★★★★
As well as being a way to simply make people laugh, stand up comedy also offers a commentary on the state of the nation. Shetlandic comedian Marjolein Robertson discusses her 14-year long ordeal with a condition she now knows as adenomyosis in her 2024 Fringe show O.
Using the rich Shetlandic tradition of folklore, she uses the ancient goddess “Seamither” to tell the story of how she almost died haemorrhaging from a 10 day long period when she was 16, illustrating the rage she has felt both from her hormones going haywire and the lack of effective treatment for her condition with how the Seamither gives Shetland its chilly Atlantic wind. Her ability to weave her story throughout ancient folklore is unrivalled.
Robertson’s set had every woman in the room nodding along in sympathy and exchanging knowing laughs as she described the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of every contraceptive method used to treat her condition. It provoked reflection, rather than discomfort among the men in the audience.
Making light of a situation that almost saw a 16 year old bleed to death doesn’t come easy to many people, but Marjolein is unashamedly weird. She starts her set off with her elaborate plans for her own funeral, telling the audience it had been in the works since the age of 7. She acknowledges her met might be “unsettlettling” for many people as she took us on a journey sprinkled with anecdotes about her life on the Shetland Islands where she says her main form of entertainment was watching her father birth sheep.
Robertson also amused audience with her love of Animal Hospital, leaving the audience with the distinctive theme tune in their heads for days afterwards. She laments how many morning after pills she wasted before learning her condition affected her fertility levels, saying she sounded like a rain stick when she walked around.
There are subtle Stewart Lee style callbacks and breaking the fourth wall throughout Robertson’s set which show an intelligence and commitment to her craft that is currently unrivalled on the Scottish comedy circuit. It is clear Robertson has put much thought into her set and weaving a unique story through the performance. Ultimately Robertson’s audience is left with a powerful message that she insists is “not a sob story” but instead a call to believe women and listen to them.
Marjolein Robertson plays Monkey Barrell Comedy at The Hive at 17.40 from 1-11 August and 13-25 August.
Words by Lauren Gilmour
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