A well oiled family friendly comedy with glances towards deeper notes on race, immigration, and family expectation.
Despite being perhaps more widely known for its subsequent Netflix adaptation of the same name, Kim’s Convenience is a stage show written by Canadian writer and actor Ins Choi. Having toured extensively in Canada in the early 2010s, Choi has taken the hit show international, where it’s running at the Riverside Studios in London.
With the stage set beautifully inside the convenience store that gives the play its title, Kim’s Convenience follows the happenings of the family run store over the course of a day, in which the father and store manager Appa (Choi), attempts to introduce the idea of taking over the store to his 30 year old single daughter, Janet (Jennifer Kim), who has other ideas for herself and her future. Elsewhere, Appa’s wife Umma (Namju Go) is meeting up secretly with the family’s estranged eldest son, Jung (Edward Wu). Rounding out the cast is Miles Mitchell, who soundly plays all the remaining characters who are customers to the store in one way or another, and provide either a springboard for jokes or drive the plot along.
Kim’s Convenience has a heart full to the brim – a story that contrasts expectations across generations in a Korean immigrant family in Canada that had to start over. Everyone wants what’s best for each other and the family unit collectively, but what ‘best’ is, differs from each perspective. It touches on these themes through love and laughter, rather than ever becoming too heavy.
Its comedic hijinks are the real joy of Kim’s Convenience. In an early moment, Appa attempts to teach Janet how to spot shoplifters based on their race, gender, sexuality, and fashion sense. It’s a scene which manages to tow a very delicate line. It executes itself brilliantly and showcases the excellent comedic timing of Choi, but also the strong chemistry he has with his on-stage daughter Kim. Throughout the show, Choi has a script that is filled consistently with gags that he executes with the perfection of an olympic gymnast.
The characters are so easy to bond with, it would be understandable to find yourself wanting to spend more time with them. Fortunately, this is a rare occasion where a theatre audience can do just that.