bill-jobs

"Nerds" musical explores Broadway compatibility

Owen Thomas · 08/02/07 07:55AM

Watch out, Randi Jayne. Hollywood actor Sean Hayes is moving in on your nerd-chic musical territory. Earlier this week, Hayes joined a reading of "Nerds://A Musical Software Satire." Unlike the work of Jayne, however, the Facebook employee and sister of CEO Mark Zuckerberg, "Nerds" is far from Techmeme-current. Instead, the musical explores the decades-old rivalry of Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and Apple CEO Steve Jobs. As such, it's unlikely to draw much of an audience in the Valley, to whom the story's all too familiar, and old. But the names of Gates and Jobs may just be familiar enough to draw in the the Midwestern tourists who fill Broadway's seats, and Hayes's star power won't hurt. Here's an idea for the producers to draw Silicon Valley fans: Cast the petite but sparky Jayne as diminutive venture capitalist Ann Winblad, Gates's ex-girlfriend and occasional vacation companion.