Watch The Karate Kid musical prepare for its UK premiere

WhatsOnStage recently paid a visit to the cast of The Karate Kid – The Musical, who are deep in rehearsals for the show’s UK premiere tour.

We also caught up with principal company members Gino Ochello (who takes on the role of Daniel LaRusso), Adrian Pang (Mr Miyagi) and Abigail Amin (Ali Mills), alongside the show’s composer-lyricist Drew Gasparini, to find out more about the film-to-stage adaptation.

Watch all the highlights in our “In Rehearsals” feature below:

The UK premiere cast also includes Joe Simmons as Johnny Lawrence, Matt Mills as John Kreese, Sharon Sexton as Lucille LaRusso, and Finley Oliver as Freddie Fernandez, as well as ensemble members 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.

The Karate Kid – The Musical is written by Robert Mark Kamen, who penned the original 1984 film starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, with music and lyrics by Gasparini. It is directed by Amon Miyamoto with choreography by Keone and Mari Madrid.

The Karate Kid became a global hit and led to multiple sequels, a remake, and the Netflix series Cobra Kai. The latest instalment in the franchise, Karate Kid: Legends, featuring Jackie Chan and Macchio, was released last year.

The musical adaptation received its world premiere in St Louis in 2022.

The UK premiere creative team also includes 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. It is produced by Naoya Kinoshita, Kumiko Yoshii, Kenny Wax and John Gore.

Tickets for select dates from 28 April to 1 August 2026 are on sale below.