Before the hit CBC series Kim’s Convenience graced TV screens, it premiered as a theatre production in 2011; almost 15 years later the renowned show is returning to the Soulpepper stage.
Created by actor and playwright Ins Choi and directed by Weyni Mengesha, the play first launched at Toronto Fringe to widespread acclaim for its heartfelt and humorous exploration of the Canadian-Korean immigrant experience.
The production was later adapted for television by Choi, and Schitt’s Creek creator Kevin White, and ran for five seasons from 2016 to 2021, starring Mississauga-raised actor Simu Liu as Jung, the son of Mr. and Mrs Kim. Following its success, Liu landed the lead role in Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, and played one of the Kens in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.
After a successful Canadian debut, Kim’s Convenience was made available internationally on Netflix in Nov. 2017, propelling its resonant yet playful narrative into the living rooms of international audiences.
@nowtoronto Before the hit CBC series #Kim’sConvenience graced TV screens, it premiered as a theatre production in 2011; almost 15 years later the renowned show is returning to the Soulpepper stage. #nowevents #Toronto ♬ original sound – Now Toronto
Set in a quintessentially Toronto corner store, Kim’s Convenience follows a broken Korean-Canadian family as they negotiate the twists and turns of running a local business while managing a household dynamic complicated by heavy history.
Anchored by Mr. Kim, who is at times resistant to the dizzying pace of the city, and the cultural chasms that exist between him and his Canadian-born kids, the story navigates each moment with quick wit and poignant social commentary.
Poised to relaunch on stage on Jan. 30 at Soulpepper Theatre, with Choi and Mengesha reuniting in their roles as writer and director, respectively, it represents a full circle moment for them both.
When Kim’s Convenience first opened, Choi also played Jung. In the reboot he takes on the role of Mr. Kim, offering a joyous challenge for the writer-director duo.
In the same Soulpepper rehearsal room they used 15 years ago, Choi and Mengesha revisit the story, this time armed with a treasure trove of wisdom and experience and the added benefit of an established professional rapport.
“What would be the same is our shorthand,” Mengesha told Now Toronto during a rehearsal session.
Outside of the TV series the two have not worked together in a theatre setting since the original play, meaning there is still much to be found within it.
“To be able to approach it and find different things, and still discovering things in the piece together is so much fun,” Mengesha continued.
Meanwhile, for Choi, Kim’s Convenience’s enduring appeal, both in television and stage format, points to the ubiquity of familial struggle and its ceaseless upheavals.
“I think in the end it’s a play about a family, and everyone comes from a family…in this particular case it’s a broken family with a past, and I think a lot of families, unfortunately, have similar situations,” adding that the humour and Asian-centric plot colour the play with an often underrepresented and refreshing take on universal themes.
Kim’s Convenience is on at Soulpepper Theatre from January 30 to March 2.
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