Lawrence Dodd has a sparkly twinkle in his eye. It holds playfulness, sincerity, childlike wisdom, and a sort of beautiful humanness in it all at once.
This beautiful blend is what the show is. Dodd’s personality exudes through the performance, and into every one of us in the audience that engages with it. He transforms the people sitting in the rowed seats facing the stage into a loving group of close friends over the hour, through a range of partly improvised group dances, compassionate speeches and guided meditations, amongst other things.
Throughout, there is a firm underlying sense of silliness – silliness of human nature, silliness of the world around us, silliness of life itself. But contradictorily, this silliness is imparted in the humour not through satire or irony, but with a completely honest sincerity – everything he says he means. The comedy, instead, lies in the character he plays, through his stammers, physicality, and comicality.
We often found ourselves infected with Dodd’s very silly and very sincere character, giddily dancing along with him and jolting our bodies together in joyful freedom. Other times, we found ourselves listening to his insights with genuine seriousness, until he made us all burst into uncontrollable giggling with a funny remark.
That is not to say this is an ordinary show in any form. It was delightfully strange and experimental (there were moments throughout where I looked at the person next to me as if to ask “What is going on?”). But eventually as the hour went on, we got used to the insanity and joined in on it – to realise Dodd’s seemingly strange performances and dances weren’t insanity, but childlike freedom we forgot about.
In this way the show felt like what a psychedelic trip may be like – inducing us to try get rid of any judgement we have of others and of the self, and move into a freer, radical freedom. One that reremembers its childlike core and what it means to be human and alive along with everyone else.
This act was still unbelievably entertaining throughout and there was never a dull moment nor one where you did not feel loved. It reminded us what life is about – collective gratitude and togetherness.
Laurence Dodd is a charismatic force of nature who through this show, will change your worldview and everyone you see in it.
Lawrence Dodd: This Can’t Be It is running until 31 August at Nook at Gilded Balloon Teviot. Buy tickets here.
Image by Charlie Ralph, provided for press use.
