Review: North Coast Rep’s ‘Heart Sellers’ a touching universal story

Jin Park, left, Marielle Young co-star in North Coast Repertory Theatre’s “The Heart Sellers.” (Aaron Rumley)

By Pam Kragen | [email protected] | The San Diego Union-Tribune

UPDATED: January 15, 2025 at 11:45 AM PST

With next week’s inauguration of the 47th president, the subject of immigration has reached a fever pitch in the U.S.

So it’s fortunate timing that Lloyd Suh’s touching play “The Heart Sellers” has just opened at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. The 90-minute drama, about two newly arrived Asian women bonding over their shared experiences in America, looks at the immigrant experience through a kinder, gentler and more nuanced lens.

Set in 1973, eight years after the age of the U.S. Hart-Celler Act — which lifted quotas on Asian and African immigrants and prioritized their skills and family reunification over their country of origin — it explores the blossoming friendship between two women struggling to adapt to their new lives after leaving their families, culture and language behind.

Although immigration is a hot-button topic in the U.S. now, this play is not political. It’s about loneliness, bravery, adaptation, friendship and hope.

Directed subtly by Kat Yen, the play co-stars Jin Park as Jane, a Korean woman who recently moved to the U.S. with her husband, and Marielle Young as Luna, a Filipina who also came over with her husband, but sometime earlier, so her English is a little better.

They meet in a supermarket on Thanksgiving day and spontaneously decide to cook a turkey together while their husbands are at work. Over an afternoon of red wine, Ritz crackers and cheese-in-a-can, they share their stories and struggles and they form a deep bond.

The play is written in a way that allows for potent silences, which director Yen uses thoughtfully, and she has fostered great chemistry between her actors. As Luna, Young has boundless energy and talks incessantly to her first new friend. As Jane, Park is wide-eyed and reserved, but has a playful sense of humor.

The play touches on the powerlessness that immigrant women like Luna and Jane had then (and now) in male-dominated U.S. society. But they find their power in friendship. And even if their frozen turkey never makes it to the Thanksgiving table, they give thanks for the new friendship that will likely nourish them for years to come.

Marty Burnett’s apartment scenic design pays loving homage to the color palette and styles of the ’70s, from the harvest gold, avocado green and burnt orange décor to the retro clothing, tablecloth and bedspread. Matthew Novotny designed lighting, Grace Wong designed costumes and Daniela Hart Uptownworks designed sound.

“The Heart Sellers” has resonated deeply with American theater audiences since its premiere in 2023 in Milwaukee. It ranked ninth on the list of the 10 most-produced plays in America in 2024.

The play is pleasant and well-produced, even if it doesn’t break any new theatrical ground on the immigration topic. But it does arrive at a good time, when Americans may need reminding that this country was built by immigrants with big hearts and dreams like Jane and Luna.