Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer as Ami. Photo: Jessica Palopoli/San Francisco Playhouse
Get ready for a fast-paced, surreal, and thought-provoking performance of award-winning playwright Keiko Green’s “Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play” at San Francisco Playhouse.
It’s 1999—a time of 3D Doritos, baggy jeans, flannel shirts, tattoo chokers, bucket hats, and Britney Spears. Ami, an Asian American teenager, feels invisible. She’s teased for the scent of her mother’s carefully prepared bento-box lunches and struggles with a school report on her family’s history. Desperate to distance herself from her culture, she prefers to be called Amy.
But when she uncovers a shocking family secret—that in 1968, her revered grandfather was instrumental in manufacturing MSG (monosodium glutamate), a food additive widely criticized in American culture—Ami is thrust into a surreal, time-bending journey to unravel the truth.
Played by the dynamic Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer, Ami captivates the audience, moving effortlessly between moments of humor, bewilderment, and wonder. She dances as if walking on air, shifting through emotions fluidly. She addresses the audience directly, pulling us into her outrageous adventure.
Director Jesca Prudencio, who directed the 2023 world premiere at The San Diego Old Globe Theatre returns to bring this boundary-pushing, genre-blending art form to life. She amplifies Green’s humor, magical realism, and historical layers. The multi-talented ensemble impressively transition between roles as the pace quickens and timelines shift.
Francesca Fernandez as Betsy, “Exotic Deadly,” and Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer as Ami. Photo: Jessica Palopoli/San Francisco Playhouse
Exotic Deadly—Betsy, a cool, calm, leather-clad Francesca Fernandez—appears and whisks Ami away on her motorcycle. Everything changes. Ami’s status shifts from an invisible outsider to a member of the cool crowd, hanging out with the hilariously goofy Phil Wong and Edric Young, both playing “besties.”
Betsy, a life-changing force, symbolizes MSG itself—a parallel heightened by Nicole Tung’s, Ami’s mother, portrayal of an MSG “addict.” After inhaling the spice, she transforms from a loving mother into a mad housewife. She evokes Reefer Madness (1936) and its wildly exaggerated portrayal of marijuana. The play, a satire, incites the fear-mongering that branded MSG as an Asian menace infiltrating American kitchens. Wong, as the host of Good Morning, Suburbia, and Young as Dr. Lyle, embody how media fuels societal fears and shapes public perception.
Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer as Ami. Nicole Tung as Ami’s mother Photo: Jessica Palopoli/San Francisco Playhouse
The circular stage, with ever-shifting scenic designs by Heather Kenyon, transports us smoothly across time—from 1999 to 1968, with a brief detour to 1947. A standout sequence unfolds at the bottom of the ocean, where ghosts drift through water in hypnotic slow motion. They create a dreamlike, out-of-body experience. Sound Designer James Ard enhances the moment with ethereal, operatic music. Lighting Designer Michael Oesch bathes the scene in serene blue-light hue, evoking an otherworldliness.
Although some of Ami’s wandering go unconnected, and the plot drifts leaving unanswered questions. But with its sharp humor, inventive staging, and exposing the problem of media-driven cultural bias, Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play delivers a thought-provoking and entertaining experience.
In a world still grappling with misinformation and cultural scapegoating, its theme strongly resonates today. Well worth the ticket.
“Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play” by Keiko Green, directed by Jesca Prudencio, Costumes by Kathleen Qiu, at San Francisco Playhouse Info: sfplayhouse.org until March 8, 2025
Cast: Francesca Fernandez, James Aaron Oh, Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer, Nicole Tung, Phil Wong, Edric Young.