Usually, I think plays are too long, because some playwrights erroneously think audiences won’t fully understand their creations without repetition. But “Kim’s Convenience” is too short. We don’t learn enough about what the characters think and feel, and instead are left with a sitcom-like, abbreviated view of what could be more complex, three-dimensional characters. And that’s a shame, because the glimmer of the multifaceted personalities beneath the surface in “Kim’s Convenience” is much more intriguing than the cardboard cutouts on the stage.
This 2011 comedy is author Ins Choi’s love letter to his South Korean immigrant parents. The story is universal enough to remind us of our immigrant ancestors. Since the first Soulpepper Theatre Company production in Toronto, Canada, Choi’s story has gone on to fame and great popularity as a play, then a Canadian TV show, and now a Netflix comedy.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of charm and easy laughs in “Kim’s Convenience.” It’s a glimpse into a fateful day in the life of Appa (Mr. Kim), the stern, hardworking immigrant father and proprietor of a small variety store in a gentrifying Toronto neighborhood. He left Korea to give himself and his family a better life. Appa is ‘old school,” harsh, demanding, racially insensitive, and unable to show his love for his family. However, his personality still retains enough humor and appeal that we can’t help but like him, despite his faults.
Playwright Ins Choi is terrific in the role of Appa. Yes, it’s a part he knows well, but Choi still brings freshness to Appa. His use of fractured English is funny, if a bit clichéd. There is a large generation gap between Mr. Kim and his Canadian-born children, Janet (first-rate Kelly Seo), who wants to be a photographer, not a variety store owner, and wayward son, Jung (outstanding Ryan Jinn). Fun fact: Ins Choi originally played the part of Jung when the play was first produced, and now he’s grown into the father’s character. As you’d expect from Appa’s dominant macho personality, his wife, Umma (nicely portrayed by Esther Chung), has a lesser presence in the play.
The heartwarming and satisfying storyline of “Kim’s Convenience” involves crucial family understandings reached and decisions made about the future. Although a bit contrived, who doesn’t enjoy and, in fact, yearn for a happy ending? And the audience leaves the theater smiling, perhaps with a bit of a tear in their eye. That’s a winning evening of theater.
“Kim’s Convenience” runs approximately one hour and 30 minutes without an intermission. After A.C.T., this production will continue to play The Huntington (Boston, MA), McCarter Theatre Center (Princeton, NJ), and more!
By Emily S. Mendel
© Emily S. Mendel 2025 All Rights Reserved
