Audacity Theatre Lab at 2018 Elgin Fringe Festival

Every great piece of theatrical art bears the stamp of something like divine intervention, in the form of a few words from the script that sum up the piece perfectly. Awash in the torrent of words that is "Robert's Eternal Goldfish" is this phrase: "horribly adorable."

The angry rants and picayune observational humor are just camouflage for a beautifully composed long-form prose poem filled with layered imagery, expressed through vivid descriptions of cafes, apartment life, memories and dreams. This piece would read beautifully on paper.

But Brad McEntire executes it convincingly as a neurotic loner in a hoodie and knit cap, with a musical and emotive delivery that fixes your attention no matter what the hour of night -- or degree of caffeination. Like anger management group therapy, you might be healed just by listening.