In what always amounted to the odd highlight of every Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, the gala dinner showcased performances from foreign ministers as they entertained their hosts.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso acted a Humphrey Bogart impersonation while New Zealand's Winston Peters sang like Johnny Cash. China's Li Zhaoxing led a choir and South Korea's Ban Ki-moon took the stage bedecked in green sequins.

Playing as a referee, Canada's Peter MacKay started the night with a pseudo ASEAN-Canada football match that finished with a Zinedine Zidane head-butt and a red-card.

When Aso's performance came up, the night changed from mildly amusing to plain bizarre reports Reuters.

Presumably culling inspiration from comic books and the film Casablanca, the Japanese skit played out a plot involving a futuristic, global pandemic of giant furry frogs.

Rice easily stole the show, wearing a red dress and pearls, with her musical talent in playing the piano. She performed Brahms sonata in duet with a Malaysian violinist.

Russia's Sergei Lavrov performed last by lampooning a future when ASEAN, not the United States, was the only superpower.