Jin Park and Marielle Young
Immigration has taken a bigger slice of the journalistic pie since that American president (who shall remain nameless) won the last election and appears to be planning to take out his vengeance on those who wish he hadn’t won.
Though Playwright Lloyd Suh wrote “The Heart Sellers” in 1973, the play (which takes place on Thanksgiving Day in that year) certainly seems relevant today. And thanks to director Kat Yen, fine stage management and two terrific actresses, it makes for a fascinating, often funny, sometimes poignant 90-minute play without intermission. It runs through Feb. 2 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach.
The title is a play on words of the Hart-Cellar Act of 1965, which reformed U.S. immigration policy by lifting strict quotas on immigration from Asia and Africa and prioritizing family reunification over national origin, which opened the door to a new wave of immigrants. That legislation, signed by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson, decreed that national origin could no longer be a barrier to immigration.
As the show opens, American Jane (Jin Park) is busybeeing around in her kitchen, tossing a frozen turkey in the oven and apparently considering that proper cooking practice. She seems to be having a wonderful time when the second character, a Filipina immigrant named Luna (played by Marielle Young), rings the doorbell.
Jane isn’t sure why Luna is here, but she tosses out some Ritz crackers and dip, noting that she watches Julia Child on TV every day, and thus begins a friendship that will amuse the audience for the rest of the show. It only takes a little patience and a bit of wine.
There’s no great profundity here, and no great length either. It’s a simple show about people who can become friends despite coming from utterly different backgrounds. And after all, the U.S. is a nation of immigrants. As President Johnson put it, “Our beautiful America was built by a nation of strangers. Those who do come will come because of what they are, not because of the land from which they sprang.”
Kudos to NVA’s usual winning team of designers (Marty Burnett’s set, Matthew Novotny’s lighting, Grace Wong’s costumes and Audrey Casteris’ props), along with newcomer Daniela Hart Uptownworks, who did the sound design.
“The Heart Sellers,” originally commissioned by Milwaukee Repertory Theater, was first performed in 2023. It’s different from what one usually sees at NCRT, but it offers food for thought.
The details
“The Heart Sellers” plays through February 2, 2025 at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach.
Shows: 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays.
Tickets: ($52-$74) available at 858-481-1055 or online at northcoastrep.org
