Mr. Ajinomoto (Phil Wong) toasts the company's new creation MSG (Francesca Fernandez) with Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer) in "Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play." Photo: Jessica Palopoli
"Why was it so easy to convince an entire country that the foreign thing that smells different was dangerous?"
It's a line that lands like a gut punch towards the end of "Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play" — a campy production that tells a story of racism and assimilation through the lens of the much-maligned seasoning.
Catch up quick: The play follows Ami, a Japanese-American teenager struggling with her identity.
When an uber-cool girl named "Exotic Deadly" shows up at school — as Ami discovers her grandfather's role in inventing monosodium glutamate — life goes haywire.
Behind the scenes: Playwright Keiko Green drew on her family history in order to process her "own shame and internal racism."
What to expect: The play is part anime, part '90s nostalgia. How Ami's imagination comes to life is reminiscent of "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World."
💭 My thought bubble: The cast creates a complete comic book world onstage. Though the over-the-top comedy isn't for everyone, the play delivers fun, fizz and pop with substance underneath.
