“Kim’s Convenience” at The Old Globe — A Warm, Funny Portrait of Family and Identity
If you loved the TV series, you owe it to yourself to see the play that started it all. Ins Choi’s “Kim’s Convenience” — now running at The Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre through June 1 — is a warm, funny, and surprisingly moving portrait of a Korean-Canadian family running a convenience store in Toronto.
The play, which premiered at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2011 before becoming a hit CBC television series, follows the Kim family: stubborn patriarch Mr. Kim (Appa), his pragmatic wife (Umma), their ambitious daughter Janet, and their estranged son Jung. Over the course of a single day in the store, old wounds resurface, cultural expectations collide with personal ambitions, and the family’s bonds are tested and ultimately reaffirmed.
Why It Works
The genius of “Kim’s Convenience” is that it’s simultaneously a very specific story about Korean immigrant identity and a universal story about the gap between parents and children. Appa’s refusal to reconcile with Jung isn’t about stubbornness — it’s about a father who sacrificed everything for his family and can’t understand why that wasn’t enough.
The Old Globe production is tight and well-cast. The intimate Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre is the perfect venue — you’re close enough to the stage to feel like you’re sitting in the store, eavesdropping on a family’s most private moments.
Details
- What: “Kim’s Convenience” by Ins Choi
- Where: Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, The Old Globe, Balboa Park
- When: Through June 1, 2026
- Tickets: Starting at $30 at theoldglobe.org
Source: The Old Globe Theatre production information, public performance schedule.