Review by Maria Bamford – an unflinching comedienne who is in complete control of every joke and every move | platform

‘WWhy did the Americans decide to elect a dictator for the second time? Maria Bamford asks her audience after a recent somersault. One word: money. In her new show, which will soon embark on a North American tour, she delves into the temptations, benefits and complexities of cash for herself, her friends, and the anxious culture surrounding them. Although she inherited what she calls “generational wealth” after the premature death of her parents, and is a longtime presence in her business, Bamford still approaches the world with a fundamentally economic mindset.

This is the idea on paper. In practice, Bamford has never been one for clean narratives. Instead, she lures us in with bursts of maniacal physical expression: she runs in circles on tiptoe before falling fully extended to the floor, all while clutching the microphone. Bamford is a comedian who nails every joke, every move.

As always, mental health runs through the group. Her slight tremors are noted early on: “Thank God you’re treating her,” she growls self-deprecatingly. When health care isn’t an option, she suggests turning to podcasts for help. In one animated scene, she slips into the voice of therapist Esther Perel, infusing Sponsored Advertisements with the language of clinical wisdom. Elsewhere, she references her work as a suicide helpline operator, losing her home in the Los Angeles fires, and recalls being in the hospice room when her mother took her last breaths, not being completely calm.

It’s the typically unflinching turn of Bamford, who never stops poking fun at her quirks and compulsions. On stage, she is a natural chameleon, transitioning from her shy, loud mannerisms to larger-than-life personas. Best of all is when she slips into the voice and body of a middle-class white woman: she speaks as if drunk on wine and convinced she’s about to reveal something profound.

Is it her most focused work? Maybe not. But it remains a ridiculous and fast presence. “This is a job,” she says of being a comedian, still in disbelief. However, to us, her precise and utterly distinctive craft is unmistakable.