I’d never heard of Amanda Seales, but I was open to seeing her live game show called “Smart Funny & Black” at a theater in Philadelphia when a friend suggested it.
The friend later sent me a link, and I saw that the topic was African American history. A game show with humor AND African American history? How could I resist?
When we arrived at the theater last weekend a little earlier than planned, only a handful of people stood outside before the doors opened. When we took our seats inside this old theater that once presented pre-Medea stage plays produced by Shelly Garrett, I watched as a few people ambled in, worried that not enough folks would show up for Seales’ show.
Was I wrong! By the time she bounced on stage, the place was thick with people: hundreds of young, black, mostly female fans, seemingly in their 20s and 30s, fired up and ready. (Beforehand, I had watched an elderly man walk down the aisle as an usher rushed over to show him to his seat. He seemed so out of place, but he must have been as avid a fan as the people 50 years younger.)
Seales had the agility of a tiger and the bite to go with it. With her blonde braids whipping, she was all over that stage (pushing 40, the girl must have a trainer or spends a lot of time at the gym), her infectious energy spread over us a like a cool breeze on this hot muggy Sunday in the city. (Fortunately, it wasn’t hot in the theater).
She dropped a few cuss words – well, more than a few – but she told her own truths – well, our own truths because we all agreed with her. She is a remarkable performer who has created a show of disparate elements that we all could learn from. I sat there hoping the young people were doing more than just laughing and dancing but were seeing how they could be just as creative. I also wondered how many were registered voters because they will desperately be needed in the next presidential election to help ensure that voices such as Seales remain unfettered.
Seales’ traveling show – which, she noted, sold out at the famed Apollo in New York this month – was an entertaining free-for-all, and was much more than a game show. First, we stood and bellowed out “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the black national anthem. Later, we chimed in with her and her band on the songs of such performers as Frankie Beverly and Maze and Jill Scott. We had our “Moment of Ebony Excellence” a half dozen or so times. We danced the Electric Slide in the tiny spaces at our seats. And we laughed-our-butts-off through her two-hour performance.
In a January interview with Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show,” she described the experience as “learning while laughing. … It’s about entertainment and comedy.”
On stage, she said the show was about black culture, black history and the black experience, while noting that white people were welcome but had to know their place and not try to interject their reality into it (which apparently happened at a show earlier this year.)
Seales started the game show because she was tired of seeing so much negativity regarding African Americans, she told us. She knows the truth about African American contributions because she has a master’s in African American history with a concentration in hip hop from Columbia University.
She’s host of the new NBC comedy competition show “Bring The Funny.” On HBO, she had a one-hour stand-up comedy special titled “I Be Knowin’,” and she plays Tiffany DuBois on Issa Rae’s “Insecure.” She also toured with the musical group Floetry. Politically, she has spoken out on a variety of subjects, including racism, sexism and police brutality. Seales has almost a million followers on Instagram and has a podcast titled “Small Doses.” She is also a “cat lady.”
She told one interviewer that she grew up watching “The Price is Right” and “Family Feud,” and her family had a game night. She has been doing “Smart Funny & Black” since 2016, she said.
Her own game show in Philadelphia consisted of comedians TuRae Gordon and Roy Wood Jr., a correspondent on the Daily Show, whose answers to questions about black history sometimes had nothing to do with the truth. They were vying to out-funny the other to become a Smart Funny & Black “Master Blackspert.”
On a question about black inventors, Seales showed a photo of several people plus their inventions. Her question to the comedians: How or why did they come up with the inventions? The inventors included Dr. Shirley Jackson (caller ID), Otis Boykins (pacemaker), Garrett Morgan (traffic light) and Lonnie Johnson (Super Soaker). Their story answers were both fictitious and hilarious.
In another game-show question, she chose volunteers from the audience to assist the comedians with answers about musical figures from Philly: Jill Scott, Boyz II Men, Tammi Terrell, a woman named Crystal Waters, whom no one could identify. We sang along with her on their songs, but when the answer was Patti LaBelle, she let the diva – as her younger self – sing from a big screen. No one does Patti better than Patti. (We wondered why Teddy didn’t make the list and the “why” of her choice of a Boyz II Men song. No “End of the Road”?
The acoustics were lousy in the theater, and we had a hard time understanding some of what was being said. Regardless, it was a very lively, robust show that I’d certainly recommend if it comes to your town.
Sherry, Whenever I read a story on Auction Finds, I spend hours on this site because I am drawn to story after story. I had not heard of Amanda Seales. Since I traded cable for a Firestick, I searched Amanda’s name and a slew of info and interviews came up, including her interview with Trevor Noah (my NEW favorite comedian). I’m going to learn about Seales and then I will return to your site for further education.