Comedian prepares for first solo gig ahead of vital open heart surgery

Comedian prepares for first solo gig ahead of vital open heart surgery

23 October 2019

A STAND-UP comedian is determined to have the last laugh as he prepares for his first solo show ahead of vital open heart surgery.

Jordan Robinson from Derryboy will undergo a life-extending operation early next year to replace a valve in his heart — knowing there is a small chance that he may not make it through.

The prospect of the forthcoming major procedure has compelled the 26 year-old to stage a full-length stand-up show in Belfast next month.

In a shocking move to some people, Jordan has called the show Pig Heart, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the medical technique which may be used.

“If I don’t get the operation, my life expectancy isn’t great. It’s between five and ten years,” said Jordan.

“The surgeons need to repair the tricuspid valve in my heart and if they can’t repair it then they will need to replace it. They will either use a mechanical valve or a valve made up of animal tissues, the majority of which comes from pigs. 

“That’s where the idea and the name for the show comes from as the majority of heart repairs today involve pig tissue,” he explained.

“There’s a five to seven per cent chance that I could die during the surgery so that put the wind in my sails which made me want to do my first solo show.”

Jordan, who is one of the upcoming stars of the stand-up circuit across the UK and Ireland, was just two weeks old when he was diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

The son of Anne and the late Leslie Robinson, Jordan says that he had a happy and uneventful childhood apart from periods when he would have to go into hospital for several weeks at a time.

He explained: “I’ve had five to six pulmonary stretches over 

the years with the last being in February, 2017. It wasn‘t too bad really as I can’t remember most of it.

“It’s keyhole surgery where the surgeons basically a balloon through my pulmonary gland that widens the valve so that blood can pass through easily. But this surgery is the big Kahuna.”

The former Saintfield High School student admits that his natural leaning to the darker side of looking at life complements his stand-up act.

“I don’t know what’s not funny unless it’s dark as I have just got that sense of humour,” said Jordan.“ A lot of what I say is not really child-friendly because of my whole leaning to the dark side of things.”

It seems that his fellow comedians are not overly concerned about his impending surgery.

Jordan said: “There’s a lot of self-deprecating humour that goes hand in hand with stand-up comedians so they would more offer me jokes than be shocked about anything.”

Jordan progressed into doing stand-up comedy after learning comedy improvisation at the Belfast Improv Company in 2017.

His first stand-up gig was in Belfast’s Pavilion Bar in April last year before he took himself on a short tour of the US where he honed his act.

Jordan is now gigging most nights and has already 70 nights under this belt this year.

However, he realised that he needed to expand his material in order to stage his first solo show at the Sunflower Bar on Tuesday, November 19 when Jordan will be supported by Dundrum comedian, Jack McKee, with William Thompson acting as MC.

“The whole 40 minute show is not all just about my heart and operation,” said Jordan. “But while most of the material is tried and tested, some of it is brand new for the show.”

Jordan’s surgery could be held as early as January next year at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

And while there will be mounting trepidation for the young man, he says that the show is his main focus.

“I just want to get the surgery done. I’m more excited about the show than the surgery,” he explained. 

“If the surgery goes well, I plan to take the show to the Glasgow International Comedy Festival next St Patrick’s Day. I’ll spend a month recovering in hospital but I would rather be planning the festival show rather than sitting there licking my wounds so to speak.”

Jordan also remains hopeful about the success of the surgery, adding: “It should last me for a while but there’s no crystal ball with this type of thing. 

“As I age, there might be further complications and it depends on whether it’s animal tissue which is used or mechanical. With the mechanical valve I won’t need to get it replaced but I would need to take the blood thinner such as Warfarin which I don’t really want to do.”

People attending next month’s Belfast show can pay whatever entrance fee they want, but tickets can be bought online at www.eventbrite.com/e/jordan-robinson-pig-heart-tickets-77366193367 for £5.

All proceeds will go to the Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke charity.