“Kim’s Convenience,” the beloved five-season Netflix comedy series, is coming to the McCarter Theatre stage from January 23 through February 15. Its run has been extended by two performances to meet the demand of loyal fans and newcomers, before it moves on to other cities around the country.
Originally written as a play by Ins Choi in 2011, “Kim’s Convenience” made its television debut in 2016 via the Canadian Broadcasting Company, and it won numerous awards at the Canadian Screen Awards ceremonies from 2016 through 2022.
When you step inside Kim’s Convenience store, you enter the heart of the Kim family: Appa and Umma (father and mother), who have emigrated to Toronto, Canada, from Korea, and their first-generation son and daughter, Jung and Janet. In many ways, “Kim’s Convenience” reminds you of family sitcoms of the past, such as “All In the Family,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” and “Schitt’s Creek.” Like those sitcoms, “Kim’s Convenience magnifies the generational clashes to earn much laughter. Yet as its creator, Ins Choi, points out, “Kim’s Convenience” was a first: originating as a play, it was the first to feature Asian actors on stage, with a unique focus on the immigrant experience.
“Kim’s Convenience” is autobiographical in that Choi’s own parents were Korean immigrants, and he was only 1 year old when they moved to Toronto. His father was the pastor of a small Korean church. “Growing up,” says Choi, “the Korean community was the church community,” to whom the character of Umma is deeply devoted. The character of Appa is an amalgam of the men who were members of his father’s church; Choi is quick to say that Appa is not his own father, whom he describes as a patient, kind listener.
The setting of “Kim’s Convenience” is as familiar to Choi as a Wawa or 7-Eleven is to anyone living in the States. When his family first moved to Toronto, they lived above his uncle’s grocery store with his uncle’s family. “Those are the earliest memories that I have of Canada actually, the smell of chocolate and chips and candy.”
As he and his siblings and cousins got older, they would stock shelves and even count money in the basement. “It seemed like a very suspicious-looking setting, all these kids counting money, some kind of cartel. My uncle would give each of us a stack of $10s and $5s and my older sisters — they were very good at counting — compiled them into $10s or $20s.” When Choi was in high school, he also worked at other convenience stores owned by his parents’ friends.
Choi’s parents were naturally surprised and worried when he told them that he wanted to study acting. “My mom wanted me to be a pastor, to follow in the footsteps of my dad, like a family business. They didn’t know any actors, and they didn’t see any Asian actors on TV in Canada. It was a surprise, but I don’t think they were ever against it,” says Choi. “In fact, I had done a lot of skits at church, so they knew I had some [acting] abilities, but they were just worried about whether I’d be able to make a living. When I was in my 20s, my mom asked me, ‘Who is going to marry you?’”
The character of Janet, who aspires to be a photographer, is akin to Choi in her artistic endeavors. Choi recalls that he was the only non-white student in his acting class. After graduating from the theater program at York University, Choi joined fu-GEN, a small, Toronto-based Asian Canadian theater company of actors and writers — all graduates from the city’s four or five acting programs.
“The founding artistic director, [Nina Lee Aquino,] was very inspirational, saying there are no Asian Canadian plays because we are not writing them,” recalls Choi. Choi was invited to write a script by the fu-GEN workshop. “I was tasked to write what I know. And I had never seen a Korean family on stage or on screen,” aside from movies or television shows made in Korea.
Since fu-GEN didn’t have any money to produce his play, Choi submitted it to the different theater companies in Toronto. They all rejected it, “because they had never seen an Asian family on stage,” says Choi. So, he submitted “Kim’s Convenience” to the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival, where it was accepted. He played the role of Jung and ended up also directing it.
When “Kim’s Convenience” won the Best New Play and Patrons’ Pick Awards, “all those theaters started calling, wanting to include it in their season,” recalls Choi. He eventually chose the Soulpepper Theatre Company, which, along with Adam Blanshay Productions in Association with American Conservatory Theater, is currently producing this national tour.
Directed by Weyni Mengesha, the McCarter Theatre production is essentially the original play with minor adjustments. Set in Mr. Kim’s neighborhood variety store, the story explores family, legacy, and cultural identity as change arrives at the corner of tradition and opportunity.
The major casting difference is that instead of playing Jung, the son, Choi is now playing Appa, the father. He hadn’t expected to be doing this; in fact, in recent years, he had left acting and been involved in writing for film and television.
With the writers’ strike in 2023, Choi’s work was on pause — until an artistic director whom he knew contacted him about staging “Kim’s Convenience” again. As playwright, screenwriter, and director, Choi looks on this unexpected role as a “return to acting, especially acting on stage. I feel like that’s my first love.” And he has enjoyed preparing for the role, seeing the character of Appa in a new way. “It’s been a very pleasant time of discovery and curiosity” about the writer’s [his] lines.
With a teenage daughter and son of his own, Choi certainly has more life experience to draw on. “It’s a full-circle kind of experience, gaining understanding of my parents, what they went through — the cultural barriers, trying to raise kids. They couldn’t communicate as well as I can” and he can now understand “just how exponentially [greater] their frustrations were.”
“In every culture, there are still immigrants coming to this continent,” says Choi. “For me, it’s a love letter to my parents, and to all first-generation immigrants who are still coming and dealing with racism. I think people who come to see the play will be changed a bit. I think audiences will fall in love with these characters, [they’ll] want them to succeed and want them to love and reconcile.
“And when they go away, I hope that the next time they come across a storekeeper or someone that doesn’t look necessarily like them, who speaks with perhaps [fractured] English or a thick accent that they quite can’t quite understand, I hope that they will, because of the play, have gained some understanding, and maybe offer more patience.”
As for where “Kim’s Convenience” is headed after the national tour, Choi doesn’t hide the fact that he hopes it’s toward Broadway, or nearby off-Broadway.
Kim’s Convenience, Berlind Theatre at McCarter, 91 University Place, Princeton. Friday, January 23, through Sunday, February 15. Post-show conversations take place following the 2 p.m. matinee performances on Sunday, January 25; Thursday, January 29; and Saturday, January 31. $36 to $92. 609-258-2787 or mccarter.org.
A Partnership with West Windsor’s Own Kim’s Convenience
McCarter Theatre is partnering with Woo Ri Mart, a family-owned grocery store based in West Windsor, to deepen community engagement and celebrate Korean culture in conjunction with the upcoming production of “Kim’s Convenience.” running January 23 through February 15, at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre.
“This is our first time partnering with McCarter Theatre, and we couldn’t be more excited — especially around a play that highlights Korean culture, community, and family,” said David Lee, owner of Woo-Ri Mart.
“This partnership offers an opportunity to connect with a new community partner and broaden McCarter’s reach,” said Debbie Bisno of McCarter Theatre. “We’re thrilled to celebrate the rich culture and stories that Kim’s Convenience brings to life.”
Highlights of the collaboration between McCarter and Woo Ri Mart include:
Pop-Up Lobby Convenience Store Bar: McCarter’s lobby will transform into an immersive bar inspired by a neighborhood bodega in Regent Park, Toronto, the playwright’s hometown. Audiences are invited to arrive early to enjoy Canadian lagers, signature Woo-Ri snacks, and Asian grab-and-go treats for all ages.
Store Promotions: Receive 10 percent off at Woo Ri Mart, located at 64 Princeton Hightstown Road, West Windsor, with proof of a Kim’s Convenience ticket.
Playwright Ins Choi, left, plays the role of Appa, and Esther Chung plays Umma. Photo by Dahlia Katz.,
Debbie Bisno of McCarter
