The confounding conflict between the natures of love and duty that swirls within the members of so many families is the driving force of Kim’s Convenience, a charming one-act play from the Korean-Canadian playwright Ins Choi. That these forces collide in a struggling immigrant family only ups the stakes in the inherent give and take that consume parents and their children when they search for some balance between deeply caring for each other while still working under the onus that stringent expectations be met. Choi has these battles take place within the wonderfully entertaining Kim family, gamely running a convenience store in modern day Toronto.
Producing Artistic Director and Co-Director Scott Nolte (David Hsieh also co-directs the show) had to wait quite a while to get the rights to Choi’s work. The play was published in 2012 after a successful World Premiere at the Toronto Fringe Festival. The show soon went on a national tour and then became the source for a CBC television series. Last year, Nolte heard that the play was being staged in British Columbia and quickly grabbed the rights to the work for the Taproot, which has now become the first American theater company to present it. This turn of events proves to be good fortune both for the Taproot and Seattle, because this is one terrific show, finding just the right space between light comedy and moving familial drama.
The production is anchored by James Yi’s brilliant portrayal of Appa, the family’s patriarch. He is believable from the first moments he enters his 7-11ish convenience store, effectively recreated on the Taproot’s stage by scenic designer Mark Lund. Appa deals with a variety of early visitors all skillfully played by Obadiah Freeman before he confronts his 30-year-old daughter Janet (Lia Lee). Their prickly relationship can be sent off the rails by as slight an argument as who should take out the trash; yet Appa confesses he would like to see Janet one day take over the management of his store. At this point Janet has quite different passions: photography and a newly rekindled relationship with Alex (one of Freeman’s roles) an old high school friend. At the play’s outset, Janet’s brother Jung (Parker Kennedy) is no longer in contact with Appa, after the two had a violent disagreement some years back.
Rounding out the cast is Appa’s wife Umma, here given a heartfelt portrayal by the talented Annie Yim. When left alone, the husband and wife choose to speak Korean, a language in which they still seem to be more themselves. The two establish a strong bond in either language. I found myself rooting for Appa and Umma throughout, no matter how maddening the often stubborn Appa’s actions could be. It is easy to understand how Choi’s play was successfully made into a television series. Lots of the laughs in the show (and there are many, many laughs) have that punchy sit-com rhythm. As Appa, James Yi is particularly effective in delivering some wonderful deadpan zingers.
But thanks to Choi’s insistence on a deeper exploration of the Kim family and the outstanding performances of this talented cast, the play soars above and beyond the easy laughs into a deeply moving presentation of a proud first and second generation immigrant family doing their best to make do amid the demanding economic and social pressures of the 21st century. The Kims are intent on ensuring that they leave the world with the truest and most rewarding stories possible for them to tell. As Lin-Manuel Miranda writes in Hamilton, “Immigrants, we get the job done!”
Kim’s Convenience plays through June 22 at the Taproot Theater’s main stage. For more ticket information go to taproottheatre.org or call 206-781-9707 (Tuesday-Saturday, noon- 5 p.m.) The Taproot is located at 204 N 85th Street in the heart of Greenwood.