‘The Karate Kid’ Is Becoming A Broadway Musical
Producers Kumiko Yoshii, Michael Wolk, and Kinoshita Group have announced their plan for a Broadway musical based on The Karate Kid. The 1984 film’s original screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen is on board as well, writing the book to 33 year-old Drew Gasparini’s music and lyrics. Amon Miyamoto is attached to direct, and MTV VMA nominees Keone and Mari Madrid will choreograph the martial arts-infused musical numbers.
According to Deadline, Kamen revealed that never in his “wildest dreams” did he expect his “love letter” to Okinawan Karate and his mentor to become a full-blown Broadway musical. “Here is hoping that what comes to the stage brings the same joy and relevance The Karate Kid has brought to countless kids and their parents for the past 35 years,” Kamen stated.
The Karate Kid is the latest Hollywood classic to receive the Broadway treatment, joining the ranks of Matilda, The Producers, School of Rock, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, Heathers, Sing Street, and Beetlejuice (and many, many others). While there have been several original musicals that have transitioned to film with grace, adapting a movie for the Great White Way can be much trickier. It’s difficult to capture a film’s intimacy and essence when you have to fill an entire stage versus a single camera frame. It also presents an issue when a film already has an accompanying soundtrack. Will The Karate Kid musical incorporate Joe Bean Esposito’s “You’re The Best,” which plays over the iconic All-Valley Karate Championships montage? Do we even want to see it if it doesn’t?
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