Marjolein Robertson @ The Stand, Edinburgh

In Marj, Marjolein Robertson skillfully combines her charismatic oddities and (perceived) islander innocence with a heartfelt folktale about a selkie who loses her magical skin. Her surreal gags (frequent callbacks to fish not having hands and her nephew’s love for dungeon-core music, to name two) and cutaways to the parallel, fantastical story elevate the hour into something more than the work of an amusing bard.

Robertson has a hell of a lot of charm. It’s thanks to her charisma and stage presence that a few frankly batshit audience members are received with goodwill and warmth, who could easily have been the end of some lesser performers in this particular room. Instead, she keeps everyone rapt in her stories, and rightly so.

She’s happy to highlight her strange escapades, then one-up herself with even odder happenings (ever thought you’ve eaten a bit of the moon?), a feat not even her audience can quite manage. It’s in stark contrast to the reveal of her story, with the comedian switching modes from happy-go-lucky to a howl of pain in an instant. In other hands, there would have been a slower build – clues more strategically placed, heavy handed hints – but her lightness of touch and a trick of complete distraction suits Robertson, and her story, much better.

Marj is a neat, complete hour from a consummate storyteller with more than a hint of weird. For a tale about the erosion of self, it sees Robertson stand firm in her personality, talent and craft.

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Marjolein Robertson: Marj, reviewed on 6 March at The Stand, Edinburgh; Marj tours until 17 May, including The Stand, Glasgow, 8 Apr.
Follow Marjolein on Twitter at @marjoleinr and @marjoleinrobertson on Instagram and TikTok

https://linktr.ee/MarjoleinRobertson