Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Nerds: The Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs Comedy Musical
Paul Taylor-Mills
Genre: Musical Theatre
Venue: Underbelly
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Nerds: The Bill Gates vs. Steve Jobs Comedy Musical is a high-energy ride through the relationship of tech’s most famous titans.
Review
Nerds has had a long and winding journey to Edinburgh. The show was initially meant to open on Broadway in April 2016, but was cancelled mid-tech due to a loss of funds. Nine years later, Jobs and Gates have taken to the Scottish stage with a high-octane musical taking us back to the dawn of the digital age.
The cast is small but mighty. Both Jobs and Gates, portrayed by Kane Oliver Parry and Dan Buckley, deliver powerful vocals alongside exquisite physicality. Even if you’re not a ‘nerd,’ we all have an idea of what the two tech titans look like. The creative team delivered, giving us just enough to instantly recognize the characters without detracting from the actor’s own spin on the CEOs. For a fringe show, the production was remarkably polished. An intelligent and useful set, robust costumes, a live band, and high-energy lighting transformed the Edinburgh University music hall into a West End-caliber experience.
Being a sort of Apple academic myself, the show gets some things right and some things wrong. It doesn’t present itself, however, as a documentary. It’s clear from the get-go that the major plot points will be based on fact, and some liberties will be taken in between.
Where the show excels (pun intended) the most is in its nostalgia. One after another, the cast delivers quick-witted references to the moments that shaped a generation. From Microsoft Office wordplay to the “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” commercials, the easter eggs don’t stop dropping. Lyrically, nothing feels too serious. The songs are playful, and exist to highlight the absurdity of the story. Jobs as a leather-coated rockstar, Gates as a 90s hip-hop artist, the music riffs on the larger-than-life qualities of the two men.
For those unfamiliar with the story, there may be a few moments of confusion. Time jumps are irregular and rarely addressed, meaning we lose some of the nuances as both Microsoft and Apple grow. I assume this is due to cuts from the full-length musical being made to fit a fringe run time. These issues will most likely be addressed once the show makes its long-deserved transfer to New York or London.
Just as we all eagerly await the new iPhone, we’ll all watch with excitement to see where Nerds goes next…
