WELL-SEASONED THEATER
IS LOADED WITH FLAVOR
Welcome to 1999, a time of hysteria over the impending Y2K crisis, widespread fear of monosodium glutamate (MSG), crude video games and crude popular culture. In the midst of all this wanders a Japanese-American high school girl named Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer), wrestling with her cultural identity, arguing with her mother, probing her family’s history, and trying to find her place in the world.
Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer)
The cast
All this and more unfolds quickly and randomly in Keiko Green’s Northern California debut of her uproarious Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play, directed by Jesca Prudencio at San Francisco Playhouse through March 8, in which dozens of characters are played by only six performers, aided by the quick changes of Kathleen Qui‘s costumes.
Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer) and her mom (Nicole Tung) battle
Dr. Lyle (Edric Young) and Good Morning Suburbia host (Phil Wong) warn of MSG's dangers
We first go back to 1947 to meet Ami’s grandfather (James Aaron Oh), a chemist credited with having developed a way to mass-produce MSG, a naturally occurring but rare compound that became a popular sensory enhancement in many Asian dishes—and was wrongly blamed for a host of medical problems. We meet Ami’s brother Ben (Edric Young), one of a duo of air-guitar playing nerds (the other, the irrepressible Phil Wong); a motorcycle-riding bad girl who calls herself “Exotic Deadly” (Francesca Fernandez); an overly caffeinated TV host (Wong); a more-or-less tolerant teacher Mrs. Jamholder (Nicole Tung); and many other incidental characters as Ami explores her history in time trying to make sense of it all. Set designer Heather Kenyon‘s turntable-equipped stage greatly enables the illusion, making the most of some simple but versatile elements that variously serve as chairs, tables, desks, and even a motorcycle.
Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer) and Exotic Deadly's (Francesca Fernandez)
Ben (Edric Young), Exotic Deadly (Francesca Fernandez), Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer),
and Matt (Phil Wong) hang out after school
With serious concern about her daughter’s health, Ami’s mother carefully assembles a bento box lunch for her each morning. Ami says that her classmates complain about the smell, and that she’d prefer a turkey sandwich. She also insists that her name be Anglicized to “Amy” rather than “Ah-me” as her mom calls her. These are only two of the many points of cultural confusion she faces as she wanders seemingly at random through colliding sketches, most of them outlandishly funny if not always logically connected. But who needs logic in a comedy?
Best friends Matt (Phil Wong) and Ben (Edric Young) attend Ami's high school
Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer) and scientists (Edric Young and James Aaron Oh)
applaud the unveiling of MSG (Francesca Fernandez)
“Sketch,” in fact, is what the two-hour show really is—structured like a classic slamming-door farce, except that the doors are all in Ami’s mind. Exotic Deadly plays out like a prolonged bit from Saturday Night Live, and in fact much of it seems clearly inspired by SNL. The air-guitar-playing nerds in letter jackets and ludicrous wigs are clearly derived from “Wayne’s World” characters Garth and Wayne. In sneakers and cargo pants, Ami herself is reminiscent of Amy Poehler’s hyperactive adolescent character Kaitlin, without the hyperactivity.
Mr. Ajinomoto (Phil Wong) toasts the company's new creation
MSG (Francesca Fernandez) with Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer)
Benkei (center - Edric Young) startles Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer)
and Ojichan (James Aaron Oh) with his vision for the future
Green has done quite a bit of homework on her script, with some accurate historical points and many allusions to the present day. The MSG hysteria, for example, was the result of published misgivings about the substance by one doctor. There was never any serious study done about the stuff. Everything that’s known about it today indicates that it’s safe in moderate amounts, but it provoked much public consternation about “Chinese restaurant syndrome,” an ill-disguised bit of racism. (Remember Trump’s “Kung Flu”?) Similarly, there have never been any studies linking vaccinations to autism, a hypothesis put forth by one defrocked British physician that went viral in an overwhelming way. The belief persists without evidence, like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster.
Ben (Edric Young) listens to teacher Mrs. Jamholder (Nicole Tung)
in class with Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer)
Dr. Steele (Phil Wong) and Bill the Neurologist (James Aaron Oh) reveal
their role in MSG misinformation to Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer)
Of course, Ami can’t know any of this in 1999. Self-deprecating but relentlessly spunky, she feels shame that her family ushered in a non-existent public health scare. She wants to be much more than she is, but isn’t sure what that might look like. Along the way, we get a riotous revisit of everything from Y2K’s end-of-the-world, video games Mortal Kombat and Super Mario Brothers, Britney Spears’ deathless tunes, robotic dance moves, and high-achieving kids with a penchant for misbehavior. So many things look ridiculous in hindsight.
Lady who read an article (Nicole Tung) and husband (James Aaron Oh) spread MSG misinformation
Ami (center - Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer) dazzles as she performs at the talent show with
classmates (l to r Phil Wong, Francesca Fernandez, James Aaron Oh, and Edric Young)
Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play is great fun that—even at 105 minutes—could use an intermission for a breather. Those who enjoy this show might like to follow it with a viewing of the film Better Luck Tomorrow, a dark comedy about a similar demographic.
photos by Jessica Palopoli
Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play
San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street in San Francisco
Tues-Thurs at 7; Fri at 8; Sat at 3 & 8; Sun at 2 & 7
ends on March 8, 2025
for tickets ($20-$135), call 415.677.9596 or visit SF Playhouse
Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle.
