THEATER REVIEW Cape Rep’s ‘Heart Sellers’ Tugs Heart And Tickles Funny Bone

What can two young Asian women from the early 1970s teach us about compassion, men, friendship and even Richard Nixon? 

A lot, based on Lloyd Suh’s award-winning new play “The Heart Sellers.”  

When recent immigrants Luna (from the Philippines) and Jane (from Korea) meet up in a supermarket on one of the most American holidays, Thanksgiving, they decide to go back to Luna’s apartment together. The two soon see they have much in common: absentee, hard-working husbands, a love for disco dancing and an apprehension about their new home so far away from where they grew up. 

  Their conversations are sometimes hilarious, often poignant and then also fun and 

silly, just as you would expect two young women to be after a few glasses of wine. Joy Regullano plays the spitfire Luna perfectly; she’s a chattering bundle of nerves in the beginning. “I'm talking too much,” she says again and again. Zoe Kim’s Jane just cautiously takes it all in: Luna’s energy, the messy apartment, her free spirit. So when the real Jane emerges it’s a treat for both Luna and the audience.  

When these two start talking, you’ll listen, and you should listen closely. They have a lot to say with an insightfulness that's astounding at times. Both actors are captivating. 

The set design by Ellen Rousseau is fabulous. Thank goodness we had the time before the start of the production to check out every little detail: the rotary wall phone, the Spam in the cupboard, the small television, the crucifix on the wall, the gold-toned fridge, and more. The entire feel of the era was further emphasized with costume design by Robin McLaughlin, lighting by Yiyuan Li, and sound design by Maura Hanlon, all accomplished under the watchful eye of director Nina Zoie Lam. Behind the scenes of the 90-minute play with no intermission is stage manager Hannah Gruendemann, who keeps all in order. Dialect coach Joy Lancata Coronel played a part in keeping the play authentic. 

“The Heart Sellers” is a special play that tells a special story, very relevant to our times. Young women are just the same in any culture, with the fears, perceptions, and a love for life that we can all relate to. We are all human beings with the same hopes and dreams. 

“The Heart Sellers” 

At Cape Rep Theatre, Route 6A, Brewster

Through Oct. 20, Wednesday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.

Information and reservations: 508-896-1888, caperep.org