About Us
Bo Irvine
Bo Namolokama Irvine, a native Hawaiian, has been thrilling comedy audiences for over 20 years in Hawaii and the U.S. Mainland. He has shared the stage with George Carlin, Howie Mandel, George Lopez, Jeff Foxworthy and George Wallace, to name a few, and has appeared on NBC Late Nite, & Showtime, and was the winner of Last Comic Standing Season 6 Hawaii Showcase, which was filmed in January 2008 and will air later in the year on NBC and Bravo. Before diving into entertainment full time, Irvine was the Director of Safety for the largest Marine base in the South Pacific during which time he earned the coveted Secretary of the Navy Award of Excellence five times. For those of us who know him best, frankly, we’re not sure how he did this.
Eddie & Charlotte Sax
Eddie & Charlotte Sax are the founders of Hawaii’s longest running comedy club chain, the Honolulu Comedy Club and Hawaiian Islands Comedy Tour, which was in operation for eight years in Waikiki, with locations on Maui, Kaua’i and the Big Island. They have also produced shows in Tokyo, Guam, Saipan, Bali and Johnston Atoll. The legend grows each time it’s told: The Saxes are the ones who brought comedy to Hawaii, the South Pacific and, yes, the Free World.
Wanda Shipp
Wanda Shipp, along with Irvine, is the founder of Sharkey's Comedy Club. She handles the theater’s two most important jobs: President and Director of Egos. In the 1980’s, Wanda sold over two million tubes of lipstick for L’Oreal in Canada.
About Comedy Polynesia
The concept for the Comedy Polynesia show had been brewing in Bo Irvine’s mind for several years when he shared the vision with friend and fellow island comedian Chief Sielu Avea. The two island comedy veterans have been working together since the early 90’s when Avea began moonlighting at the Honolulu Comedy Club where Irvine was a fixture. “I spoke with the Chief about producing a show that captures the visitor experience to the islands – our way – through the eyes of comedy as well as culture.”
The concept finally gelled when Honolulu Comedy Club founders Eddie & Charlotte Sax returned to the islands on a vacation. They stayed with the Irvine’s and took in Chief Sielu’s “Fia Fia!” luau at the Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club. The Chief, who is better known as the “Coconut Man” from his two decades at the Polynesian Cultural Center’s Samoan Village, powwowed with Irvine, Wanda Shipp of Sharkey's Comedy Club, and the Saxes to discuss how to turn Irvine’s vision into reality.
“Comedy material that explores the lighter side of Hawaii has been running through our heads for years,” says Irvine. “Besides, most mainland visitors these days are repeat which means they’ve already had their luau experience and are now looking for something different, yet something that’s still connected to Polynesia.”
“And affordable,” says Eddie Sax, who now plays the role of repeat visitor to the islands himself. “Beyond the luaus and other Polynesian shows, which are all wonderful, the pickin’s for English-speaking visitors are slim in Waikiki after dark. The Hawaii Comedy Theater presents two major shows for visitors and locals alike, and at a very low price, an affordable price – Comedy Polynesia and Sharkey's Comedy Club.”