A man in a suit sits onstage at a Roppongi theater in May and fires a fart-fueled dart at a balloon. Later, another comedian flips through oversize image boards to tell an increasingly absurd narrative about feeding ever-larger pies to an old lady. The audience responds with bewilderment, laughter and applause.

This is Yoshimoto Comedy Night Owarai, an English-language comedy show staged every Monday by Yoshimoto Kogyo, the powerhouse talent agency best known for its comedians.

The Osaka-based company also stages a similar event called Nandeyanen every Friday at in its hometown. The title of the show comes from a Kansai dialect catchphrase now synonymous with the region¡¯s comedians.