“Kim’s Convenience,” a hit play by Ins Choi about a Korean-Canadian family and their convenience store, gained popularity during its run at the Toronto Fringe Festival a few years ago, and has since gone on tour, been turned into a book, and may even become a TV show.
The play, which won the New Play contest, the Patrons Pick award and was invited to be in the Best of the Fringe Uptown Festival at the Toronto Fringe Fest, has since opened the 2012 Soulpepper theatre company’s season in January and, due to an overwhelming demand, returned for another run the following May. It has sold out its entire performance runs. Then, the project was nominated for two Dora Awards, including Best New Play, and it also received the Toronto Theatre Critics award for Best New Canadian Play. “Kim’s Convenience” was then published by House of Anansi Press. It is currently touring across Canada.
Now the show may be turned into a TV series. “There’s some (TV) development happening, which I can’t talk about, but it’s in the works,” Choi said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press. Choi also revealed that “Hawaii Five-0” star Daniel Dae Kim recently saw the show and wants to run it in Honolulu, where his series shoots. “He’s a producer, too, so he was like… ‘I want to bring this to the stage, to Hawaii!” I’m like, ‘Bring it, man – take it, it’s all yours! Go, run with it, we’ll come!”‘
For info on showtimes visit the play’s website.
Photo: Kim’s Convenience