#Twintterview: Marjolein Robertson
Image: Ariel Tong. Check out more of Ariel’s work at: https://www.daisie.com/itsarieltong
One of a select group of performers heading south to Edinburgh, comedian, improv and native Shetlander Marjolein Robertson is bringing her honest and original stand-up to the Fringe for 2019. We caught up with Marjolein for a #Twintterview to find out more about her mysterious homeland…
FB: Hangover cure of choice?
MR: Red diesel. It's a 2:1 of port & brandy. Go to the bar and order 2 double ports and 1 double brandy and a large glass to pour them all into (cocktail skills) — that's the legal way to buy it. Just stop after 3, otherwise it's a whole 3rd night out & Monday will be really hard…
FB: Dumbest thing you get asked about Shetland?
MR: Oh no, too many. Too many. Next time you meet a Shetlander, why not try:
Who is your favourite Norse God?
What is your preferred way to cook sassermaet?
How slow do you have to be at playing a reel on a fiddle to be considered Orcadian?
FB: Five minutes before going onstage, I'm...?
MR: …always really nervous. I'm convinced I need to go to the toilet. Big time. Then afterwards I can go for several days without a single urge. Like a fine hen.
FB: If I wasn't a comedian, I'd definitely be...?
MR: Going to bed at a regular time each night, always able to afford a bed on the 14 hour ferry trip home and maybe finally, paying for haircuts rather than using sheep shears on my ponytail. (I only care about actually having one of those things).
FB: Best and worst things about starting an improv group (in Shetland)?
MR: Best — having a regular comedy show up in Shetland that my Mam and Dad can support me at! Worst — my Mam and Dad in da front row watching me 'pretend' to make love to a freshly laid wall of cement.
FB: Archaeology to comedy is quite a turnaround. Any transferable skills?
MR: Heaps, ability to draw and detail a section, understanding Near Eastern trade routes during the Middle Bronze Age, oh no wait. None. Apart from working with a hangover. That is valuable, in every job. (Powering through WITHOUT a red diesel).
FB: Worst joke you've ever told?
MR: I used to tell a shaggy dog story about learned behaviour in cats (eating branflakes) where it turned out my cat had been dead the entire time. Thing is, didn't work in Shetland because everyone was like: "We know, we saw pictures of the cat's grave on your Mam's Facebook page."
You can catch Marjolein’s show Da Shetland Spree in The Stand Comedy Club (Stand 2), July 31 and August 2-11, 13-25.