At the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, Kim’s Convenience delivers a show is both familiar and fresh. What makes this production work so well is its honest depiction of a family trying to define itself between old-world expectations and modern realities.
Originally written by Ins Choi, Kim’s Convenience began life on the fringe stage in Toronto in 2011 before inspiring the award-winning sitcom of the same name. The CBC/Netflix series, starring Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Simu Liu, expanded the story of the Kim family into a five-season comedy. But what’s onstage at the Ahmanson isn’t an adaptation of that sitcom, it’s the play that started it all within a 90-minute slice of life centered on the same family we came to know on TV.
In this production, Choi himself steps into the role of Appa, the ornery yet affectionate patriarch who runs the family’s corner store in Toronto. Appa’s world is a mix of humorous barbs, philosophical asides and heartfelt moments delivered with a grounded sense of reality. His interactions with Umma (Esther Chung) and their adult children reveal both generational friction and familial love, a theme that resonates throughout the play.
Ryan Jinn plays Jung, the estranged son whose return forces buried tensions to the surface, while Kelly Seo is the lively and empathetic Janet, balancing her own ambitions against her father’s expectations. The ensemble manages the show’s quick pacing well, navigating the emotional shifts between comedy and vulnerability.
What separates Kim’s Convenience from a typical fish-out-of-water comedy is its sincerity. There are lots of laugh-out-loud moments based on cultural quirks and family dynamics, but there’s also an undercurrent of reflection about identity, heritage and what it means to belong to a family, a neighborhood, and a country. These themes might have made the sitcom a breakout global success, but onstage they feel immediate and human.
Director Weyni Mengesha keeps the production lean, allowing the heart of the story to remain squarely on the relationships at its core. The detailed corner store set gives the audience a sense that they’ve stepped into a world that’s lived-in and real.
For longtime fans of the TV series, the play offers a richer, more concentrated look at the Kim family’s emotional geography; for newcomers, it’s a warm, accessible story about love, legacy, and laughter under pressure. Even without any sitcom memories in mind, the show stands on its own as both a celebration of immigrant experience and a universal family portrait.
Kim’s Convenience is playing at the Ahmanson Theatre through April 19. Tickets at CenterTheatreGroup.org.
