Varla Jean Merman

Groundbreaking drag performer, actor and singer Jeffery Roberston, aka Varla Jean Merman, is an icon. Perhaps best known for her role in the classic indie Girls Will Be Girls, Merman has featured in a broad range of short films and live cabaret over the years. Born out of Robertson’s heyday at Louisiana State University’s School of Music, Merman is the fictitious daughter of Ernest Borgnine and Ethel Merman. Quickly gaining notoriety throughout the drag scene, Merman has since become a staple featuring artist in some of the biggest cities in the world, including London, New York City and Sydney.

Throughout Merman’s illustrious career, she has written and starred in Logo’s educational short film about the Stonewall riots and regularly features on national television. She appeared in Project Runway’s Good Queen Fun episode, starred as Rosemary Chicken in All My Children, portrayed a surrogate mother in Varla Jean and the Mushroomheads, and featured in the HBO original documentary Dragtime.

Off-screen, Merman has become a prolific theatre and Broadway star. Some of her most notable credits include Mary Sunshine in the Broadway revival of Chicago, the off-Broadway musical Lucky Guy and Madam Flora in the Off-Broadway production of Menotti’s acclaimed opera The Medium. Merman has also starred in the titular role in the Gold Dust Orphans production of Mildred Fierce. With a range of projects in the works, including the fabulous Legends of Drag, Merman will be entertaining audiences for years to come.