REVIEW: Kim’s Convenience (Olney Theatre)
One of my high school friends used to rave about this TV show Kim’s Convenience constantly. I’ve seen a few seasons on Netflix, and it’s funny, but I admittedly never finished it. But did you know it started as a work for the stage? (You probably do by now, since you’re here reading this review.) Olney is putting on Ins Choi’s 2011 play in their intimate Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab as the penultimate piece of their 2024-25 season.
Book
Choi’s play follows a day in the life of a Korean-Canadian convenience store in Regent Park, Toronto. Typical of the North American immigrant experience, Appa and Umma came to Canada to create a new life for their children, Janet and Jung. Fast-forward 20 years, and a changing world threatens to uproot them via the threats of gentrification and generatrional shifts in the familial definition of “success”. Janet, in Uni, wants to be a professional photographer, and Jung…hasn’t been in the picture for years after a violent falling out with the family. The piece is self-aware of its rich conflicts, but stops short of resolving them well. It predates the television show by five years, but still feels like an incomplete pilot, leaving several threads untied. Jung’s side plot opens the door for an emotional resolution that could easily be explored, Appa and Umma only have one character-driven moment together, and Janet and Jung do not share a single scene. The good news is that the show can fill this void for you, but on its own, you may have some desires that aren’t met. 6/10
Acting
There are no weaknesses in this cast. The quintet of actors are each charming in their control of the scene, though especially with Jonathan Del Palmer’s multitool of roles and Stan Kang’s deeply layered patriarchal turn as Appa. 9/10
Production
Come one, come all, for Aria Velz’s sublimely directed buffet of technical details! From the nuggets of environmental worldbuilding in the shop to the costumes (Julie Cray Leong’s nostalgic handiwork), Kim’s is full of excellent elements that tie things together without over encumbering the piece. 9/10
Viz
Olney has been pushing this production with vibrant greens and reds, evoking other convenience stores, but anchoring the theme via a big plastic bag on the cover. But as nice as that is, it’s the localness of the space that is the most spectacular. Walking into it you’re greeted with a fully-rendered exterior of the shop’s corner facade, and then turning the corner to get to the bleachers you get to witness all the colorful minutiae of the shop itself. Take a look at the period-accurate posters of 2012 Toronto and all the Canada-exclusive snacks on display. It’s a feast for the eyes. 10/10
Verdict
Kim’s Convience is a crisply-directed, cutely heartfelt family dramedy whose only downside are the loose ends that keep it from being stronger when detached from its more popular TV adaptation. 34/40
