A Netflix comedy that has won numerous awards and spanned five seasons, Kim’s Convenience Store stands out as a premier Asian comedy. It narrates the intriguing tale of a Korean-Canadian family embarking on a new life in a foreign country.

Fast forward to nearly three years later, the show is back in its original format as a screenplay. Ins Choi, the screenwriter of both the show and the play, is back in the spotlight, this time promoted from his role as Jung and in the main role of Mr Kim.

K-pop Bangsong had the opportunity to watch Kim’s Convenience at Park Theatre, which is currently showing from January 8 to February 10.

The play begins just as you would expect, with Mr Kim, played by Ins Choi, in his flip flops on opening the store, entering the downstairs section of the crowd to open the shop door and setting up for the day ahead. All whilst humming a Korean folk song. 

This would be the central premise, with the stage perfectly designed to match that of a real-life convenience store with fridges full of drinks such as milkis and Gatorade, shelves stacked with packaged foods such as potato and buldak ramen and confectionary products such as Cheetos and other snacks is a near mixture resemblance of the Netflix show.

However, whilst the set resembles a downscaled near replica of the Netflix original, the show’s storyline sees some key differences, such as the distribution and importance of each character.

One example of this is Jung, one of the main characters in the Netflix show. This version represents a significant contrast between Jung and the primary characters, Mr Kim and his sister Janet. The play seemingly passes over the troubled relationship between father and son, focusing on Janet as one of the show’s main characters and focal points alongside Mr Kim. It is streamlined to remove many of the show’s side narratives and focus instead on the family and their dynamic in a new storyline.

The play also manages to keep some critical aspects of the Netflix show, with much of the humour and punchlines being references to the show. At 80 minutes long, the play is a straight and to-the-point showcase of Ins Choi’s brilliance.

Overall, Kim’s Convenience is a great story that tells the important story that many first and second-generation migrants go through when moving Country. Focusing on Mr Kim precisely, the storyline does an excellent job of connecting him to the audience. Using a mixture of English and Korean provides a sense of Koreanness to the play that could otherwise be lost. However, the lack of translation leaves much to be desired, especially when most of these lines come from the character Yong-mi.

A comical joy and a truly inspired performance by Ins Choi, the play is a must for any fan of Kim’s convenience or looking for a little bit of comedy.