★★★★✰
The name Kim’s Convenience is probably not an unfamiliar one. The Netflix comedy, which began airing in 2016, was the breakout for stars like Simu Lui (Shang-Chi) and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (starring as Uncle Iroh in the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender remake), as well as marking the first Canadian TV show with an all-Asian lead ensemble. However, half a decade before, Kim’s convenience began its life as an award-winning one act play by Ins Choi.
Now, twelve years after its initial run at the Toronto Fringe Festival, this simple tale of the immigrant’s dream has made its way to the London stage for the first time. The intimate setting of Park Theatre, near Finsbury Park, makes for the perfect home for this story, inviting viewers into both the store itself, and the Kim family’s lives.
In the Regent Park district of Toronto stands a family convenience store run by the stern, chaotic, yet ultimately loveable Mr. Kim, better known as ‘Appa’ to his family. In an age of gentrification, new build apartments have started going up round the neighbourhood, and with it, rumours of a Walmart. In light of this, local businessman Mr Lee (Miles Mitchell, who plays a host of customers in the store), offers Mr Kim a large sum to buy his store off him. While Appa refuses, the conversation sends him into an existential panic, wondering who will continue his legacy of the store when he retires. His daughter Janet (Jennifer Kim) – 30, still single, living at home – is adamant that she wants to pursue a career in photography instead of running the shop, and his son Jung (Brian Law)… well, he hasn’t spoken to Jung since he was sixteen. His wife, who they call Umma (Namju Go) wants him to retire, but also understands the importance of the shop to them.
Like the television series it went on to inspire, Kim’s Convenience is incredibly funny, drawing humour from language barriers, Appa’s distinct catchphrases (“what you talking??”), and the everyday interactions within the store. Scenes such as Appa explaining to Janet how to spot if someone will steal or not, are used verbatim in the show, but seemed even funnier when sharing the laughs with a room full of people. However, the play has a much more melancholic tone to it, and grapples with the difficult reality of life as an immigrant, but also as a second-generation immigrant. We hear glimpses of Appa and Umma’s past in Korea, and all they sacrificed to be able to provide a different life for their children. We witness Appa’s rage as he fights with Janet. We see Jung, a young man who had so much potential, deal with the consequences of his teen actions, and the subsequent unhappiness and dissatisfaction they have led to.
But where there is sadness, there is also a deep kinship and familiarity with these characters. Simple choices such as Appa’s costume design (a fleece gilet over a checked shirt, blue jeans with sandals, worn with socks), or the small wooden Cross on the wall of the store, contextualise this story for Korean Christians, but also remind viewers of parents and grandparents who feel the same. Even when we see the worse sides of Appa and Umma, the script is deeply compassionate towards them. At its heart, Kim’s Convenience is a love letter to immigrant parents – unafraid to laugh at them, vulnerable enough to empathise with them – ultimately creating a moving, heartwarming, comedic slice of life.
It helps that playing the role of Appa in this staging is Choi himself, who wrote the play, transitioning from having played Jung in the play’s original run. It is inevitable that he plays the character in a way that demands our sympathy and love, as you can tell there is so much of a child’s love, in the way he has written these characters. Even as he makes ridiculous comments, verges on racism, and sometimes just doesn’t make sense, Choi has the distinct ability to have us laughing with Mr Kim, and never at him. It also helps that the show is directed by Esther Jun, who originated the role of Janet. The lore and heart of this show is so deeply understood by this team.
The production value is also a stand-out. The creative team relishes in simplicity, but makes Kim’s Convenience Store feel completely real, with an astounding sense of setting. In particular, Designer Mona Camille and Props Supervisor Shupin Liu have achieved something really wonderful, making use of the smaller space available to them.
Ultimately, you can tell that there is a deep love for this story by all who were involved in the production, and it’s a testament to the continued persistence of immigrants that this story remains as relatable as when it was first staged. Kim’s Convenience will make you laugh, make you cry, and then make you call your parents to tell them you love them.
Words by Rehana Nurmahi
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