Macenstein

Posted by Dr. Macenstein

How off? Try Philadelphia. But still, Eric Weiner and Jordan Allen-Dutton’s new musical, “NERDS: A Musical Software Satire” seems like a pretty good idea. Normally we aren’t fans of Broadway musicals which do not feature geysers of splurting blood, but NERDS seems right up our alley.

The plot centers around Steve Jobs and Bill Gates’ respective rises to power, fame and fortune, complete with a Star Wars-esque battle of good vs. evil (we’ll let you guess which is which). Other notable tech geeks featured include Steve Wozniak, Paul Allen, and IBM president Tom Watson. Songs such as “Think Different,” “Homebrew Computer Club“, “Let’s Merge,” and “The Windows Rap” let you know this musical is perhaps the most aptly named production in musical history.

Despite a seemingly limited target audience, NERDS seems to promise a broader appeal than one might expect, and boasts some fairly respectable talent. Written by NYU roommates Eric Weiner and Jordan Allen-Dutton (Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken), the cast includes Charlie Pollock (Urinetown) as Steve Jobs, Jim Poulos (RENT) as Bill Gates, and is choreographed by two-time Tony Award nominee Joey McKneely (Smokey Joe’s Café, The Life). Weiner and Allen-Dutton previously worked together on the Off-Broadway hit Bomb-itty of Errors, a rap version of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors.

NERDS: A Musical Software Satire, is playing at the Philadelphia Theatre Company from January 25 – February 25, and tickets are $36-$54. (Note to Mr. Weiner: If you would like to send us free tickets, we would be happy to check it out!)
😀