Hit Stage Play Back by Popular Demand
The production, returning by popular demand, will run for a strictly limited season of 8 weeks from 5 September to 26 October. Sign up for Priority Booking to be the first to access tickets. Tickets will be available from £25 and will go on general sale at 10am on 10 July 2024.
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
KIM’S CONVENIENCE THE SMASH HIT PLAY TRANSFERS
TO RIVERSIDE STUDIOS THIS AUTUMN
THE AWARD-WINNING PLAY WHICH INSPIRED NETFLIX’S HIT COMEDY SHOW
5 SEPTEMBER – 26 OCTOBER 2024
“There’s humour and heart in every aisle”
● THE SMASH HIT PRODUCTION TRANSFERS FROM PARK THEATRE TO RIVERSIDE STUDIOS FOR A LIMITED 8 WEEK RUN FROM 5 SEPT – 26 OCT 2024.
● THIS AWARD-WINNING CANADIAN PLAY INSPIRED THE CBC AND NETFLIX’S ADAPTATION AND GLOBAL TV COMEDY SENSATION.
● KOREAN/CANADIAN PLAYWRIGHT, SCREENWRITER AND ACTOR INS CHOI RETURNS TO THE UK TO REPRISE HIS STARRING ROLE AS APPA.
● SIGN UP TO BE THE FIRST TO ACCESS TICKETS. TICKETS GO ON GENERAL SALE FROM 10AM ON WEDNESDAY 10 JULY 2024.
Adam Blanshay Productions and Park Theatre today announce Ins Choi’s award-winning play Kim’s Convenience,which inspired the CBC and Netflix’s global hit TV comedy adaptation of the same name, will transfer to Riverside Studios this Autumn following a previously sold-out European Premiere at Park Theatre earlier this year.
The comedy drama follows the hilarious and heart-warming tale of a Korean family-run convenience store. Writer and actor Ins will also reprise his starring role as Mr Kim (Appa) the proud, hardworking patriarch of the family. In the show Appa grapples with his changing neighbourhood and the growing schism between his first-generation immigrant values and those of his second-generation children.
Ins Choi, whose own experiences inspired the play, says this about reprising his role: “I’m very excited to return to the UK with this show. Last time we were by a park, this time we’re by the river. I was pleasantly surprised that British audiences resonated so much with my play. I can’t wait to share it with a whole new audience this time, especially with those who couldn’t get a ticket last time.”
Director Esther Jun, who also has a long history with the play, firstly having been cast in the 2011 original production as daughter Janet alongside Ins who played son Jung, returns to direct the Riverside transfer. She adds: “Appa and his family were welcomed with open arms when we were last here and I look forward to re-opening the store for another legion of theatre loving customers. Kim’s is a true generational play with so much heart, truth and laughter. It’s such a gift to see how it continues to resonate for different cultures and ages at different times in people’s lives.”
In addition, audiences will also be able to experience a pop-up Kim’s Convenience kiosk in the Riverside Studios foyer. Seoul Plaza, a family-owned chain of Korean food stores based in the UK, will be setting up shop, bringing an authentic taste of Korea and also Canada to theatre-goers. Korean and Canadian snacks and drinks as well as kimbap (seaweed rice rolls) and noodles will be available to purchase pre and post-show.
Seoul Plaza’s Dan Suh adds: “As a family business specialising in Korean groceries, we were utterly compelled to support Kim’s Convenience as this story holds much resonance with our own. We are massive fans of the play and TV show and we hope audiences will experience a flavour of Kim’s Convenience and take away some of the show’s groceries which will be on offer, and of course, enjoy the play!”
Adam Blanshay, the show’s Canadian/UK based producer adds: “Park Theatre and I are overjoyed to be bringing Mr Kim and his beloved family back to London after being so warmly embraced by audiences earlier in the year. The play’s universal message resounds so deeply, and every audience member leaves the theatre feeling a personal connection to the legacy that encapsulates the Kim family journey. Come laugh, cry, and eat!”
The play’s Autumn staging in the UK precedes a triumphant homecoming to Toronto’s acclaimed Soulpepper Theatre in January 2025, 14 years after winning the Patron’s Pick award at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival where it premiered. The storyline continues to win many plaudits for its ground breaking East Asian representation and rare foregrounding of their characters and their stories.
Full cast starring alongside Ins Choi and the creative team will be announced shortly.
Kim’s Convenience is presented by ADAM BLANSHAY PRODUCTIONS AND PARK THEATRE.
Previous praise for Kim’s Convenience:
“Kim’s Convenience disarms with darting charm, then gently nudges audiences to look at their preconceptions.” ****The Observer
“Masterfully directed by Esther Jun, this is popcorn theatre: we could go on watching and watching.” **** The Guardian
“Entertaining, keenly observed piece that believably depicts the experiences of many first- and second-generation immigrants.” **** The Stage
Details
Dates: 5 Sept – 26 Oct 2024 (Previews 5 – 10 Sept)
Times: Tues – Thurs & Saturday 7.30pm, Friday 8pm
Fridays and Sundays 5pm
Saturday matinee 2.30pm
Tickets: From £25
Sign Up for Priority Booking: www.kimsconvenienceplay.com
Age 14+
Running Time 80 mins approx.
Social media
IG – @kimsconplay
FB- @kimsconvenienceplay
TikTok – @kimsconplay
X @RiversideLondon
#KimsConveniencePlay
Ins Choi –Playwright and Cast member (Appa)
Ins Choi was born in Korea but grew up and currently lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife and two children. He is a writer and a performer. Some of his theatre acting credits include Banana Boys, lady in the red dress (fu-GEN); Hamlet, The Odyssey, Comedy of Errors, The Taming of the Shrew, All’s Well That Ends Well (Stratford Festival); Alligator Pie, Death of a Salesman (Soulpepper). As a writer, his debut play, Kim’s Convenience, won the Best New Play award and the Patron’s Pick at the 2011 Toronto Fringe festival. It then launched Soulpepper theatre company’s 2012 season, toured across Canada, and was adapted into a tv series of the same name on the CBC and Netflix for 5 seasons. Ins was a writer, executive producer, and co-creator of the tv series. He is currently working on a few projects in theatre and television.
Esther Jun – Director
Esther Jun is a Toronto based director and the Director of The Langham Directors Workshop & theArtistic Associate in Planning at The Stratford Festival of Canada. She has worked with companies across Canada including The Shaw Festival, Cahoots, Nightwood Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre. She is a founding member of Directors Lab North, the first international offshoot of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab in 2010. She was Assistant Artistic Director at Tarragon Theatre from 2016-2018, where she directed the Canadian premiere of Evan Placey’s Girls Like That and premiered Theory by Norman Yeung. Most recently Esther directed Cymbeline by Shakespeare, Les Belles-Soeurs by Michel Trembleyand a new adaptation of Little Women by Jordi Mand at Stratford. (www.theestherjun.com)
ABOUT ADAM BLANSHAY PRODUCTIONS
Adam Blanshay Productions is a London-based production company which produces, co-produces and manages a wide range of plays, musicals, comedies, digital content, and live event theatre across the UK, West End, Broadway and Australia.
Over 60 productions worldwide, recipient of 8 Tony Awards, 10 Olivier Awards, and a Helpmann Award. Adam is a 2024 EMBA Candidate at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and received The Linbury Scholarship for his studies.
Current productions include: Hello, Dolly! (London Palladium); Moulin Rouge! (Broadway, West End, US tour, Australia); Cabaret (Broadway); The Theatre Channel (Web Series).
Recent productions include: Kim’s Convenience (Park Theatre); Sunset Boulevard (Savoy Theatre); Farewell Mister Haffmann (Theatre Royal Bath); Notre Dame de Paris (David H. Koch Theatre, Lincoln Center); Brokeback Mountain (@sohoplace); Aspects of Love (West End); Oklahoma! (West End); Funny Girl (Broadway); Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (UK Tour & Toronto); Come From Away (Broadway, West End, US Tour, Toronto); Pippin (Charing Cross Theatre); La Cage aux Folles [The Play] (Park Theatre); What’s in a Name? (UK Tour); City of Angels (West End); Waitress (West End); Lucie Jones – Live at the Adelphi, The Inheritance (Broadway); Kinky Boots (Off Broadway & UK Tour); Fiddler on the Roof (Menier and West End); Network (Broadway); Edmond de Bergerac (Birmingham Repertory Theatre and UK Tour); Intra Muros (Park Theatre); Notre Dame de Paris (London Coliseum); Consent (West End); Angels in America (Broadway); The Color Purple (US Tour).
www.adamblanshay.com @adamblanshaypro
PARK THEATRE
Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park, boasting two world-class performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space, for emerging artists. In eleven years, it has enjoyed eight West End transfers (including Rose starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, 14 national tours, seven Olivier Award nominations, has won multiple OffWestEnd Offie Awards and won a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage.
X @parktheatre FB parktheatrelondon IG parktheatrelondon
RIVERSIDE STUDIOS
For over 45 years, Riverside Studios has been the home of an extraordinary mix of new and innovative theatre, film, comedy, art, dance, music and television. A cultural hub that has attracted some of the world’s best creative talent including Samuel Beckett, David Bowie, Benjamin Zephaniah, Amy Winehouse, Yoko Ono, Lenny Henry and Michael Clark.
Now, in our glorious new building, we are beginning our next creative chapter, driven by a belief in the power of creativity to bring people together, unlock potential and spark positive change in the world. We are ambitious, curious and audacious, we are for our community, our artists and our audiences.
We aim to be an independent home for new, innovative and international work, for an audience rooted in our local West London community and which is accessible to everyone, everywhere.
ABOUT SEOUL PLAZA
Seoul Plaza is a family-owned chain of Korean convenience stores and mini supermarkets, that has been pioneering Korean food since 2002. Seoul Plaza initially served local Koreans within London, before expanding to other parts of the UK, serving local Koreans and other Asians, particularly students who needed great value for money when shopping for food. Now, Seoul Plaza has 18 branches in various locations in the UK with more to follow, reaching out to a wider audience by being in city centres as Korean food is fast becoming a part of everyone’s daily lives.
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