KIM'S CONVENIENCE Comes To McCarter Theatre

McCarter Theatre Center will welcome the new year with Kim’s Convenience, the award-winning comedy about a Korean family-run corner store that inspired the hit CBC television series later distributed internationally on Netflix. Running in McCarter’s Berlind Theatre from January 23 through February 15, 2026, the play brings heart and humor to the stage as it explores family, identity, and resilience in a rapidly changing world.

Due to ticket demand, two additional performances have been added: Tuesday, February 3, and Tuesday, February 10, both at 7:30 PM. 

The North American tour is produced by Adam Blanshay Productions and Soulpepper Theatre Company, Canada’s leading artist-driven theatre company, in association with American Conservatory Theater. Directed by Weyni Mengesha, Kim’s Convenience centers on Mr. Kim, a hardworking shop owner in a gentrifying Toronto neighborhood. As generational tensions rise between Mr. Kim and his Canadian-born children, the family’s everyday struggles become a poignant and often laugh-out-loud metaphor for a society in transition.

Written by and starring Ins Choi, who calls the play his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home,” Kim’s Convenience has been hailed by The Toronto Star as “a timeless, beautiful, and heartfelt ode to the immigrant experience.”

“Having originated the role of Jung (the son) almost fifteen years ago, I’m grateful to now be playing the role of Appa (the dad) in this play,” says Choi. “My kids have been preparing me for this their whole lives.”

Kim’s Convenience debuted at the 2011 Toronto Fringe Festival. Soulpepper’s premiere production later inspired the internationally successful television series, which ran for five seasons. 

The cast of Kim’s Convenience includes Ins Choi as Appa, Esther Chung as Umma, Ryan Jinn as Jung, Brandon McKnight (multiple roles including Rich, Alex, Mr. Lee, and Mike), and Kelly Seo as Janet.