The full cast has been confirmed for the upcoming UK premiere production of the stage musical version of the hit 1980s film The Karate Kid.
Due to embark on a major UK tour ahead of its West End and Broadway debut, the production will star acclaimed Singaporean performer Adrian Pang as Mr Miyagi and Gibraltar-born performer and singer Gino Ochello making his professional stage debut as Daniel LaRusso.
They will be joined by recent Arts Ed graduates Abigail Amin and Joe Simmons. Amin will play Ali Mills with Simmons (Cruel Intentions, UK tour, Pippin, West End) as Johnny Lawrence. Matt Mills (MJ the Musical, West End, Dreamgirls, UK tour) as John Kreese, Sharon Sexton (Bat Out of Hell The Musical, West End, The Commitments, West End) as Lucille LaRusso and Finley Oliver (Get Down Tonight, Charing Cross Theatre) as Freddie Fernandez.
The ensemble also includes Ambra Caserotti, Johndeep More, Ria Tanaka, Elena Breschi, Aden Dzuda, Elliott Evans, El Haq Latief, Isaac J Lewis, Emily Rose-Davis, Aaron Archer, Dylan Blake-Colbet, Serenar Douch, Esme Rothero and Sok-Ho Trinh.
Presented by Naoya Kinoshita, Kumiko Yoshii, John Gore and Kenny Wax, The Karate Kid – The Musical will open at the New Wimbledon Theatre on 28 April, before visiting Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Sheffield, Sunderland, Birmingham and Cardiff. The UK tour will end on 1 August and production will then head for Canada to play a premiere season in Toronto in September.
Written by the screenwriter of the original 1984 blockbuster, Robert Mark Kamen, the musical features music and lyrics by Drew Gasparini. The Karate Kid – The Musical will be directed by Amon Miyamoto with choreography by Keone and Mari Madrid, scenic design by Derek McLane, costume design by Ayako Maeda, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Kai Harada, projection design by Peter Nigrini, orchestrations by John Clancy, music supervision and arrangements by Andrew Resnick, and wigs and hair design by Tommy Kurzman.
Commenting on the musical, writer and creator Kamen said: “William Goldman said about Hollywood ‘No one knows anything’. He was right. Who knew that 43 years after I wrote the original script for The Karate Kid, we would see these very same characters acting and singing on the British stage in a story that is as fresh and universally relevant as it was four decades ago.”
The Karate Kid – The Musical received its world premiere in St Louis in the US in 2022. The original Karate Kid starred Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Pat Morita who received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the inspirational Mr Miyagi. A box office hit, it was the start of a major global franchise that has included three movie sequels, a 2010 remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, and the popular Netflix series Cobra Kai (2018-2025). The sixth movie, Karate Kid: Legends starring Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, was released last year.
Angela Thomas
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