“Kim’s Convenience” Brings Heart and Humor from Screen to Stage at ACT

Did you know that “Kim's Convenience”, the bingeable hit Netflix series, began its life as a play on the Toronto Fringe? Luckily, Ins Choi's comedy-drama play, offering a slice of life of a Korean Canadian family who own a convenience store, has arrived in San Francisco. Watching the play in a full theater on opening night, I felt a tickle of that chicken-and-egg question in the back of my mind as the play straddled both theater and sitcom.

Playwright Ins Choi himself plays the ever-grumpy yet somehow lovable father, Appa. Set in Toronto, “Kim's Convenience” follows the story of the Kim family, who own and operate a convenience store. Directed by Weyni Mengesha, this iteration of the play centers mostly around the relationship between Mr. Kim and his daughter, Janet (Kelly Seo). Familiar issues of intergenerational family dynamics within the immigrant experience arise. With the older generation working hard to give the children a better life, and the children pushing back, questioning what that “better life” looks like to them.

Borrowing themes from over five seasons of the beloved sitcom and tailored to fit into an 80-minute play, Janet wants to become a photographer. Mr. Kim, ignoring the warning signs of gentrification, asks Janet to take over the store for him. Janet declines. His estranged son Jung (Ryan Jinn) haunts the family until he materializes in a heartwarming scene with Umma (Esther Chung). I do wish we could have seen more of both of these characters, who were so well developed in the sitcom. Brandon McKnight, who plays every non-Kim character to cross the threshold of the store, is an admirable police officer and Janet's long-standing love interest, Alex. Though Appa may make you cringe with his borderline prejudiced proclamations, the characters come off as more comedic than confrontational.

I grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown. This included a lot of time in restaurant and store backrooms with friends coloring in stale coloring books, begging for strawberry Pocky from the shelves, and dumplings from the restaurant's kitchen. So much of “Kim's Convenience” is similar to my own family's experience. Choi does an admirable job speaking to the sacrifice that so many immigrants make for their families, as well as the abyss that can separate generations, so much so that simply stating “I love you” can be a battleground.

The ACT staff recognized how strongly this play might resonate, so they sent out San Jose photographer Tasi Alabastro to highlight San Francisco's immigrant-owned businesses. Images of store owners were sprinkled around the lobby, framed by red plastic grocery baskets. The owners of cherished stores like Japantown's Woori Food Market and Ted's Market and Deli in SOMA, to name a few, smile out into the lobby, reminding theatergoers just how relevant “Kim's Convenience” is. I catch a few of the subjects posing proudly with their pictures, their smiles infectious.

For fans of the TV show, there’s a flicker of recognition in these familiar moments: the Honda monologue, the clipped interactions behind the counter, Appa’s sharp-edged humor brushing up against deeper cultural fault lines. Some scenes feel lifted straight from the screen, polished and placed lovingly on stage like greatest hits. What might feel recycled in lesser hands becomes, here, a knowing nod to what drew audiences in to begin with. The play does not try to reinvent the formula; that isn't its intended goal. “Kim's Convenience” is a delicious hybrid of the immigrant experience and a strong reminder of what newer generations leave behind and what they take with them into that “better life” their parents dreamed of.

“Kim's Convenience,” written by Ins Choi and directed by Weyni Mengesh, will run though October 19, 2025 at the Toni Rembe Theater. For tickets or more information, visit their website.