In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Hart-Cellars Act. The law abolished the National Origins Formula, which sought to preserve American homogeneity by encouraging immigration from Western Europe. By abolishing the National Origins Formula, the Hart-Cellars Act opened doors and promoted immigration from Eastern and Northern Europe, as well as Asia and other non-Western countries.
A play on words of the 1965 law, “The Heart Sellers” by Lloyd Suh tells the story of two Asian women who have immigrated to the United States and come together through a shared experience not largely understood by the new community around them.
Luna (Marielle Young) is a Filipina woman alone on Thanksgiving who decides to embrace the American holiday and buy a turkey. She meets a South Korean woman, Jane (Jin Park), at the grocery store. Luna randomly and suddenly invites Jane to her apartment to spend the holiday together since both of their husbands are otherwise occupied at work. The play unfolds a story of understanding, connection, struggles and empathy that is so pure and sweet that it really instills the feeling of true friendship.
The play is set in 1973, and while the majority of the story comes from the shared experience of immigration, it also touches on gender equality and a woman’s place in relationships. Luna and Jane discuss their marriages, including a forced marriage and a desire to break free from societal expectations.
Young and Park have excellent chemistry together. As an audience member, you really feel a friendship forming between these two women who started out as complete strangers. Young plays Luna with a vivacity and energy that keeps the dialogue flowing naturally, while Park’s quieter and softer-spoken counterpart, Jane, slowly opens up to Luna as the show progresses.
Director Kat Yen helmed this production masterfully and gave such love and life to a very simple story and script. “I hope we never forget that we are, at our core, a nation of immigrants who have built lives here…” Yen writes in the program. As the child of immigrants, Yen seems to understand these women and their struggles down to the core.
Set designer Marty Burnett and costume designer Grace Wong come together to effectively and simply set this show in the 70s. Colors, patterns and designs are all set in the right time period without being loud and flashy.
“The Heart Sellers” at North Coast Rep is a beautiful production that shows how powerful simple friendship can be. The show has just enough levity to make you laugh while imparting an earnestness that might bring a tear to your eye. The entire cast and crew came together to produce a wonderful piece of theater that left a lasting impression.
(Photo credit: Aaron Rumley)
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