Ralph Macchio to appear live at Tampa Theatre

One of the most interesting trends in entertainment in the past couple of years has movie stars and directors appearing around the country, screening one of their best-known films, offering anecdotes and commentary and answering audience questions. Just in the past few months, not far from Bradenton, we've been treated to Mel Brooks with "Blazing Saddles" and Linda Blair with "The Exorcist." Cary Elwes was supposed to come and talk about "The Princess Bride," but he cancelled. Even Grumpy Cat came to the area for a screening of a video.

Tampa Theatre, the historic movie house in downtown Tampa, has announced that Ralph Macchio will be there in April for a screening of "The Karate Kid," the iconic juvenile underdog film that made a star out of Macchio and made "wax on, wax off" a pop culture catch phrase.

It's not cheap, though. Tickets are $46.50. You're probably going to have to really be into Ralph Macchio or "The Karate Kid" (the original 1984 version, not the remake or any of the sequels) if you're going to shell out the bucks for tickets. And if you like Macchio and the movie that much, you might want to spring for the premium tickets ($129) that include a post-show meet-and-greet with the karate kid himself.

Tickets go on sale at noon Friday.

Details: 7:30 p.m. April 9, Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St., Tampa. Tickets: $46.50 plus service charge; premium tickets $129 plus service charge. Information: 813-274-8981, tampatheatre.org.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published December 14, 2015 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Ralph Macchio to appear live at Tampa Theatre ."