Ahmanson – March 29, 2026
Even though I’m more of a musicals person than a plays person, since I had watched the entire series on Netflix, when I saw this was coming to the Ahmanson I knew I wanted to see it. TodayTix offered me tickets for under $25 to sweeten the deal. I got an email a few days before telling me to plan to arrive an hour early to give me time to park. That is usually an indication that something is happening in all 3 venues of the Music Center, and likely Disney Concert Hall as well. I looked and found there was something at the Mark Taper, but the opera had closed, so I thought maybe I was safe. Still got there plenty early just in case. When I paid the $10 parking fee, the attendant asked me if I was “here for the show” and then asked which show. I told him Kim’s Convenience and then asked what was going on in the other theaters. It turned out that in addition to Here Lies Love at the Mark Taper, the Alvin Ailey dance troup was at the Dorothy Chandler. As early as I got there, I was very nearly directed through the tunnel at the end of the parking lot that leads across the street to Grand Park. Yikes! And I was still so early that the house wasn’t yet open when I arrived! I used the restroom and waited in the lobby for them to open the house.
Kim’s Convenience is about a Korean family who have relocated to Toronto and opened a convenience store. If you have seen the series, you know the story. If you haven’t seen it, it’s still easy enough to follow along. The play opens with Mr. Kim opening the store for the day and then we are introduced to various family members – Mrs. Kim and their children Jung and Janet. The only other cast member played the parts of each of the customers and a policeman. The play was a combination of several of the TV episodes and is at the same time charming and poignant. In the play the Kim children are older than they are in the series. Without spoiling, I will say the ending of the play mirrors the ending of the series.
I quite enjoyed the play, but if I had one critique it’s that it was very short. I think it lasted 65 minutes. I get that our attention spans are getting shorter, but I would have felt ripped off if I had paid full price for this ticket. I have felt the same way after other plays I’ve seen too (Clue comes to mind), where it ends and I just sit there going, “Is that it?” And the way Kim’s Convenience ended combined with how short it was had many people around me wondering whether it was over. The confusion was quickly erased when the cast came onstage for curtain calls, but that bit of time with everyone wondering if it was over was super awkward.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Would I see it again? Definitely. Would I pay full price? Probably not.