Seattle Rep’s The Heart Sellers is the the kind of show that sneaks up on you even while you’re in the lobby still fumbling with your raincoat. As I ducked into the Rep from a typical wet PNW day, I could hear the strains of Karen Carpenter singing “Rainy Days and Mondays” in the auditorium, which seemed appropriate. 

The play itself is set on Thanksgiving 1973, in a nondescript apartment somewhere you could imagine near Capitol Hill or the CID. Two young immigrant women, Luna (Becca Q. Co) and Jane (Seoyoung Park), meet by chance while grabbing holiday provisions and end up spending the day together. The afternoon turns into evening and unfolds over wine, piping hot yams (if not a bit under seasoned), and stilted attempts at a proper turkey dinner.

The kitchen and living area are disheveled and scattered. Slippers are strewn across the floor, waiting for the feet of their owners to slide in. A TV sits on the floor and a sofa wears a loosely tossed Afghan blanket, with pillows spilling haphazardly. Moving boxes linger off to the side and two stools crowd the kitchen counter where Luna and Jane will slowly get to know one another. The Harvest Gold-tinged refrigerator, straight from the ’70s, completes the scene. The details are modest but definitely make it feel lived-in.

Director Sunam Ellis keeps it grounded, mirroring the subtleties of the set with the early interactions between Luna and Jane. In fact, the Leo K. Theater at Seattle Rep seems the perfect stage for this talky, character-driven piece. Both actors are up to the task. There’s a lot of dialogue and a lot of quiet, awkward pauses that have to land just right, and they do. Becca Q. Co and Parks inhabit their characters fully: Jane’s tentative politeness, Luna’s nervous energy, and the way they circle each other until something clicks.

As they navigate this new friendship, there is plenty of talk about how they are adapting to life in America (Luna is from the Philippines and Jane is from South Korea). Jane watches Julia Child cooking shows, which comes in handy when it’s time to cook the turkey. Luna spent time at Disneyland which she found intoxicating. And they both watch Soul Train, which leads to an impromptu Soul Train line dance. Gotta love the 70s.

Suh’s script, which landed on American Theatre‘s Top 10 Most-Produced Plays of the 2025-26 Season, is deceptively plainspoken, capturing the feeling of being displaced and longing for home, without getting sentimental. By the end, the audience has bonded with Luna and Jane as they find their common ground and earned discovery of friendship in circumstances that can sometimes make one feel very alone.

Seattle Rep’s The Heart Sellers proves quiet charm can go a long way. It’s a show that, like the city itself, rewards attention.