Get Ready to Wax On, Wax Off for ‘The Karate Kid’ Musical — Plus Your Guide to Hollywood on Broadway

More and more, Broadway is starting to take on a striking similarity to the old video stores we used to pay regular visits to, like Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, and — really going back — RKO Warner Video. Seriously, just walk around that area in New York City and you’ll see staged versions of movies from throughout your life, including the Disney trifecta of Aladdin, The Lion King and Frozen; Lindsay Lohan‘s Mean Girls, Robin Williams‘ Mrs. Doubtfire and, until recently, Faye Dunaway/Peter Finch‘s Network, Julia Roberts/Richard Gere‘s rom-com Pretty Woman, Dustin Hoffman‘s Tootsie and the biggest of them all (literally), King Kong. And now Ralph Macchio‘s The Karate Kid is on the way.

For many of these shows, the secret is taking a popular film and trying to give it new life with a musical score that completely negates the fact that it’s the same story you’ve seen before. When it works, it’s amazing, and when it doesn’t … well, that’s a hefty amount of money you’ve kissed goodbye.

The book for The Karate Kid is being written by Robert Mark Kamen, who came up with the concept for the original 1984 film in the first place and scripted its two sequels. Writing the music and lyrics is Drew Gasparini (It’s Kind of a Funny Story, The Whipping Boy) with Amon Miyamoto directing.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think this little movie would reach across generations the way it has,” says Robert in a statement. “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.”

There are many other other shows, some of them already playing and a lot more that will continue the trend.

Scroll down below for a complete guide to what is — or until recently has been — playing and what’s on the horizon!