The Karate Kid musical will embark on a U.K. tour, with the intention of eventually coming to the West End and Broadway. The stage adaptation of the 1984 film, featuring music and lyrics by Drew Gasparini and a book by original screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen, has been in the works since at least 2020. It received a world premiere staging at Stages St. Louis in Missouri in 2022.

Karate Kid follows a teenager who is bullied in school, and learns self defense and life lessons from a karate master.

The Karate Kid will open at New Wimbledon Theatre on April 28 2026, before touring nationwide to Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Sheffield, Sunderland, Birmingham and Cardiff, until through August 1. Tickets are now on sale.

Amon Miyamoto is directing, with casting to be announced at a later date.

The production will feature choreography by Keone and Mari Madrid, 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 supervisor and arrangements by Andrew Resnick, and wigs and hair design by Tommy Kurzman. The Karate Kid is produced by Naoya Kinoshita, Kumiko Yoshii, John Gore and Kenny Wax. 

The 1984 film—which starred Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, and Elisabeth Shue, has become a family favorite—spawning a number of movie and television sequels, including Netflix’s current hit series Cobra Kai, which features many of the film's actors reprising their roles.

For tickets and more information, visit TheKarateKidtheMusicalUK.com.