Maria Bamford, one of stand-up comedy's most celebrated stars, caught her fellow Minnesotans up Saturday night at St. Paul's Ordway Theater, riffing on her futile attempt to get a restraining order against President Trump, her misadventures sharing a kitchen with LaToya Jackson on the reality series, "Worst Cooks in America" and how she negotiated an honorarium last year when she was the University of Minnesota's commencement speaker.
But the most riveting portions of her nearly one-hour performance came whenever she poked gentle fun at Mom and Dad, if only because they were in the audience.
When she wasn't punctuating jokes with a collection of silly walks rejected by Monty Python, Bamford was slipping into nearly a dozen characters, including the parents who raised her in Duluth.
Bamford recalled asking her father what he thought of her sitcom, "Lady Dynamite," which was canceled after two critically acclaimed seasons on Netflix.
"Whatever you need to do for money," he had replied.
Mom came up several times, most notably in the evening's centerpiece, a conversation they once had about religion, reimagined as a play-by-play sporting event.
Bamford exited by referring to her folks one last time.
"I have to go see my parents backstage and get their notes," she said.
