Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield – until 11 July 2026
Reviewed by Alison Beaumont
5*****
The Karate Kid The Musical is based on the iconic 1984 film, adapting it for the stage. It focuses on the mentorship between teenager Daniel LaRusso and the master of martial arts Mr Miyagi.
Daniel is the new kid in town and develops a romance with Ali much to the annoyance and jealousy of Ali’s ex boyfriend Johnny. Johnny targets Daniel and beats him up trying to warn him off Ali. Daniel is entered into a Karate tournament where Johnny and Daniel will compete for victory. Mr Miyagi teaches Daniel that Karate is about resilience, balance and inner strength rather than physical aggression.
Tonight Daniel LaRusso played in the original film by the famous Ralph Macchio was played by Isaac J Lewis. He fitted into the part really well. I would have liked his vocals to have been a little bit more powerful but this is my only slight criticism. He had a connection with Abigail Amin who took on the role of Ali Mills.
Bad boy Johnny Lawrence (Joe Simmons) shows confidence and brings the role to life.
The star of the show for me was Adrian Pang who was the eccentric Mr Miyagi, he was without a doubt amazing. He was funny and very much like My Miyagi in the movie and was the perfect fit for the role. There were many one liners which had the audience laughing. The scene when Mr Miyagi was drunk was very emotional and touched with sadness. Ria Tanaka made an entrance as Mr Miyagi’s deceased wife Kiyoko and sang an emotional ballad.
The lighting for the Cobra Kai scenes was low and dark to provide the perfect setting and the fight choreography is genuinely impressive. It had speed, precision and was so believable. The moves looked like they were making physical contact. It really was captivating.
The ensemble were all very talented dancers and were in sync with each other. Throughout all the choreography was fitting for the scenes mixing karate moves with dance (choreographed by Keone and Mari Madrid).
The scenes were simple but effective, moving seamlessly from one scene to another.
There are a few swear words during the show which I don’t think are necessarily needed to be used especially as the show is not just for an adult audience.
This is one of the best shows I have recently seen and is definitely one not to be missed.
All I can say to end is “Wax on Wax off”, “Breath in Breath Out”.