"For all the barking and grunting Appa does, he proves time and again that his hardened heart can be soft and tender. He bounces around his convenience store with a wisdom that is built from being a neighborhood pillar for years. He obsesses over illegally parked cars, gives away snacks that are relegated to the bottom shelf, and has an entirely cringy line of hilarious ideas as to the hierarchy of thieves."
"The play by Ins Choi, which debuted in Toronto in 2011, launched a hit Canadian TV series and then a popular Netflix series. At ACT, the production's power comes from how much heart is infused by director Weyni Mengesha into the story of a Korean immigrant's dilemma, his familial world that is in constant motion, and the constant battle for necessary redemption."
Appa navigates daily life as a Korean immigrant convenience store owner, mixing gruff barking with soft tenderness, neighborhood wisdom, and comedic eccentricities. The story centers on one routine day of instant coffee with excessive sugar, faded jeans, and various customers whose needs range from snacks to Vaseline. A tempting offer forces Appa to confront an identity built around work and community obligation. Performances inject warmth and heart, staging flows to unify comedy and pathos, and moments alternate between belly laughs and poignant tears despite occasional sitcom-like rapid resolutions.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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