The award-winning play that inspired Netflix comedy series Kim’s Convenience is currently touring the UK and stops off in Coventry this month. Actor James Yi, who’s appeared in both the TV and stage versions, explains to What’s On why the show means so much to him...

Canadian comedy series Kim’s Convenience was something of a surprise hit for TV giant Netflix, running for five seasons between 2016 and 2021, winning awards, racking up huge viewing figures and garnering a devoted fanbase worldwide.

The gentle sitcom, set in a convenience store in Toronto, is ostensibly about the (mis)adventures of the Korean-Canadian Kim family and the customers who visit their titular store, but also explores themes of inter-family dynamics, race, identity and the immigrant experience.

The show started out as a play by Korean-Canadian actor & playwright Ins Choi, premiering at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2011 before touring Canada the following year. It’s been performed fairly regularly ever since, making its European debut in London last year and now touring the UK with much of the same cast.

They include Korean-born but US-raised actor James Yi, who played recurring character Jimmy Young in the TV series but has stepped up to the role of family patriarch Appa on stage for the past few years. The latest production sees him reunited with Caroline Donica, who played his fiery daughter, Janet, in a US stage version two years ago. Both actors are excited to recreate the dynamic they had first time around.

“We already have such a great connection from the last time we did this show,” explains Caroline, “so stepping back into these roles together feels really natural. With a new director this time, we get to bring fresh energy to it while still building on what we already know. And honestly, acting across from James is just the best - he’s such a talented actor and an even better human.”

James is similarly enthusiastic, not least because he thinks the pair’s familiarity with the show and each other makes for a natural fit and dynamic: “We both know the show well, so it’s easier to jump in and get up to speed with a shorter rehearsal time. I wouldn’t say it’s harder, but working with a different director gives us a challenge to not just do the play like how we previously did, but to discover a lot of new things in each scene. [It’s] a lot of fun to just really focus on playing and discovering things in the freedom of what I already know.”

The current tour is the first time UK audiences beyond London will have a chance to see the play, and while the TV show is obviously the perfect primer, James says there are a few important differences between the screen and stage versions: “The TV series, being a half-hour comedy, was primarily focused on humour as the main vehicle to tell the stories. In the play, there’s more freedom to go to much more real, intense and sometimes heart-wrenching places that gives a fuller experience of the story.

“The characters are also around 10 years older in the play, so I think the stakes are quite different for them. The play also highlights the broken relationships and the pain of the Kim family much more than the TV series.”

The ongoing evolution also includes his rendering of store owner and family patriarch Appa, even though he admits that the story is so close to his own experience growing up in Cleveland, Ohio (he now lives in Vancouver) that his interpretation hasn’t changed dramatically.

“I think that, like with anything, if you do it long enough, you start seeing different details than you did in the beginning, or you understand the bigger picture of the story better - and that has definitely been my experience with Appa.”

James also believes his experience of growing up in the Korean church helped him to understand the character, who he recognised as representative of so many people in the local community.

“Even though I didn’t know it at the time, the Korean church was the training ground for my preparation for Appa. My friends and I shared a uniquely common bond in our Korean immigrant experience, which greatly involved difficult interactions with our fathers. While killing time waiting for our parents to finish choir practice after service and lunch, we would often entertain each other by imitating the different men in our church, with their thick Korean accents and broken English.”

That type of experience, and the disconnect between generations of the same family, is at the heart of the play, and while it’s become a familiar dynamic, James believes the show approaches it from a different angle.

“I think that this story is told mostly from the perspective of Appa, the immigrant parent, which is unique because most plays about immigrant stories tend to be from the child’s perspective. From the child’s perspective, the immigrant parent can often be vilified and sometimes de-humanised, but with Kim’s, I hear so many responses from audience members who want to connect with their fathers after the show.”

He also believes the show resonates just as deeply for people of non-Korean descent because the themes of family and reconciliation are so universal.

“Audiences really identify with how the characters struggle with the cultural and generational differences in the play, because of how the struggles are dealt with so well through humour and heart.”

The play is obviously important to him on any number of levels, and while he’s struggled a little with typecasting (“I often get offered roles of immigrant Korean dads in short films or other projects because of Kim’s”), he admits the role of Appa is a gift that keeps on giving.

“Appa is the meatiest character I’ve ever played. Prior to that, I got to play some good characters in other plays, but Appa’s range and complexity stands out above the others.

“Artistically it really fills my tank and satisfies my desire to play such a great role. Prior to Kim’s, I was waiting for a break and sometimes felt like I just played these day roles on set to pay the bills. Kim’s has given me the platform to showcase my acting, and it’s opened so many doors for other opportunities.

“My involvement with this play seems to grow daily, as more opportunities, like this tour, keep coming my way. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be doing this role, but I certainly don’t see myself leaving for quite a while.”

Kim’s Convenience shows at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 May, and then at The Rep, Birmingham, from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 July

By Steve Adams