Review: KIM’S CONVENIENCE, Riverside Studios

Photo credit: Danny Kaan

After originally debuting at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2011, winning ‘Best New Play’ & ‘Patrons Pick,’ and going on to reach audiences worldwide in 2016 as a hit CBC sitcom, Kim’s Convenience has returned to the stage this year, following a sell out run at the Park Theatre, and transferring now to the acclaimed Riverside Studios in Hammersmith.

Written by Ins Choi, Kim’s Convenience follows a day in the life of the Kims, a Korean Canadian family running a convenience store in downtown Toronto. It’s a piece rich with heart, filled with familial conflict and challenges that will ring true for all audiences, and peppered with moments that will deeply resonate with those of first and second generation ESEA immigrant heritage.

Directed by Esther Jun, the care and fine detail present within this play, paired with Choi’s naturalistic writing, allows the piece to delve earnestly into issues many face such as legacy, and what it means to be family. The actors perfectly portray the natural tension, love, and conflict within familial relationships, with Ins Choi, the original writer of the piece, grounding the show as Appa, while Jennifer Kim and Edward Wu, who play Janet and Jung respectively, beautifully capture the weight of the stress familial obligation can cause. The play itself is set primarily within the titular store, with design by Mona Camille which manages to find beauty in the mundane, while ensuring that the store is as much of a character as the rest of the family.

With a run-time of only 75 minutes, Kim’s Convenience passes by in the blink of an eye, each scene a perfect slice of life. Heartfelt and honest, Kim’s Convenience is the perfect piece to see during ESEA Heritage month.

It’s the little things that make Kim’s Convenience a heartwarming tale of family.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Jack Francis

Kim’s Convenience plays at Riverside Studios until 26 October, with further info here.