Anna Burnside reviews a production that’s ‘tremendous entertainment’.
It all started back in the Home Brew computer club, with Bill Gates, Paul Allen, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak trying to outdo each other with their DIY gizmos.
Jobs, before he discovered black turtleneck sweaters, is a hot hippie while everyone else is, as the title of the show suggests, an irredeemable nerd.
This is the digital revolution boiled down to a competition between the urbane stylist Jobs and Gates, the coder-loser who can’t see that what’s on the outside is as important as what’s on the inside.
All told through the medium of song and dance.
Historical accuracy is binned in favour of broad brushstroke storytelling and tremendous entertainment. The west-end experienced cast wring every laugh out of a really sharp book. There are binary code jokes and lots of chess references. At one point Gates tries to write an equation that defines cool.
The set pieces are strong - an Apple launch done in the style of a Frankie Goes To Hollywood video is particularly delicious. The foreshadowing is well judged, and there’s even a sweet love story subplot.
One of the pleasures of the Fringe is spotting the shows that have potential to go bigger and harder. This is begging to be scaled up, given more room to breathe and unleashed on bigger venues.
I look forward to bragging about seeing it first.
Nerds: The Steve Jobs vs Bill Gates Comedy Musical at Underbelly Bristo Square (Cowbarn) at 12:30 (not the 11th or 18th) until August 25, 2025
Photo by Pamela Raith.
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