Kim’s Convenience review

Choi completely inhabits the role of Appa. With frazzled dignity and an edge of irascible crankiness, he shuffles about, always busy with some task or other. Complex, richly drawn and endearing but by no means idealised, he is often overbearing and eccentric; his domineering, conservative attitudes are the source of much of the family tension.

Jennifer Kim as daughter Janet has a brittle, restless energy. Her squabbling with her father starts off good-natured enough, but grows harsher as frustrations mount. Kim precisely conveys the sense of long-withheld emotions simmering under the surface as Janet cringes with embarrassment, stifles tears and ultimately explodes. Meanwhile, Miles Mitchell is likeable as police officer Alex; taking ownership of the mistakes he made in a troubled past, he is now determined to be a force for positive change in his community.

Mona Camille’s detail-packed set recreates the neatly ordered aisles of the convenience store where Appa has spent his life, its walls plastered with posters advertising Korean and Canadian products, which help to locate the play in its Toronto setting. Jonathan Chan’s lighting design imitates the incessant glare of halogen lights, a steady white glow snapping to bright, neon tones of green and purple during a touching flashback sequence in which Appa and wife Umma (a prim, harried Namju Go) choose names for both their business and the baby they are expecting. This gentle scene is perhaps the play’s most touching moment, perfectly illustrating the family’s ambition, potential and hopes for a better future.