By Sandi Masori in San Diego
When I first heard that Kim’s Convenience was coming to The Old Globe I got really excited, having watched the series on Netflix during the pandemic. How, I wondered, would they translate the tv show to the stage? And then I got a little nervous, because I really liked the tv series, and IP shows don’t always convert well. I need not have worried though. Not only is Kim’s Convenience super fun to watch with a very high laugh per minute rate, the play actually came first! And it’s easy to see how it ended up as a tv show–sitting in the audience you feel as though you’re watching a sitcom.
Written in 2005 by Ins Choi, who also played the role of Appa (the dad) in this production, it was originally written while Choi was attending the Soulpepper Academy in Toronto. At the time Choi cast himself in the role of Jung, the son. But, he said, he always aspired to play Appa when he “got old.”
Set in a convenience store in Toronto, Canada, in 2011, the play explores the Korean-Canadian experience and family dynamics.
The set designed by Joanna Yu looks like the cross section of any convenience store–complete with a cluttered register area and shelves of goods that you would expect to see in any 7-11 or gas station market.
We open with Appa opening the store for the day. He does his usual opening duties while fretting about a Japanese car parked in a no parking spot in front of the store (offstage). When his daughter Janet (Kelly J. Seo) comes down from the off-stage apartment over the store, we get to witness some of the hilarious family dynamic as Canadian-born Janet struggles with the “old world” mentality and expectations of her dad.
The world is changing around them. Their neighborhood is being torn down to make way for new developments and a Walmart supercenter. A businessman (one of the many roles played by Brandon McKnight) comes in and offers Appa a lot of money to sell the store to make way for new development. What, he asks him, is his exit plan.
This starts Appa thinking and fretting over who will take over the store that he has worked so hard for. He is estranged from his son Jung (Ryan Jinn) and Janet has no interest, preferring to pursue a career as a photographer instead. Chaos ensues.
Shout out to the entire five-person cast, which is completed with Umma (Esther Chung) the mother character. Under the direction of Weyni Mengesha, the cast is a well-oiled team. The show is pretty short, coming in at only 77 minutes, and feels even quicker than that as it moves at a good pace. It’s a feel-good time that will leave you with a smile on your face and maybe a new word or two in Korean.
Kim’s Convenience plays at The Old Globe through June 14. I highly recommend checking it out.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori is a theater and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.