Fishnet Networks

Will you be the next employee at FishnetNetworks .net? Like most potential new jobs, here are some things you should know going in.
This show is set up to be one heckuva funny show. And for the most part, it delivers the goods. The cast is enthusiastic, the plot is something 99% of us can relate to (with the exception of those who treat Unilocaling as a full time job), and audience participation is encouraged, something that has lead me places like the Improv Asylum over and over again. However, there are some other factors that keep me from gushing all over this theater production, which include the venue, the script, and the pacing of the show.
Let me start with the script. As the audience, we represent all the new hires at the company FishnetNetworks .net, and the cast is setting up the orientation for our first day. Anyone who has seen «Office Space,» or any production that mocks the cubicle culture of corporate America wants to laugh and point at all the stereotypical characters the actors portray. «OH MY GOD, we have the EXACT SAME GUY AT MY WORK!» or «YES, I am absolutely terrified of my HR department.» Where Fishnet gets a little cumbersome, is that the storyline is based entirely on each of the character stereotypes making fun of the other stereotypes, to the point where the audience starts to roll their eyes.
Take «Priya Patel,» the Caucasian woman from Maine, who tells us she was adopted by Indian parents, but is not Indian. The initial reaction to meeting her is great (Oh, shouldn’t you have a funny dot on your forehead somewhere?), but when the cast continues to act oblivious to the DOZENTH time she reminds them she is not Indian a couple hours later (later on pacing), I felt myself channeling Will Arnet from Arrested Development with an emphatic ‚“OH COME ON!!!”
The joke was clever and well presented, but making it so repetitious made me want to stop hearing about it.
The pacing of the show started to bother me in the 2^nd act, but looking back, the 1^st act lead to the problem. From the beginning, you’re expecting audience participation — the ticket lady tells you when you enter. The cast reminds you at the start of the show — they even chat with you while you’re getting seated to set up their characters, which was great! Great momentum going into the show! You’re sitting there, waiting for a hilarious improv show. Whether it’s you or someone else they call on for audience participation, you’re pumped for your first day at FishnetNetworks .net!!!
Unfortunately, the first half of the show barely engages the audience in this way. They could have told us we were a group of warlocks learning about a computer company, and it wouldn’t have felt any different. The show goes on a,“here’s this character… and now this character… and now her… and him, etc” formula, which was funny. The actors are LIVING in these characters the WHOLE show. But the audience gets accustomed to just watching and not participating. In the 2^nd Act, the cast FINALLY turns to the audience to participate and lend suggestions, which felt awkward. OH NOW you want me to contribute? Ummm, I’ve got nothin’!
Case and point: A woman seated in front of me raised her hand when a cast member asked her to name a job type, and instead of having that awesome knee-​jerk reaction to just say the first thing that came to her mind, she fumbled and bumbled over her thoughts, and took what seemed like an eternity to come up with,“ummmmm, Radio Host.” If more audience participation took place at the start, I bet the audience would have maintained more positive energy throughout the show.
Finally, the venue really got to me. Not the fact that we were in Club Café, but outside the performance area, the main club/​bar area filled up and got LOUD. For nearly the entire 2^nd act, you could hear constant talking and murmuring. This isn’t a fault of the production, but the noise distracted me from focusing on the show. Maybe something to consider in the future…
In summary, I enjoyed the performance, and even when I felt the plot became muddled, or audience energy died down, the actors maintained their composure and successfully carried the show. I love the whole concept, and if the script was shortened a bit (side note: take out the whole motivational speaker section, it made no sense), and some of the repetitive jokes were modified, that would go a long way toward making FishnetNetworks .net more consistently enjoyable from start to finish. Increasing the audience participation at the beginning would also keep the spectators engaged throughout.
And any way we can move away from Club Café? Not that there’s anything WRONG WITH THAT… it’s just loud, is all.