Kim's Convenience
The hit Netflix show Kim’s Convenience first started life as a stage play as part of the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival. Written by and starring Ins Choi this is a wonderful 75 minute play which shows a typical family story. The overarching themes of the piece are that of immigration, gentrification, family bonds and love.
Set in the bright convenience store, with walls packed high of colourful products and fridges full of brightly coloured drinks designed by Mona Cammille, feels like a very natural setting for the story we see unfolding before us. There are nice nods to a melding of cultures with both American and Korean products and posters displayed throughout. Appa (Ins Choi) is an aging Korean immigrant who runs the store, his daughter Janet (Jennifer Kim) wants to be a photographer but Appa has bigger dreams for her of taking over the store so he can retire. Umma (Namju Go) has the task of breaking the tension between father and daughter while also attempting to bring their estranged son Jung (Edward Wu) back into the fold following him leaving the family home some years ago.
This feels like a warm blanket of a show, it’s comfortable and does feel that it was originally written with the intention of becoming a TV show. It’s got hilarious jokes, a good moral and all ties up neatly at the end. There are some jokes which border on going too far, such as Appa’s system for detecting shop lifters showing a generational difference of judging a book by it’s cover which gets very close to feeling uncomfortable before being stopped by the younger character of Janet.
Choi is incredible in the role of Appa, bringing to life the stubborn, well meaning character who clearly holds so much love and respect for his family but maybe doesn’t know how to express that properly. The chemistry between Choi and Kim as father and daughter is wonderful, they butt heads frequently but come together when it matters. Miles Mitchell has a wonderful selection of roles in this play, from a swanky real-estate agent to a streetwise thief and an adorably nervous police officer Alex who we see connect with Janet as a potential love interest.
Namju Go’s Umma is caring, but feels wasted here, I would love to have seen more depth to this character, she only really comes to the forefront when in scenes with Edward Wu as Jung, and although their relationship is secondary in the overall plot I would have enjoyed seeing this be fleshed out a little more and giving some further dimension to the roles.
This is a thoroughly entertaining play, it’s smooth, funny, and challenging. With a warm story of that many will relate to of family and the bonds that make or break us, it poses an important question to the audience of ‘What Is My Story?’ and you are left feeling content and cosy coming away from it.
This show was reviewed on the 14th September 2024 at Riverside Studios, London where it runs until 26th October 2024. Tickets available here: Kim's Convenience | Riverside Studios
Review written by Rosie Browne
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Photo credit: Mark Douet
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