Marj

Marjolein Robertson starts with a lighthearted, slightly strange persona, telling stories about taking acid, playing the fiddle, and studying seamanship in the Shetland Islands. But she quickly drops the house lights to tell a traditional Shetland folktale about a selkie losing her skin, using the myth as a parallel for her own experience with an emotionally abusive relationship. It is a striking structural choice, shifting from whimsical, oddball stand-up to a quiet, stark disclosure of trauma.\n\nFilmed at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow and released on YouTube in 2025, ‘Marj’ represents the first installment in an autobiographical stand-up trilogy (spanning ‘Marj’, ‘O’, and ‘Lein’) addressing her mind, body, and soul. Originally debuting at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to critical praise, the hour established Robertson as a singular voice on the UK circuit, earning her award nominations and helping her secure a nomination for the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Comedy Award in 2025. She balances the heavier material with callbacks to previous shows, her nephew’s taste in dungeon-core music, and linguistic deep-dives into Shetland dialect.