“It’s the people, the friendliness. It’s being able to walk down Spring Garden and know that you’re going to see someone you know. London is a very lonely place, despite the fact that you’re always surrounded by people, they don’t interact the way people do in Halifax,” says comedian Peter White. “When you walk into a store in London, no one speaks to you. I just don’t get the same sense of community that I felt in Halifax.”
The former 22 Minutes writer will be performing for one night only at the Carleton Bar and Grill (1685 Argyle) on Monday, December 23 (8pm, $10, with Ian Black and Bryant Thomson).
After moving to England over two years ago, the homegrown comedian has been on the road touring Europe and plans to tour Asia and the Middle East this coming year.
When asked if, in all his travels, he’s found a place like Halifax, White says: “Nowhere is exactly like Halifax, but the place I’ve been that’s the closest is probably Liverpool, England. It’s got the same kind of relaxed vibe, and it’s on the ocean as well. I feel weird saying it, because my last show there a man threatened to kill me while I was onstage and then spit in a woman’s face, but that show aside, the town has a pretty Halifax vibe to it. I’m not selling the place well. Fuck it. Boston. Boston, Massachusetts is the most like Halifax.”
White describes the tough decision to leave home as career-oriented. “There’s a pretty low ceiling in Canada for entertainment, especially for live entertainment. I love Canada, but it’s a pretty exhausting and expensive place to tour. Too few people and too much space, so in order to make a good living you have to be traveling constantly.”
White’s online videos have comments praising him from places you’d need Google Maps to find. His shows are “memorable and hilarious”, folks from the 15 countries he’s performed in will agree.
This article appears in Dec 19-25, 2013.