New York based comedian Seaton Smith is a fantastic storyteller, and he uses this skill to paint a hilarious picture of living in New York. His comedy is unmistakably American as he discusses race and politics from a black man’s perspective. He dives straight in with controversial topics in rapid-fire succession: gender identity, slavery, suicide, all of which earn a gasp then a laugh from the audience.
Seaton weaves the theme of trauma into each joke whether it be picking up dog waste with a bag that’s too thin or surviving homeless ‘crackheads’ in the Big Apple. While still funny, some US specific references such as (American) football player, Travis Hunter and his ‘ho’ girlfriend would resonate more with an American crowd.
Despite this nitpick, the jokes still land with the laughter barely lets up for the animated hour-long set. At one point the audience is invited to share their own trauma. His improvised witty responses are just as funny as his tightly prepared material. Seaton also isn’t scared to poke fun at the middle-class white people in attendance.
His vivid anecdotes – whether it is his mother’s experience working in a slave museum or his shotgun wielding father – had the crowd still laughing into the subsequent jokes. The stories are all told with an excitable energy and just when you think the punchline has hit, Seaton follows it up with the second.
Seaton Smith: Trauma bonding, 20:30, Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Three), until Aug 24 (not 11)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/seaton-smith-trauma-bonding
