Three decades after his first HBO special, Paul Reubens will return to the network in an exclusive presentation of his current hit Broadway show, it was announced today by Nancy Geller, senior vice president, HBO Original Programming. Debuting in 2011, the HBO presentation THE Pee-Wee Herman SHOW ON BROADWAY will shoot at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre New York this January, immediately following the conclusion of its exclusive Broadway engagement, running through Jan. 2.
"Before his hit series and movies, HBO introduced
Paul Reubens'
Pee-Wee Herman to a national audience in the ‘Young Comedians' series, followed by the groundbreaking 1981 special," noted Geller. "It's thrilling to have Paul back on the network, and it will be a blast to return to Pee-wee's Playhouse."
Opening to critical acclaim at the
Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Nov. 11, 2010, "The
Pee-Wee Herman Show" is 90 minutes of subversive humor and childlike wonder based on both Reubens' original stage show, "The
Pee-Wee Herman Show," and the Emmy®-winning Saturday morning TV show, "Pee-wee's Playhouse," which became a cultural phenomenon. The New York Times called the new Broadway show "yummier than chocolate," with New York saying, "Welcome back, Pee-wee! You were sorely missed," while the New York Post noted, "The audience screams for joy!"
The Broadway production of "The
Pee-Wee Herman Show" stars (in order of appearance):
Paul Reubens as
Pee-Wee Herman, plus
John Moody (Mailman Mike),
Drew Powell (Bear),
John Paragon (Jambi),
Jesse Garcia (Sergio),
Phil LaMarr (Cowboy Curtis),
Lynne Marie Stewart (Miss Yvonne),
Lance Roberts (King of Cartoons) and
Josh Meyers (Firefighter). Reubens also brought the Pee-wee character to the big screen in "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" and "Big Top Pee-wee."
THE
Pee-Wee Herman SHOW ON BROADWAY reunites
Paul Reubens and
Marty Callner, who will direct this new HBO special and directed the 1981 HBO special "The
Pee-Wee Herman Show." Callner's previous HBO credits include comedy specials starring
Will Ferrell,
Chris Rock,
Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin and
Robin Williams.
Credits for the Broadway presentation of "The
Pee-Wee Herman Show": production created and conceived by
Paul Reubens; written by
Paul Reubens and
Bill Steinkellner; additional material by
John Paragon; music by
Jay Cotton; directed by
Alex Timbers; based on the original "The
Pee-Wee Herman Show" by
Paul Reubens,
Bill Steinkellner,
Phil Hartman,
John Paragon, Edie McClurg,
John Moody,
Lynne Marie Stewart, Ivan Flores, Brian Seff, Monica Ganas, Tito Larriva.
David Korins' production design is based on the original "Pee-wee's Playhouse" production design by Gary Panter. Cristina Waltz's make-up design is based on the original "Pee-wee's Playhouse" by
Ve Neill and the costume design is by
Ann Closs-Farley.
The character of
Pee-Wee Herman is experiencing a remarkable renaissance, with enormous followings on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Renowned writer-director-producer Judd Apatow recently announced that he and Reubens are developing a new feature film based on the character.
Paul Reubens' other credits include the TV series "30 Rock," "Pushing Daisies," "Reno 911!," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Family Guy" and "Murphy Brown" (which earned him an Emmy® nomination), and the feature films "Mystery Men," "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Blow," "Life During Wartime," "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and the upcoming "Nailed."
