The Old Globe Presents “Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play”
The Old Globe presents the world premiere of “Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play,” written by Keiko Green (Cygnet Theatre Company’s Sharon, ACT’s You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!) and directed by Jesca Prudencio (Geffen Playhouse’s King Liz, San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Vietgone). Performances begin Saturday, April 8 and play through Friday, May 7, 2023, with the opening on Thursday, April 13 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe’s Conrad Prebys Theatre Center in San Diego’s Balboa Park. Tickets are now on sale at www.TheOldGlobe.org.
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. 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!
“‘Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play’ is a very, very special work,” said Erna Finci Viterbi artistic director Barry Edelstein. “Uproariously funny, super smart, and wildly original, it bends time and space, genre and form, to tell the extraordinary—and true!—story of why generations of American diners saw ‘No MSG’ signs in restaurant windows. Keiko Green’s play takes us on a great theatrical thrill ride and detours along the way into questions of family, history, and culture that make this evening in the theatre as rich as it is entertaining. Jesca Prudencio and her gifted cast do inventive and joyous work, and they bring the Globe’s audiences a truly memorable show. I can’t wait to share it with our audiences.”
The cast for “Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play” includes Anna Mikami (Amazon’s “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things”) as Actor 1 (“Ami”), Eunice Bae (Broadway’s “The Skin of Our Teeth”) as Actor 2 (“Exotic Deadly”), Trevor Salter (Off Broadway’s “Here Lies Love”) as Actor 3, Amy Kim Waschke (The Old Globe’s “The White Snake”) as Actor 4, Michelangelo Hyeon (National Asian American Theatre Company’s “Henry VI”) as Actor 5, and James Seol (Broadway’s “Come from Away”) as Actor 6. Plus understudy Camilla Leonard (The Old Globe’s “Measure for Measure,” M.F.A. student of The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program) as Actor 1 (“Ami”) and Actor 2 (“Exotic Deadly”), and Samuel Young (“Macbeth” and “Much Ado About Nothing” at Coronado Playhouse) as Actor 3, Actor 5, and Actor 6.
In addition to playwright Keiko Green and director Jesca Prudencio, the creative team includes Yu Shibagaki (scenic design), Hahnji Jang (costume design), Cha See (lighting design), Fan Zhang (sound design), Caparelliotis Casting (casting), and Chandra R.M. Anthenill (production stage manager).
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