Meet the comedian: Marjolein Robertson
Asking comedians the 5 essential questions in culture
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Welcome to our weekly feature for premium subscribers, where we have a really quick chat with a comedian you might have come across in LMAOnaise before. We want you to get to know the people whose shows we recommend a little better, so we’ve had them answer five of the most pressing questions in culture at the moment.
What is the best thing you’ve witnessed this week?
I've just been to Pompeii. As a graduate of archaeology, it was an incredible experience. Beautiful paintings, architecture. And. Full of cats. Lying around, purring, loving the loss of human life 2000 years ago. Absolute monsters of chaos. They're evil, man. And I cuddled every single one. The children.
What is the sexiest name in the world?
That's tricky to answer by myself. Tell me: what's your Daddy's name? Yeah. That's the one.
Where is the best place in the world to openly cry?
Love a little cry, whether in my room in the golden hour, or outside in a moonlight glade, or even among my Swedish brethren at our midsommar celebrations whilst burning our sacrifices. But genuinely, at the Fringe, The Stand Comedy Club had a little stool for me in their office called Marjolein's Crying Stool that got me through a few Fringe's. Most notably 'Marj', cause that show was an emotional one. I WONDER WHERE I'LL BE CRYING IN EDINBURGH EVERY DAY THIS YEAR. Come, bring your tears and join in.
How do planes stay up?
I studied Nautical Studies at school, even got my Level 1 Seamanship to show for it. And I can tell you this what I learned from wet; an object floats as long as it weighs less than the volume of water it displaces. So. By the same logic: planes weigh less than air.
Describe your Dungeons and Dragons character
A human comedian, female, dark hair, from Shetland and full of old folktales. She masquerades as a mortal until the great plagues of 2028 and then she rides on her nine-headed beast to fight off the evil space wizards and protect the earth. It's me, bitches. You're welcome.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter, following me on Instagram or speaking to me generally in real life for a while, you’ll have heard about the impact that Marjolein Robertson’s last show had on me. Through the vivid and rich story-weaving she is so well known for, ‘O’ chronicled a Shetland childhood, local folklore, and her struggle with a serious gynaecological condition. It was visceral and melodic at the same time, and a feat that I believe only Marjolein could pull off.
I saw this show halfway through my time at the Fringe, and it immediately became the one I urged people to see when I bumped into them. She is unparalleled in her ability to leap around genres of storytelling and knits together an hour of comedy so complex that the crux of the show is always a surprise. There isn’t anyone else doing it like Marjolein.
Watching it felt like a moment for me personally as I sat there in immense physical pain and exhaustion from my own period-related issues. Two months later, coming around from general anaesthetic, my doctor told me I had the same thing: a word I had only heard spoken before by Marjolein (a fact I relayed in my drug-addled state to a very confused gynaecologist).
The fact that men kept fainting during the show would have been enough for me to be excited by it, but finding out that they had been fainting at descriptions of what I have to deal with on a monthly basis (and its potential complications) is, honestly, still a bit of a thrill.
Anyway, this isn’t about me, but it is about the impact that comedy can have. She’s the argument for comedy being considered an art form.
Her new show at Edinburgh Fringe this August is the final part of her trilogy. Following ‘Marj’ and ‘O’, where she explored the mind and body, ‘Lein’ (get it?) bares the soul. I’m buzzing to see what this will entail.
You can and should watch the full hour, ‘Marj’ here:
See Marjolein Robertson: Lein at the Edinburgh Fringe, Aug 1-24th, 8:20pm in the Pleasance Queen Dome. Tickets here
It’s less than three weeks to the Fringe. Can someone tell me how to brew more hours in the day?
love you,
Zoë x