‘The Karate Kid - The Musical’ announces pre-Broadway tryout

The show will have its world premiere at STAGES St. Louis.

Wax on (Broadway), wax off (Broadway)! The world premiere of The Karate Kid - The Musical is set to open May 25, 2022. STAGES St. Louis in Missouri will host a monthlong engagement of the musical ahead of a hopeful Broadway run.

The 1984 movie follows a young boy who is trained in martial arts to win a competition against his bullies. It is a semi-autobiographical account of Robert Mark Kamen's life. Kamen wrote the original screenplay and now provides the book for The Karate Kid - The Musical. Music and lyrics are by Drew Gasparini.

"When I was a young man, my life was forever changed by traditional Okinawan Karate and the instructors who taught it to me," Kamen said in a statement. "The Karate Kid is my love letter to both those masters and their practice. Karate teaches, above all, to follow your dreams no matter what obstacles are put in front of you, and that is the spirit with which all of us are approaching this show."
Japanese director Amon Miyamoto, who has also directed Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, will direct the production, and Keone and Mari Madrid will choreograph.

The rest of the creative team includes Tony and Emmy Award winner Derek McLane as set designer, Ayako Maeda as costume designer, two-time Tony winner Bradley King as lighting designer, Tony winner Kai Harada as sound designer, three-time Tony nominee John Clancy providing orchestrations, and Andrew Resnick as music director and arranger. 

Casting for The Karate Kid - The Musical has yet to be announced.