★★★★

“funny and warm, balancing real laughs with touching moments”

This is the U.K. premiere of a beloved Canadian play, originally staged in 2011, which spawned a highly successful five season CBS TV series. The show became an international hit after being broadcast on Netflix.

Ins Choi, who wrote and starred in the original, has returned to the cast, but is now starring as the father of his previous character. There is something moving in the cycles of time that this represents. It is in keeping with the themes of the play, which explores intergenerational relationships, and the very different struggles of first and second generation immigrants.

The play follows Mr Kim (Choi) known as Appa by his family, as he wrestles with plans for the future of his convenience store. For him, his wife (Namju Go), his daughter, struggling photographer Janet (Jennifer Kim) and his estranged son Jung (Brian Law) this place represents far more than just a store – it is a burden, a legacy and a curse.

Choi’s script is funny and warm, balancing real laughs with touching moments that makes the play feel genuine and moving. Esther Jun’s directing is energetic and joyous.

“Ins Choi’s performance is sublime”

There are some moments which are played for laughs in a way which may detract from the deeper emotions. I struggled with some of the comedy violence, especially in light of the discussions throughout the play about Appa’s history of violent temper tantrums. Controversial comedy is at the heart of this play, and some of the shock factor moments still feel as taboo in 2023 as they must have in 2011. Much of this comes through discussions of race, especially when Mr Kim talks about black people. Miles Mitchell, who multi-roles all non-Kim family parts in the play, is black, and Mr Kim interacts with this in a way which is at times hard to watch. Some moments are hilarious, in a cringe comedy way, but some are truly difficult.

Ins Choi’s performance is sublime, he keeps the tragedy of Mr Kim bubbling under the surface, allowing us to forgive his more unpleasant moments. Namju Go is also powerful as Mrs Kim. Her performance is subtle and moving. At some points she and Choi speak in Korean, but the strength of their performances means non-Korean speakers can follow along easily. It adds to the feeling that the audience is peeking into a private moment in the lives of this family. Miles Mitchell is also a particular standout, effortlessly shifting between roles and bringing depth to every minor character.

Mona Camille’s set is built as a convenience store, with actual snacks and packets of cigarettes. It is meticulous and evocative.

Jonathan Chan’s lighting design manages to conjure both the strip store lighting of the corner store, as well as shifting to create memory sequences. It plays both with extreme naturalism and a nod to the opposite, and is beautifully thought through.

This is a play about people who are rarely the stars of plays. It is a small snippet of a very real life. I can see why this play was vital in 2011 and why it has enjoyed such success in Canada. Nearly 15 years on, it does feel less fresh, but the warmth and charm has remained.

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER at the Orange Tree Theatre

★★★★

“It is the sharp wit and intelligence of the language that sustains the piece and cushions it from the risk of being labelled dated”

Oliver Goldsmith’s period comedy, “She Stoops to Conquer”, was first performed in London a quarter of a millennium ago, but is still very much alive among today’s canon of revivals. Initially titled ‘Mistakes of a Night’ it is indeed a comedy of errors. Goldsmith himself dubbed it a ‘laughing comedy’ while others referred to it as a ‘comedy of manners’ or a ‘romantic comedy’. The stress is repeatedly on the word ‘comedy’ – as the laughs from the audience at Tom Littler’s festive revival testify.

It is the sharp wit and intelligence of the language that sustains the piece and cushions it from the risk of being labelled dated. Littler’s production shifts it from the eighteenth century into a 1930s country manor deep in the heart of P. G. Wodehouse land. Tucked away in the English countryside we find Mr and Mrs Hardcastle; the former relishing the quiet, old-fashioned lifestyle while his wife longs to untuck herself and see the new things happening up in the big city. Instead, the city comes to them in the form of two raffish slickers – Charles Marlow and George Hastings. Marlow has been invited as a prospective match for the Hardcastle’s daughter, Kate, while Hastings is in tow to pursue Kate’s cousin Constance, who in turn is being reluctantly matched by Mrs Hardcastle to her prankster son Tony. Courtesy of Tony’s mischievousness, the two gents arrive mistaking the country house for an inn.

The main butt of the satire is class divide, emphasised by the way the characters treat one another depending on the (often mistaken) perception of their social standing. The text calls for a heightened degree of acting, which the formidable cast deliver without ever overdoing it. Greta Scacchi pitches just the right amount of affectation into her flame haired Mrs Hardcastle, as gaudy as the baubles with which she adorns the Christmas tree. Scacchi manages to parody and show off her privilege simultaneously, with a cut glass accent in need of a good polishing. David Horovitch is the perfect foil as her bumbling crank of a husband, delightfully and playfully outraged at the slightest threat to his authority and standing. Tanya Reynolds, as Kate, effectively has a dual role, spending much of the time pretending to be the lowly barmaid she is mistaken for. A comic talent, showcased in a glorious scene where she tries on various accents for her alter ego. Guy Hughes is a real find as Tony, the one who instigates all the misunderstandings. His veil of bumpkin buffoonery shields an intelligent rascal, but one with a good heart.

But the one everybody is looking out for is Freddie Fox. One moment eloquently flirtatious, the next a nervous, tongue-tied wreck. A lithe performance, Fox effortlessly switches between the two sides of Marlow, eking out the hypocrisy of the class system but – more strikingly – drawing out the laughs from an audience that hangs on his every word and nuance. Robert Mountford’s Hastings and Sabrina Bartlett’s Constance add a delightful extra layer of farce as the ‘will-they-won’t-they’ couple. Bartlett, in particular, lighting up the stage with her presence.

The performances and, of course, Goldsmith’s script are what drive this comedy through what would otherwise be a fairly safe revival. Anett Black and Neil Irish’s setting has the comfortable warmth of a well-heeled family Christmas, transforming not entirely successfully into the local pub. And we get the feeling sometimes that the sense of privilege is enjoyed too much rather than lampooned. But these sentiments are quickly knocked aside by the stream of laughs. Sometimes gentle, sometimes farcical. The festive setting might be a touch opportunist, but it is bang on target, and we leave the auditorium uplifted and ready to embrace the joys of Christmas.

KIM’S CONVENIENCE at the Park Theatre

★★★★

“funny and warm, balancing real laughs with touching moments”

“Ins Choi’s performance is sublime”

KIM’S CONVENIENCE at the Park Theatre

Reviewed on 12th January 2024

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Mark Douet

Previously reviewed at this venue:

KIM’S CONVENIENCE

KIM’S CONVENIENCE

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER at the Orange Tree Theatre

★★★★

“It is the sharp wit and intelligence of the language that sustains the piece and cushions it from the risk of being labelled dated”

SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER at the Orange Tree Theatre

Reviewed on 22nd November 2023

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Marc Brenner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

She Stoops to Conquer

She Stoops to Conquer