Edinburgh Fringe
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Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
Image: Trudy Stade
by Zoe Paskett
Marjolein Robertson awakes on the stage. From under a white sheet, she stretches and immediately considers whether she could leave. The door’s right there, the way out is illuminated, but instead of leaving, she dives right into an ancient folktale.
Lein is the final part of her trilogy, following Marj and O (get it?), and again she combines folk storytelling with stand-up to form her unique show. Marj tackled the mind, O, the body and in Lein, it’s the soul.
The folktale she chooses this time sees a girl lost in a misty wood clearing, trying to find her way home. It’s a story of magic, dreams, and in some ways, creating art out of unexpected substances. I won’t reveal any more of the tale – no one can tell it like Marjolein, so there’s no point even trying. The folk story weaves in and out of the real worst year of her life, when she moved to Amsterdam, lost her flat, her job, was robbed and, worst of all, had to live with four jazz musicians. It’s also the story of how she found stand-up.
I adored Marj (which you can watch on YouTube for free!), and O made a huge impact on me last Fringe. It’s not difficult to see how performing shows like these every day for a month would wear you down, no matter how beautiful the words. After the first two shows saw her delve into two different traumas that brought up trauma again to perform, she considers the impact of making work that continues to harm you as you try to heal. Why would the protection she built from the world’s sharp edges betray her? And why would she carry on doing this when she could simply leave?
The answer is simple: because this is what she should be doing. Marjolein’s perspective is a gift and Lein is another hypnotic, lyrical piece of work, and as funny as ever. Even if we haven’t all watched nuns trampolining in Amsterdam, being lost is a universal feeling. There is always a relatable heart to her shows that captures you just as much as the magic of the storytelling.
Like the girl making her way through the mist, Marjolein finds her way back. She finds support in and returns the favour to a recently divorced friend (even if their conversations don’t pass the Bechdel Test), and obviously there’s always comfort in a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, two men and four hobbits (who definitely don’t pass the Bechdel Test), which comes with the most glorious joke pay-off for fans of the Fellowship e.g. me.
It’s not lost on me that the Queen Dome stage somewhat resembles a forest clearing, of which Marjolein finds her way out by the end. Her stories are evidence that beautiful things can come from terrible times, and stories have power to lead you a certain amount of the way, but it’s Marjolein’s own strength that shines through in the end.
Marjolein Robertson: Lein is at Pleasance Dome (Queen Dome) at 20:20. Tickets here
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