David Sedaris

It’s nearly perfect that the mischief-minded David Sedaris first gained fame for being an elf. If you’ve heard of Sedaris at all, you know about his hilarious, sardonic memoir “The SantaLand Diaries,” detailing his petty humiliations as one of Kris Kringle’s helpers at Macy’s department store. Insightful, bitter and genuinely sidesplitting, it struck a nerve among NPR listeners and freed Sedaris from elfdom and a series of other go-nowhere jobs. Since then he’s written four books of essays and stories, and still contributes regularly to Ira Glass’ radio series This American Life. He’s got a terrific ear for dialogue and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of dry wit. He also has a knack for recognizing and capturing life’s bizarre little moments. These often prompt his funniest observations, whether he’s struggling to explain Easter to a Muslim in a language he barely knows or explaining the way of the Rooster, his yokel younger brother who thinks a businesslike name for his floor-sanding company is “Silly P’s.” His last book, Me Talk Pretty One Day, actually caused fights in our house over who got to read it next. But his real skill is as a monologist, easily on par with Spalding Gray, and his stories are best heard rather than read. State Theater, 805 Hennepin Avenue, (612) 339-7007, hennepintheatredistrict.com