A dynamic new musical adaptation of classic 1980s movie The Karate Kid comes to the Midlands next month. Its stars, Gino Ochello and Adrian Pang, tell What’s On why music adds to the story and explain how the relationship they’ve developed working on the show mirrors that of their characters.

Readers of a certain age will almost certainly be aware of smash-hit martial arts movie The Karate Kid, one of the highest-grossing films of 1984. The global hit, starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, saw bullied teenager Daniel LaRusso turn his fate around by learning martial art - as well as life - skills from older mentor Mr Miyagi, with the latter gaining new perspective and purpose in the process.

Younger readers are likely to have come across the tale too, such is the extent of the franchise built up in the wake of the original’s success. Spin-offs include four movie sequels, an animated television show, a long-running live-action TV series (Cobra Kai) and five video games.

The latest iteration sees the story move to the stage, as well as take things back to where they started. The Karate Kid - The Musical is an adaptation of the original movie, and has been written by Robert Mark Kamen, creator of the 1984 film, with music & lyrics by Drew Gasparini.

The show premiered in the US in 2022 and has now landed in the UK, with Gibraltar-born newcomer Gino Ochello playing Daniel and Singapore-raised veteran Adrian Pang leading the company as Mr Miyagi. The pair’s relevant experience - the show is 18-year-old Gino’s professional stage debut, Adrian has been acting for over 30 years - mirrors that of their characters, and judging by how relaxed they are in each other’s company, they’re developing a similarly firm bond too.

“Absolutely,” says the effervescent Gino. “This is my first job and I was quite scared, I’m not gonna lie. Entering the rehearsal room for the first time with this cast, who are very experienced in the industry - people like Adrian and Sharon Sexton [who plays Daniel’s mother, Lucille] - was very intimidating. But I’ve learned so much. Adrian and Sharon feel like my mother and father figures – I moved away at 16 so don’t have them with me and I miss that relationship. I know if I ever need anything, I can come to Adrian and Sharon for advice.”

That ought to include skincare, given the lack of wrinkles on 60-year-old Adrian’s face (“I’ve been up since half past seven doing this,” he laughs), but the older half of the duo points out that he’s still learning too.

“Every job I do, honestly, and this is not being humble, always seems like the very first job because it’s always a little daunting stepping into a room full of strangers, and there’s always a weird kind of pressure.

“Oddly enough, this production is happening at a time - and I think Gino knows this - when I’m trying to reinvent myself into a new version of me. Somebody asked me my favourite line from the show, and it’s not a Mr Miyagi line. It’s from the very first song in the show: ‘this is the year I’m ready to rewrite my story.’

“I love the idea of having the chance to write a new chapter of your story, and that’s what, at my time of life, I’m trying to do. Rather than be complacent and go, yeah, I’ve seen it all, done it all, I want every experience to keep feeding me and teaching me. I’m learning a lot from Gino and the whole team. The cast is phenomenal - I watch in awe and admiration at what they do on stage.”

The show blends original songs, choreographed fight sequences and uplifting drama, all of which seem to be attracting a wider-ranging audience demographic than they were expecting.

“It’s much more of a family show than we thought it was going to be,” says Gino, whose revelation that his father was aged one when the original movie came out horrifies Adrian (“I could be your dad’s dad?!”).

“We thought [the show] would be aimed at older generations, but we’ve seen a lot of kids in the audiences,” continues Gino. “At one point in one of our shows, when Daniel does a crane kick [the character’s signature karate move], one of the kids got up and did the crane kick back!”

Adrian thinks the franchise’s “multiple instalments of the continuing story” and universal message has helped extend its potential audience too.

“The legacy has lived on through the last four and a half decades, so across generations the story continues to resonate with people in all sorts of different ways. Paying tribute to the original in a musical fashion is yet another iteration. And I dare say this version is going to make people relate to the story and the heart of it even more.”

Gino dives in to agree.

“The songs mean we’re able to see further into the inner thoughts of Miyagi and Daniel, and even characters we don’t really hear from in the movie. In the musical we actually get to hear their emotions and feelings.”

The coming-of-age element is also something all people will relate to, according to Adrian, who sees both of the main characters reflected in his own life.

“I’ve got two grown-up boys who are older than this child,” he says, pointing at Gino. “I’ve seen them through their adolescent and teen years going through their own troubles, all the while trying my best as a dad to be their Mr Miyagi.

“Youths going through periods of isolation, loneliness and feeling like an outcast is something that’s universal and timeless. Even speaking as a 60-year-old man, I go through periods where I cannot deal with the world and feel like a misfit. So, no matter what period it is, and especially at the time we live in, with people going through mental health issues and feeling alienated in communities, I think this story will continue to be relevant for a long time.”

And as much as karate is in the title, the message is more about friendship and connection than learning to punch and kick.

“The story is not about karate per se - it’s about human connection,” says Adrian. “These two fish-out-of-water misfits, living in their own bubbles, find a way to connect [despite] generational and cultural differences. Two different worlds collide and they form this bond and friendship.”

That being said, Gino claims fans of martial arts won’t be disappointed by the fight sequences, training for which has left him covered in bruises. He had no prior experience (“which kind of worked in my favour because Daniel doesn’t either”), so was surprised to learn that karate is not actually about fighting.

“One of Miyagi’s famous lines is that karate is not in your fists, it’s here (points to his head) and here (points to his heart) - and that is so contrary to everything I thought it was. It’s really for self-defence - you try to avoid fighting as much as possible.”

Not that he, or his character, are able to do that in the show.

“No, there’s a lot of fighting. I’m on the floor for most of Act One… and most of Act Two actually!”

The Karate Kid - The Musical shows at The Alexandra, Birmingham, from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 July.

By Steve Adams