Great Pat Morita's ghost! Word has come down the wire that THE KARATE KID screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen is set to adapt the original 1984 martial arts classic as a musical. While the project is still in the midst of development, Entertainment Weekly has exclusively learned that plans are for The Karate Kid Musical to crane kick its way to Broadway, provided that all goes according to plan. While Kamen will be in charge of penning the script, its Drew Gasparini who will write the production's music and lyrics. Also joining the creative team is MTV VMA nominees Keone and Mari Madrid, who will oversee choreography for the show, with Derek McLane handling set design. Last but certainly not least, Amon Miyamoto, who in 2004 became Broadway's first Japanese director with his Pacific Overtures production, will direct.
“On June 13, 1982, my daughter Alessandra (Ali with an i) was born,” Kamen told EW. “Two days later, when she arrived home from the hospital, I sat down with her in one of those little rocking cradles at my side, and began to write The Karate Kid. A year later, in October of 1983, principal photography began. A year after that, in June of 1984, exactly two years after I wrote the script, the film was in theaters. And there it stayed for nearly six months. Five sequels and two television shows later, amazingly the characters and the story still resonates with audiences the way it did when the film first was released. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this little movie would reach across generations the way it has. And beyond my wildest dreams did I think what started out as a love letter to my devotion to Okinawan Karate and the man who taught me would become a full-blown Broadway musical. But here it is. Here I am. And 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. Go figure.”
For those of you who've yet to experience the 1984 original, THE KARATE KID starred Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi and Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso, a teen who upon moving to a new town, finds himself at the mercy of boys trained in the art of karate. Before long, Daniel enlists Mr. Miyagi as his sensei, and thus begins his journey toward learning to defend himself against bullies. In time, Daniel learns that there's far more to the martial arts form than fighting.
The original eventually paved the way for five sequels, a 2010 remake starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan, and a YouTube series titled COBRA KAI, which stars Macchio and William Zabka as Daniel's nemesis, Johnny Lawrence.
When it comes to adapting THE KARATE KID for the stage, the musical's producer Kumiko Yoshii says “Robert’s story is our Bible,” though he also cautioned “we are reinventing how it is told so that it must be experienced live, in the theater.”
“Many people love Broadway musicals for ‘escape,’ but I love them because they provide insight into how we should live our lives,” Miyamoto said. “I was inspired to do a stage adaptation of The Karate Kid because it tells a story we need in this on-going ‘Age of Division’ as our society becomes increasingly globalized. The sweet contradiction of The Karate Kid is that the real nature of karate is, as the show says, ‘not for attack.’ Not to hurt, not to win, but to let opposing energies play out and come in grace to a conclusion that allows dignity and respect for all. I’m excited to show this dynamic with a visual and movement style unseen on Broadway. I want to introduce a new generation to this powerful story — through the immediate, visceral spell a good musical can cast through theatricality, music, and dance.”
While I'm certain that many Karate Kid fans will scoff at the idea of Daniel's story being adapted for the small stage, I must admit that I'm intrigued by the idea. After all, everyone loves a great underdog tale, and who says that you can't deliver that same arc with a bit of song and dance? Plus, think of all the cool choreography that is bound to come from this! Crane kicks that transform into leaps and spins? Actors dancing across the stage in skeleton costumes? I think I'm kinda here for it, you guys.