one4review | On 27, Aug 2026

This opens with us walking into the room between Dodd’s legs as he shakes each of our hands and greets us with a warmth and positivity that is Buddha-esque.

Dodd wants us all to reach a different level. At points, this is less a comedy show and more a shamanic experience. That isn’t to say it isn’t incredibly funny, but it is strange and uncomfortable. In some shows, you get to sit without being perceived. You are simply entertained, and there is a lot to be said for that. Dodd’s show is all in. You have to be otherwise why are you there?

If you’re searching for something—if there’s an itch inside you that you just cannot scratch, if there’s a place you’re trying to get to and you don’t know where it is but still want to go—Dodd seems to be the person who can take you there.

I don’t even want to go into detail about what happened in our show, because our show was a one-off. We all touched. We all joined hands. Everyone chanted. We sang. We did three-part harmonies. We left the room singing. There was so much going on.

Towards the end, Dodd came up against a wall of indifference, but consistently refused to give up. What was strange was that some of the stuff was so simple, yet it made us feel naked.

I ended up looking deep into the eyes of a man who had been sitting two rows in front of me, three seats along to my left. The realisation I had was that this man had faced a great deal of sadness in recent times. I said that to him, and he replied, “That’s absolutely true.” it’s one of the deepest conversations I’ve had in months.

Dodd creates connection. He creates a joyful, one-off experience that you will never have again. He is shamanic in his approach, but he is also filled with a deep love of everyone in the audience.

This isn’t for someone who wants to sit at a show cross-armed, waiting for someone to entertain them. This show is for the seekers. It is for people who want something more, who are willing to taste life, who want every experience and every moment to matter.

Dodd even warns us that we are vulnerable as we are about to leave. We have opened our hearts and, to face the world again, we must close them a little. Go home. Have a bath. Relax. Eat a pizza.

Three women left crying with happiness. One said the show had changed her forever.

Dodd is doing something that no one else in the world is doing. If that is what you’re looking for at the Edinburgh Fringe, book a ticket. This show should be sold out.

*****

Reviewed by Stephen “Sharpie” Sharp
20.40 to 21.40
The Nook Gilded Balloon Teviot
Until 31st