{"id":279546,"date":"2026-05-21T14:41:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/279546\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:41:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:41:26","slug":"orlando-fringe-2026-review-prank-net-the-impractical-pranksters-summon-the-anti-christ","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/279546\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Fringe 2026 review: ‘Prank.net (The Impractical Pranksters Summon the Anti-Christ)’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Prank.Net at Orlando Fringe Credit: Courtesy Photo<\/p>\n

An obnoxious hidden-camera host (Nick Jeurgens) gets possessed by the Antichrist (Emmanuel Tojanci) and embarks on a profanity-packed crusade of cruelty in Prank.net, a hysterically hyperbolic horror-comedy from writer-director Sam Newkirk, a \u201cFringer of the Future\u201d from Rollins College. This show deservingly sports the most extensive content warning I\u2019ve seen at the Fringe, and from the very first scenes \u2014 a dystopian assault of Orwellian graphics and eerie group movement, abruptly followed by a total tonal shift from tension to broad comedy \u2014 it\u2019s clear that Underground Theatre Inc. has ambitions far above your standard Fringe spoof, even if fully achieving them might be beyond their current reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jeurgens\u2019 jerky anti-hero, a combination of Charlie Kirk and the Impractical Jokers, is a bit too cartoonish to be a compelling lead character, but Tojanci\u2019s tornadic turn as the sophomoric Satanic manifestation of America\u2019s id is among the most indelible performances I experienced at this year\u2019s Festival. Newkirk\u2019s snappy script is stupidly smart, and he keeps the multimedia-powered production percolating at a breakneck pace.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sure: Some of the political satire is a bit too spot-on; there\u2019s at least 75 minutes\u2019 worth of time-hopping plot developments packed into the 55-minute runtime; and dramatically speaking, it doesn\u2019t quite stick the landing. But that doesn\u2019t change the fact that this is exactly the kind of overstuffed, overblown epic I might have attempted in my earlier years, which makes me happy to say \u201cthe kids are alright.\u201d Just do us old folks a favor and please turn the volcanic volume down a few decibels, OK?<\/p>\n

Underground Theater Incorporated (Ocala, FL)
Green Venue, Orlando Family Stage
55 minutes; 18 and up
Tickets: $15<\/a><\/p>\n

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This article appears in Orlando Fringe 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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