Step Inside 'Kim's Convenience' at the Kravis

Credit: Kravis Center

By GERRY BARKER
North Palm Beach Life

It's not hard to see why Ins Choi's play, "Kim's Convenience," has won so much praise and accolades since its debut in 2011 at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Funny, heart-warming and poignant, it touches on issues that hit home for many.

Now showing at the Helen K. Persson Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts through March 8, the one-act play takes place at a Korean-run convenience store in a Toronto neighborhood, run by Mr. Kim (Appa) and his wife (Umma) -- "Mom and Pop" in Korean -- along with their grown daughter, Janet.

We soon learn the neighborhood is facing a redevelopment that includes the threat of a  new Wal-Mart that could mean the end of his business. On top of that, daughter Janet makes it clear she has no interest in taking the business over; she wants to pursue her dream of becoming a photographer. Then there's his son, Jung, who ran away after a clash with his father, taking money from the safe with him.

Enter Mr. Lee, a realtor who makes an offer to buy the store, and the policeman who Janet used to have a crush on. Meanwhile, mother and son have been staying in touch by meeting secretly in a church. Stubborn and strong-willed, Mr. Kim must find a way to secure a future for his family business.

The actors are uniformly excellent throughout, paired with a production that cleverly switches from the store to the church without missing a beat. The intimate setting of Persson Hall is a perfect setting for the play that also became a hit series from CBC Television, available on Netflix.

For more information on tickets and times, visit https://www.kravis.org/events/kims-convenience/.

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