Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play at SF Playhouse February 5-March 8, 2025
By Keiko Green • Directed by Jesca Prudencio
It’s 1999, and Ami is an awkward Asian American high schooler whose world comes crashing down with a terrible discovery: her family is responsible for manufacturing MSG, the mysterious ingredient getting all the kids hooked! Meanwhile, a cool new girl arrives from Japan, and she’s not playing by the rules. In Keiko Green’s new play, Ami vows to redeem her family name and save the world from MSG. This whimsical, time-traveling adventure is a riotous and hilarious romp through wild teenaged crushes, family legacies, and the magical properties of instant ramen!
Reviews:
”Embodying MSG as a human character, played by Francesca Fernandez…encapsulate how MSG and by extension immigrants from Asia have had to stretch and warp themselves in different ways over time to pursue white American acceptance.” SF Chronicle
"....there are excellent performances. Most of the cast play multiple roles; all have perfect comic timing... Francesca Fernandez as tough, influential new-girl-in-school Betsy finds clever nuances. " - SF Gate
"The character most interesting to the story is Exotic Deadly, taken on by Francesca Fernandez. Just notice the way Exotic bursts through the doors with unapologetic ferocity, only to be ripped down by society as she quietly moves back to her perceived place in the world. She lives in a duality, initially shattering the model minority myth while being forced to retreat all the while as time marches forward." - Marin Independent Journal
Production Team:
EXOTIC DEADLY: OR THE MSG PLAY
By Keiko Green
Directed by Jesca Prudencio
Assistant Director: Nick Ishimaru
Stage Management: Ada May, Kaya Lehr-Love , Sam Hattersley, Justin Hammer
Set: Heather Kenyon
Lights: Michael Oesch
Sound: James Ard
Costumes: Kathleen Qiu
Wigs: Amber loudermilk
Props: Laurel Enos
Fight Choreography: Phil Wong
Casting: R. Réal Vargas Alania (Casting Collective)
Trailer: Adam Elder Montanaro
Photos: Jessica Palopoli
Cast:
Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer
Francesca Fernandez
James Aaron Oh
Nicole Tung
Phil Wong
Edric Young
Understudies:
Dian Sitip Meechai
Thomas Nguyen
Vivienne Truong
Nico Jaochico