Chantel Marostica wants you to feel as if "Peter Pan kissed you on the face" when their set is done.
The Toronto-based comedian is coming to Halifax for the first time this weekend. Whether Marostica is performing in Winnipeg or Yellowknife, they want their material to be relatable: "If I'm talking about growing up in Winnipeg or living in Toronto, it's in a way that they're like, 'Yeah! I get it, that place sucks,' or 'I get it, that place must rule.'"
Marostica says it can be tough to get people to come out to shows, but they try to heighten their appeal by putting a unique spin on the shows they produce. White Girl Wasted, for instance, is exactly what it sounds like: "It's an all-female showcase and they're all drunk."
There's also Queer and Present Danger, a tour which aims to highlight LGBTQ+ comedians around Canada.
Marostica's sets (see sidebar for this weekend's Halifax details) hone in on physical comedy, and they try to incorporate singing whenever they can. "Ever since I was a kid I had a very talking face—you could read every emotion on me because of the way that I move and the way that my face moves," they say. "I tend to write stuff that's really physical or like, talking heads. So it's just like finding a happy medium where I can use the gifts that I naturally have."
Marostica adds that their face is memorable, which can be an advantage.
"Some people come up to me and they won't be able to quote a joke, but they're like, 'I just like you.'"