Bill Gates and Steve Jobs musical dubbed ‘the Fyre festival of Broadway’ after it was CANCELLED

‘The Fyre festival of Broadway’: Producer behind a failed musical about the rivalry between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs is sued for $6million by investors after it was cancelled two weeks before opening

  • Nerds, a musical about  Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, was scheduled to hit Broadway in April 2016
  • The show’s producer, Carl Levin, had allegedly told investors he had funding for the project from Microsoft
  • In reality, the production was $1 million in debt, according to the Hollywood Reporter
  • Nerds was abruptly cancelled just weeks before opening night, and Levin has now been slapped with a lawsuit

The producer of a musical about the rivalry between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs that was abruptly cancelled ahead of opening night is being sued by investors. 

The show’s producer, Carl Levin, has been slapped with a $6 million lawsuit from 13 different investors, allegedly telling them he had funding for the production from Microsoft.

In reality, Levin, 48, had no such support and the musical, which is being dubbed ‘the Fyre Festival of Broadway’, was more than $1 million in debt, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 

The show was spectacularly scrapped on March 8, 2016, just two weeks before the first public performances.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, describes Levin’s actions as leaving behind ‘a trail of disappointment, anger and unpaid vendors’.

Broadway musical Nerds was suddenly cancelled in March 2016, before it even hit the stage. The cast is pictured

The show's producer Carl Levin (pictured) has been slapped with a $ 6 million lawsuit

The show’s producer Carl Levin (pictured) has been slapped with a $ 6 million lawsuit

Apple's Steve Jobs is pictured in 2006

Microsoft's Bill Gates is pictured in 2009

The musical was penned in the early 2000s and documents the rise of Apple founder Jobs (left) and Microsoft founder Gates (right)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Levin believed he had found ‘the next Book of Mormon’ when he got his hands on the Nerds script back in 2012. 

The musical, originally penned in the early 2000s, featured songs about the Gates and Jobs rivalry, including ‘I Am Just A Nerd’, and ‘Think Different’. 

It had previously had a successful run with The Philadelphia Theater Company. 

Levin decided to take it to Broadway, and allegedly pitched the show to potential investors by promising it would feature ‘onstage holograms’ and ‘app integrations that allow users to interact with the set’. 

Nerds had previously played with The Philadelphia Theater Company (pictured)

Nerds had previously played with The Philadelphia Theater Company (pictured)

A 2016 promo photo for the Broadway version of Nerds, which never made it to the stage

A 2016 promo photo for the Broadway version of Nerds, which never made it to the stage

The Broadway cast of Nerds is pictured in 2016, before news that the production had been scrapped

The Broadway cast of Nerds is pictured in 2016, before news that the production had been scrapped

In January 2016, Levin excitedly announced the show would be playing at he Longacre Theatre, stating: ‘We’re thrilled to add a jolt of comedy to this already astounding theater season, with this hilarious tale of the Founding Fathers of Tech, from a creative team stacked with new voices.’

However, behind the scenes, the show was unraveling. 

Learning that the show was under financial strain, one investor described Levin as having ‘snake oil charm’.  

The Hollywood Reporter has drawn parallels between the Broadway fiasco and Fyre Festival, the failed 2017 ‘luxury’ music festival that left attendees sleeping in tents without adequate toilet facilities. 

DailyMail.com has reached out to Levin for comment.   

DailyMail.com has reached out to Levin (pictured) for comment on the Broadway production of Nerds

DailyMail.com has reached out to Levin (pictured) for comment on the Broadway production of Nerds

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk