Producers of “nerds,” an original musical abut the rivalry between tech giants Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, announced Tuesday that they were scuttling a planned Broadway opening for this spring.
“On behalf of my fellow producers and investors, it is with great disappointment that we will be postponing the Broadway opening of nerds due to the loss of a major investor,” said Carl Levin, who was producing along with Vicki Halmos, Elizabeth Williams, Greenleaf Productions and Clear Channel Spectacolor.
The show was scheduled to begin previews on April 1 and open on April 21 at the Longacre Theatre, with Tony-nominated “Book of Mormon” veteran Rory O’Malley playing Gates and Bryan Fenkart (“Memphis”) as Jobs.
Producers said they were still hoping to mount a national tour of the musical, which features book and lyrics by Emmy nominees Jordan Allen-Dutton and Erik Weiner (Adult Swim’s “Robot Chicken,” “Bomb-itty of Errors”) and music by Hal Goldberg (“The Children”).
“nerds” was to be directed by Casey Hushion, with choreography by Emmy winner and Tony nominee Joshua Bergasse (“On the Town,” “Smash”) and additional choreography by Denis Jones (“Honeymoon in Vegas”).
The new vacancy at the Longacre should have producers scrambling to get a new production in place in time for Tony eligibility, which wraps in late April.