Last night Kathy & I went to see "Nerds://A Musical Software Satire" at the Philadelphia Theatre Company. It was awesome. We haven't laughed that hard since "Little Miss Sunshine".

It's only playing at this theater until next weekend (Feb 25), and the decent seats are not cheap, but even so, we're considering going back to see it again.

Part of the humor is a wealth of nerdy references - various computer things plus Star Wars, Star Trek, and other cultural icons - but even outside of that it's just hilarious, very energetic, and very well performed.

I don't want to spoil too much of the plot, but I do need to mention that there's a lightsaber battle onstage involving Bill Gates. If that statement alone elicits a positive reaction from you, then you'll like this show. If not, you're really missing out.

I should also mention that Kathy (who got these tickets for me as a surprise) also went the extra mile & booked us for a night when they had a "talk-back" session with the cast after the show. The actors all seem really great, and in particular Jim Poulos (playing Bill Gates) just seems like the nicest guy you'd ever meet. As we were leaving after the talk, other actors disappeared back to backstage, while Jim came out and continued chatting with audience members. When we got outside, we saw him waving down a taxi for an older woman from the audience who was having trouble getting around on the ice & snow on a cold night. Helluva guy.

If you go, you would do well to get seats downstairs, not in the balcony. We've sat in the balcony there before, and discovered that it can be a problem if your legs are more than 8 inches long. Besides, you want to be close enough to smell exactly what Steve Jobs is smoking in his scene with Woz. :)