Phil Wong and Edric Young Photo by Jessica Palopoli

Yet way back in 1968, a bit of misinformation about MSG (or monosodium glutamate) found its way into the New England Journal of Medicine, and managed to tar the flavor enhancer so deeply that many Asian restaurants began posting "No MSG" signs in their windows, a practice that has persisted for more than five decades, despite the scientific evidence that MSG is perfectly safe to consume and has no connection to symptoms such as headache, neck pain, and palpitations, among others.

The odd story behind this misinformation is just one of the insights in the hilarious satire, Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play, which opened this week at San Francisco Playhouse. Penned by Keiko Green, Exotic Deadly is the story of young Ami (Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer, or Actor 1 as she is listed in the program, as most of the cast play multiple roles), a high school freshman who seems ashamed of her Japanese heritage, embarrassed by the bento box lunches her mother (Nicole Tung, or Actor 4) packs for her, and wants to change the pronunciation of her name to the more Anglicized "Amy."

Ami, filled with teenage angst, finds herself on a journey of discovery that will take her across time and space to meet some of her ancestors, witness the very odd (and true!) story of how MSG first began to acquire its bad reputation, and come to better terms with who she is and what she wants from her life. She feels "not bullied, not beloved, but always on the brink of disappearing."

Along the way she will have encounters with (and witness) an array of strange characters, including the titular Exotic Deadly (Francesca Fernandez oozing a Susie Wong-eqsue combination of sensuality and menace), and two classmates, Matt Derman (the amazing Phil Wong) and Ben Anflank (Edric Young) who steal every scene they are in with roaringly funny interpretations of a pair of slacker/stoner bros. She will also find herself in Tokyo, just after the end of WWII, and at the bottom of the sea with a gaggle of other depressives.

If this all sounds a little disjointed and opaque, trust me, it's not. What it is is a voyage of self-discovery that clatters its way through a series of scenes expertly directed by Jesca Prudencio. You may at times–like Ami–feel lost and confused, but worry not, for by the time you get to the end of this 100-minute intermission-less expedition through her psyche, it will all make sense. Hilarious, wild, frenetic sense–but sense nonetheless.

This is thanks in part to Keiko Green's brilliantly funny script that skewers racism and stereotypes with razor-like sharpness, and in part to the cast assembled from some of the Bay Area's best acting talent. Phil Wong (Actor 6) is even better here than he was in the SF Playhouse productions of The Play That Goes Wrong and The 39 Steps. His work with scene partner Edric Young is wondrous to behold, so fluidly are they in synch with each other.

As Ami's mother, Nicole Tung whipsaws from an intense yet reserved authority figure to a true "tiger mom," engaging in mock "Mortal Kombat"-like fight scenes complete with appropriate sound effects (by sound designer James Ard) and lighting (by designer Michael Oesch) whenever she and Ami come into conflict.

Battling misinformation can, sadly, be the work of decades. As Mark Twain once quipped, "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth it putting on its shoes." In its small, yet unmistakably powerful way, Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play lays bare the racism, misogyny, and power grabbing that is all too often the source of many lies. But I know this much is true: Exotic Deadly delivers its message in an hysterical, mind-blowing, insightful package.

Exotic Deadly: Or The MSG Play runs through March 8, 2025, at San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street, San Francisco CA. Performances are Tuesdays-Thursdays at 7:00pm, Wednesdays at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm. Tickets are $35-$135. For tickets and information, please visit www.sfplayhouse.org or call the box office at 415-677-9596.