Varla Jean Merman is a character originated and portrayed by Jeffery Roberson, an American actor, singer and drag performer. Varla's fictitious pedigree boasts that Ernest Borgnine is her father and Ethel Merman is her mother. Varla's shows are a staple of summer entertainment in Provincetown, Massachusetts. She also performs fairly often in New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, London and has also enjoyed billing at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. Roberson has almost always been credited as either "Varla Merman" or "Varla Jean Merman" rather than his birth name.