Three men sit on stage, legs crossed, wearing nothing but their skivvies. They’re about to explain the wonders of the Asian male body with, well, more show than tell.

To a cringing, squirming audience, the shameless trio flexes and stretches, poses and pivots.

“See? No body hair,” one says, drawing attention to his bare chest. “Also, Asians have no armpit odor.” 

And then, gently tugging at their spandex briefs, they decide to do it. Once and for all, they take one for Asian men everywhere and dispel the myth. (Don’t worry, the sight is PG-rated.) The crowd gasps — and then bursts into hysterics.

The scene is part of “Louder! Faster! Funnier!,” a live show performed by San Francisco’s sketch comedy troupe 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors. In a fast-paced production, the group of shamelessly silly men (and one woman) takes humorous swipes at everything from cultural issues to politics to pop culture.

Today, Asian American comedy groups are multiplying rapidly. From L.A. to New York, these low-budget companies explore themes of race and identity through the universal language of laughter. For those who’ve been in the game for a while, the goal is to evolve with the times. 

“In Asian American comedy, you get a lot of repeat jokes: fortune cookies, happy ending massages, stinky foods, F.O.B. accents, crazy Asian grandmas,” says Maggie Lee, a writer, actor and producer for Seattle’s long-running Pork Filled Players. “We’re forced to think of new topics in order to keep ourselves fresh.”

These niche performance groups can also be a breeding ground for up-and-coming actors hoping to propel into the mainstream. C.S. Lee of Showtime’s “Dexter” and NBC’s “Chuck” was a founding member of New York’s Asian American comedy group Mellow Yellow. “Heroes” cast member James Kyson Lee honed his acting skills as part of L.A. improvisation troupe Room to Improv.   

Eddie Kim, co-director of Projekt NewSpeak’s Sketch Comedy Show in Los Angeles, says his organization aims to create opportunities for Asian American actors, who often struggle to make it in Hollywood. Along the way, comedy allows them to speak the truth about important issues without having to speak in code.

“We just want people to laugh and be like, ‘I understand,’” Kim says.

 

Here are eight Asian American comedy groups (all with a healthy dose of KAs) coming to a stage near you:

 

Cold Tofu Improv

 

Founded: 1981

Location: Los Angeles

Founding members: Marilyn Tokuda, Denice Kumagai, Judy Momii and Irma Escamilla

Artistic director: Helen Ota

 

- Description: In 1981, before the world had heard of Margaret Cho, Bobby Lee and Russell Peters, four women sought to enter unexplored territory: Asian American comedy. They wanted to explore universal themes that people of all backgrounds could relate to. Thus, as a groundbreaking grassroots project, Cold Tofu was born. Today, the long-running improv company has become an active resource in the community with its core members entertaining crowds across Southern California and hosting improvisation workshops for actors of all levels. At live shows, performers transform into soap opera stars, karaoke singers and even characters in a pop-up storybook.