many I have seen in the past, is keep enough of the original material consistent for those who love the film, yet add new elements – such as new scenes and a new musical score (Drew Gasparini & John Clancy), to interest those audience members who simply want to see a musical.

Seventeen year old Daniel Larusso (Gino Ochello) and his mum Lucille (Sharon Sexton) move to a completely new location after Lucille lands a new job, and Daniel find himself in the unenviable situation of being the new kid in the neighbourhood and school. This initially goes exactly how you expect it might.

The show is about relationships; the relationships Daniel has with his mum and the multiple new people he meets, relationships between loss and trauma and their effect on people, and most notably of all, about the friendship that Daniel develops with their maintenance man Mr Miyagi (Adrian Pang).

The choreography (by Keone and Mari Madrid) is clever, blending karate and dance at times, and the use of movement as well as the occasional use of stillness was so fitting for the story. I found the moments when the ensemble were behind Mr Miyagi so beautifully choreographed I personally took it that this showed the spiritual nature of his existence and the ensemble presented this so well. Whilst all of the ensemble were superb, I have to mention Aden Dzuda, in particular during the karate scenes. It was easy to imagine he was a karate expert as well as a brilliant dancer during those moments.

Production photograph

Matt Mills as John Kreese was a highlight for me, his vocals are so perfect for this character. Similarly, Joe Simmons played Johnny Lawrence with a convincing attitude problem, understandably upset having been dumped by Ali (Abigail Amin) and showing no mercy whatsoever to Daniel after he’d caught her eye.

The lighting design (Bradley King) was gorgeous, especially the deep reds during the Dojo sessions. The nods to pac man during the scenes where the arcade games were present were also a good effect.

With all of the relationships going on during the show, the absolute focus was the one between Daniel and Mr Miyagi which was a joy to watch developing. This is one of those life lesson stories that friendships can be found in the most unlikely places, and the two actors in these roles were cast so well (Olivia Laydon).

Production photograph

Adrian Pang’s delightful Mr Miyagi brought back so many memories at times – this was such a fond reimagining of the original character from the film. You could hear the reactions from people in the audience this resonated with. This being Gino Ochello’s professional stage debut was a surprise to me when I read the programme later. But together they were an absolute joy to watch and what surprised me more than anything was the emotional impact the show had on me, in particular the scenes between these two.

If you are thinking why was The Karate Kid made into a musical, the underscoring certainly worked for me. Whilst this would have worked as a play, the emotional impact was definitely enhanced because of the music.

I would recommend this show for people who have seen and enjoyed the original film, and like a trip down memory lane, but even more for younger viewers who have no knowledge of the story. It stands as an engaging musical in its own right, and has messages in it that will resonate with everyone.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

The Karate Kid – The Musical  is showing at New Theatre Oxford until Saturday 13 June 2026, with matinees on Thursday and Saturday. You can buy tickets here.

If you would like to my curtain call photographs from this and other shows, please visit my Instagram.

I was gifted tickets for this show in exchange for an honest review.