Atsuko Okatsuka has invited the admiration of the internet with her twerk hard, play hard approach to comedy. She’s aced a stand-up set during a Pasadena earthquake. She’s inspired the world’s TikTokers to take part in her viral Drop Challenge dance. And she’s made history as only the second Asian American woman to have her own special on HBO, following Margaret Cho 30 years prior.
At this point, is there anything Okatsuka can’t do? Most definitely. The bowl-cut comic with the wingwoman grandmother is the first to admit she’s still a work in progress. That’s what the crux of her first theater tour, Full Grown, is all about.
“There’s the literal, ‘I’ve grown as a comedian and I’m in bigger spaces, I’m in theaters now.’ That’s being grown. But also as a comedian, and when it comes to life, it’s kind of joking that I haven’t really grown in life,” Okatsuka says. “There’s family secrets that I delve into, my relationship with my husband, and making friends as an adult. It’s growing and then there’s a lack of growing. Why? It has to do with family.”
Okatsuka debuted The Intruder on HBO in 2022 to rave reviews, specifically for how she navigates the art of comedic storytelling, arranging her hour-long set into three acts that spotlight everything from her complex upbringing, to a wild night out at Magic Mike Live, to dealing with a home intruder who, awkwardly, looks a lot like her husband.
For Okatsuka, who admits she didn’t fully find her comedic voice until about five years ago, it took time to perfect those story beats, along with her bold style. But that’s the journey of a comic.
“Confidence can always be there. And for me, I always loved performing so it wasn’t so hard to tap into that. But confidence changes, you know?” she says. “They say it takes 10 years for you to find out what your voice is in comedy, because it’s your stage persona, but it’s still you being your authentic self. But how much of it?”
More stage real estate on this theater tour will undoubtedly allow Okatsuka’s true character and physicality as a comedian to shine.
“The show’s gonna be fun because ... there will be blood,” she jokes. “Doing comedy, it’s like finding your fellow weirdos, you know?
“The people that have gravitated towards me, also in the entertainment industry, have been the weirdos. Like, the Blue Man Group are my friends, Cirque du Soleil too, and [dancer] Patrick Packing of Magic Mike. I’m just trying to figure out a way where I can have all of them at my show.”
The 35-year-old last performed in Las Vegas at Life Is Beautiful 2022, on a bill with Fire Island’s Joel Kim Booster and Hacks’ Hannah Einbinder. Okatsuka’s return to town—and Magic Mike Live—can’t come soon enough.
“I’ve been to that show three times,” she says. “I went once with girlfriends, once with me and Ryan, my husband. It was our first-year anniversary. Third time’s when I brought my grandma.
“I love a mall, and that’s what Vegas is, a huge mall—with buffets.”
So given the choice, what trade would Okatsuka take up if she lived here full time?
“HostingMagic Mike,” she decides, “or I could be a burlesque dancer, but I’d want to talk on the microphone. Also maybe hosting bingo.”
Job security achieved and with a big theater show on the way, Okatsuka has high hopes for Full Grown and the message it conveys to fans.
“I hope they get ... that there’s a lot of fellow weirdos out there, and that there’s a community for us,” she says. “We’re all trying our best.” Take it easy on yourself.”
ATSUKO OKATSUKA January 20, 10 p.m., $26-$99. Mirage Theatre, ticketmaster.com.
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