CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM Comedian/actor Stan Egi looks for the humorous and universal truths in every situation. After spending 20 years working in New York and Los Angeles, Egi has returned home to teach and encourage the next generation of Hawaii performers.

Egi’n them on

Local comedian Stan Egi lives
for the laughter of the audience

Standing before a packed house recently at the Hawaiian Hut, stand-up comedian Stan Egi offers a demonstration of the Japanese custom of bowing during introductions, when each person feels they must bow lower than the other person to be polite. The crowd bursts out laughing as Egi impersonates two Japanese men bowing to each other multiple times until he's completely lowered himself to the floor.

On stage Laugh Factory presents Butch Bradley, also featuring local comedians Stan Egi and Paul Ogata: Place: Blaisdell Center Pikake Room Time: 8 p.m. Friday, and 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday Tickets: $25 presale and $30 at the door Call: Ticketmaster at 1-877-750-4400 Also: Egi appears at 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Brew Moon, Ward Centre

"They do bow a lot," said Egi. "They always try to be more humble than the other one -- because that's my culture, I like to examine why a culture behaves a certain way."

Egi has joined the Hawaii stand-up comedy circuit since returning from the mainland a year and a half ago. He spent 20 years on the mainland performing stand-up comedy and acting in film, television and Broadway. He'll open for Atlantic City, N.J., comic Butch Bradley tomorrow and Saturday.

Dressed casually in a dark shirt and long pants, his sweet demeanor and youthful appearance belies a fierce comedic performer. And getting there has meant both embracing and stepping out of his culture.

Egi's inspiration comes from observations he's made about local life. He's been able to use those observations in his mainland act because of the universality at the heart of all human interactions.

He describes himself as a shy and quiet type of guy, except when he's doing comedy or acting in film and television. He said his mother was encouraging when he was growing up and allowed him to open up.

"I feel I can express myself fully and be all kinds of characters," Egi said. "Holding back is part of the (Japanese) culture, and doing comedy helps to overcome that. It's my way of letting go."

Noting that there are few Japanese comedians, he said that it's important to break down the stereotypical image of Japanese men as reserved and contained. By doing stand-up comedy, he gets to show the other side of what it means to be a Japanese male.

CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM "I feel I can express myself fully and be all kinds of characters. Holding back is part of the (Japanese) culture and doing comedy helps to overcome that. It's my way of letting go." --Stan Egi, Comedian

EGI'S BEEN interested in performing since high school. He and his friends would do sketch comedy at high school assemblies.

After moving to New York, he landed a spot on "Late Night with David Letterman." Billed as the "Robin Williams of Japan," he played the part of a samurai character named Sushi No Mushi, a superhero who fights Godzilla and rescues children.

In New York, Egi also began a stage career on Broadway -- he played gambler Brother Luke in "Anything Goes" for nearly two years -- that led to off-Broadway and regional theater work across the country. He spent 10 years in New York before working another 10 years in Los Angeles doing film and television.

His film work includes "Boys on the Side," "Gung Ho" and "Golden Gate." He's appeared in the TV series "Nash Bridges," "Jag," "Vanishing Son" and "Something Wilder."

His most memorable movie appearance was in 1993's "Rising Sun," in which he acted alongside Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. He's still recognized for the role of Ishihara: "I was the bad guy in that -- I was the guy that masterminded the whole murder."

"The one I feel the most proud of is 'Come See the Paradise,'" said Egi. "Alan Parker directed it. It dealt with that time in history about the Japanese internment camps.

"It was one of the few times Hollywood depicted a Japanese-American family really truthfully (and) tried to show that side of the story."

But after living on the mainland for so long, Egi said, "I missed Hawaii. I really wanted to be here and settle down -- get some little ones going, have a family and raise them here."

When he's not doing stand-up, Egi teaches drama at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

"Part of my mission coming back to Hawaii was to bring (the next generation of actors) up, give them knowledge and experience in terms of acting and prepare them (for) going out to L.A. or New York like I did," Egi said.

"I can encourage and share my knowledge with them. When I left 20 years ago, it would have been nice to have someone who'd been out there who could encourage me (and) to say, 'It's very possible to do that, to achieve that dream (and) to be a working actor.'"

Egi's also working on his Master of Fine Arts degree in theater at UH and hopes he'll be able to direct films one day.

Before catching the rest of the stand-up acts at Hawaiian Hut, Egi talks the entire time onstage. It's clear that in spite of his movie and TV stints, there's nothing like an audience to make him feel alive: "I had a good time. You can't beat it. It's a packed house and everyone's having a good time.

"This for me is my joy, my passion. This is what I love and enjoy doing. I love watching it, I love performing it. It's exciting that there's this renaissance of comedy right now (in Hawaii) where people are coming out to support comedy. I think it's a good time."