Prank.Net at Orlando Fringe Credit: Courtesy Photo

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 “Fringer of the Future” from Rollins College. This show deservingly sports the most extensive content warning I’ve seen at the Fringe, and from the very first scenes — a dystopian assault of Orwellian graphics and eerie group movement, abruptly followed by a total tonal shift from tension to broad comedy — it’s clear that Underground Theatre Inc. has ambitions far above your standard Fringe spoof, even if fully achieving them might be beyond their current reach. 

Jeurgens’ 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’s tornadic turn as the sophomoric Satanic manifestation of America’s id is among the most indelible performances I experienced at this year’s Festival. Newkirk’s snappy script is stupidly smart, and he keeps the multimedia-powered production percolating at a breakneck pace. 

Sure: Some of the political satire is a bit too spot-on; there’s at least 75 minutes’ worth of time-hopping plot developments packed into the 55-minute runtime; and dramatically speaking, it doesn’t quite stick the landing. But that doesn’t 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 “the kids are alright.” Just do us old folks a favor and please turn the volcanic volume down a few decibels, OK?

Underground Theater Incorporated (Ocala, FL)
Green Venue, Orlando Family Stage
55 minutes; 18 and up
Tickets: $15

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This article appears in Orlando Fringe 2026.