Comedian Paul Ogata to perform in Kona

Standup comedian Paul Ogata returns to Kona Aug. 28 to headline the laughs at a 9:30 p.m. dinner club special at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill.

Crowned the TakeOut Comedy Competition Funniest Asian-American Comedian in the U.S. in 2004, Ogata moved from Hawaii to the mainland to tackle the national comedy scene, winning the 32nd Annual San Francisco International Comedy Competition in 2007.

Featured on Showtime, Comedy Central, “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen,” TBS, NBC and PBS and on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” Ogata has headlined club shows from New York to Shanghai and Hollywood to Hong Kong, in addition to entertaining our troops stationed at bases around the globe.

“Officially, I’ve been in more countries than Bird Flu, but am trailing Swine Flu by a small margin,” said the Honolulu-born and raised funnyman, who today is known as well for his relentless globetrotting tour schedule as he is for his edgy reflections on his Japanese-American upbringing in Hawaii and improvised observations on modern day whims.

Beginning 2015 with show tours in Italy, Israel, Greece and Jordan before heading to New York City to film his first one-hour comedy special, Ogata is coming to Hawaii directly from shows in Beijing and Shanghai.

Next month, Ogata is off to shows in Singapore and then Malaysia, where he will headline at the inaugural Kuala Lumpur International Comedy Festival. Following a month in Australia touring Tasmania and New South Wales, he returns to Hong Kong and Macau before closing out the year in Canada.

Tickets for the Aug. 28 show at Jackie Rey’s Ohana Grill are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Dinner show seating starts at 8 p.m. Show only, space available, seating starts at 9:15 p.m. For dinner and show reservations, call 327-0209.

An earlybird show at a different Kona venue may be added to the tour.

For schedule updates, as well as artist, ticket and show information, visit www.bigislandcomedy.com.