at the Huntington Theatre
by Michele Markarian
“Kim’s Convenience”, by Ins Choi. Directed by Weyni Mengesha. Adam Blanshay Productions presents the Soulpepper Theatre Company production in association with American Conservatory Theater, Calderwood Pavilion, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, through November 30th.
by Michele Markarian
“Is it over?” asked my friend, a huge admirer of the “Kim’s Convenience” television series (which, admittedly, I’ve never seen, but judging from the crowd at the Huntington Theater, the series has a lot of enthusiastic fans). Indeed, the ending of the play, which ties up a lot of the show’s loose ends, feels abrupt and, to a large extent, unearned. The talented cast, however, makes “Kim’s Convenience” a sweet and enjoyable theatrical experience despite the compressed plot points.
“Kim’s Convenience” tells the story of a Korean couple, Appa (Ins Choi, also the playwright) and Umma (Esther Chung), who have come to Canada to make their fortune. Their convenience store is their golden ticket, but the threat of a Walmart in a neighborhood that’s becoming increasingly gentrified looms, along with the lack of a successor for the store. Daughter Janet (Kelly Seo) has no interest in taking over the family business. Instead, she is pursuing photography, something her income-conscious parents don’t understand. Son Jung (Ryan Jinn) is estranged from the family, thanks to Appa’s destructive temper. Businessman Mr. Lee (Brandon McKnight, who performs four roles in the play) has offered to buy out Kim’s Convenience for a sum of cash that would allow Appa and Umma to retire. But the store is part of Appa’s story, and he wants to see it continue.
A lot is packed into this ninety-minute play, which, at its core, is the experience of a first-generation family to not just survive but to make a mark. Appa loves his family deeply, but hides it under a harsh, disciplinary exterior. Umma takes refuge in the church. Janet, who has been an unpaid laborer in the store since the age of ten, is both resentful and dutiful, a feeling I recall well from my own first-generation family members. Jung is plagued with self-doubt and despair; once a star athlete and captain of his boyhood team, his life has stalled, with no direction. A budding romance between Janet and Alex (Brandon McKnight) is one of the least complicated relationships in the play.
The cast does an exceptional job. McKnight imbues all of his roles with credibility and variation. Choi has a tense ferocity that makes him interesting to watch – I missed him when he wasn’t onstage. His hatred of anything Japanese is a carryover from the invasion of Korea in 1904, a country he is still tied to and proud of. He manages to play two emotions at once, and in spite of his need for strict control, you get the sense that it is love that consumes him, so much so that he is afraid of letting it seep through. When he gets it together enough to tell Jung, “My story is not Kim’s Convenience. My story is you. And Janet. And Umma…” it’s apparent that the struggle for control has left him, and he means it.
The sixth character in Kim’s Convenience is Joanna Yu’s set − an amazing recreation of a small convenience store in the city, whose stocked shelves, cash register, and window casements lend credence to the action.
“The same things happen in the television series, but it’s spread out over six seasons,” my friend tells me when the play is over. I think that after seeing this family saga, I’ll be watching the show as well. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.huntingtontheatre.org/whats-on/kims-convenience/
