Having crisscrossed the country since April on its debut tour, Welsh audiences have been patiently awaiting their turn, and now The Karate Kid – The Musical concludes its UK run in the Welsh capital this week.
This production is written by Robert Mark Kamen, who also penned 1984’s Karate Kid movie, and stays faithful to the original in regards to its plotline – albeit with a few sequencing and scene location differences. There’s also a flashback where audiences get to meet Mr Miyagi’s wife, who beautifully and musically laments her husband’s time away in the war whilst longing for his return.
Of course, trying to follow in the footsteps of a classic movie is always a difficult venture, especially when trying to appeal to those who fell in love with the original and expect all their fuzzy, nostalgic feelings to be tickled. As one such fan, I’m sad to say this is a largely failed attempt: were it a musical instrument, it’d need restringing more than fine-tuning.
The songs, written by Drew Gasparini, are expertly performed but lack the big, punchy choruses showtunes generally rely upon to be memorable. Then there’s the fight scenes. Far too sudden and immediate, they lack the suspense, peril or foreboding necessary for the high drama The Karate Kid deserves, and there’s an absence of viciousness or spite to make the audience really believe Daniel (played by Gino Ochello) is a serious victim of bullying. The emotional torment that would likely follow is also poorly unaccounted for.
Ali Mills, played by Abigail Amin, seems a world away from the character played by Elizabeth Shue in the original. There, she was equal parts tomboy and girl next door; here, she’s a prim, prom queen-like beauty. The humble, down-to-earth vibe has been dispensed with in favour of an it-girl aesthetic, which is liable to jar for fans of the movie.
The acting is in no way inadequate, nor does the show lack integrity, but things feel rushed, characters are inadequately styled and written, and emotional depth is largely ignored. If certain scenes and musical numbers were cut, that time could be given to drawing out the show’s more important and dramatic moments. The All Valley Tournament, you’d imagine, aspires to be the crowning scene of the musical, as it is in the movie – but it’s over far too quickly and fails to relish the dramatic moments, capture the tension of combat or bask in Daniel’s ultimate triumph against the odds.
Often appearing a little too frivolous, almost High School Musical-esque, for its own good, one thing’s for sure: Adrian Pang, as Mr Miyagi, steals the show. His quips, comedy timing and similarity to the original character really draws the best out of the scenes he appears in. The scenes at the Kobra Kai dojo with John Kreese (played tonight by John Deetmore) also deserve praise: sombre, menacing lighting, along with the choreography of the karate moves and dancing, help bring the audience through to a relatively satisfying end of what’s otherwise a rather lacklustre spectacle.
The Karate Kid – The Musical, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Tue 28 July
On until Sat 1 Aug. Tickets: £19-£71. Info: here
words OLIVER R MOORE-HOWELLS
