STAGE TUBE: Pee Wee Is Back; An Exclusive Look Inside The New Show At Club Nokia

Performances started Tuesday, January 12 for 'The Pee-wee Herman Show' at Club Nokia @ L.A. LIVE for a limited 4-week engagement, through February 7. BroadwayWorld brings you an inside look at the production here!

The cast features Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, Lynne Marie Stewart as Miss Yvonne, Phil LaMarr as Cowboy Curtis, Jesse Garcia as Sergio, a new character, Josh Meyers as Firefighter, John Moody as Mailman Mike, John Paragon as Jambi, Drew Powell as Bear, Lance Roberts as King of Cartoons, and Lori Alan and Maceo Oliver as voices. Lynne Marie Stewart (Miss Yvonne), John Moody (Mailman Mike), and John Paragon (Jambi) have long histories with Pee-wee Herman and originated these roles in the original "The Pee-wee Herman Show" at the Roxy Theatre.

Pee-wee's talking chair Chairry, Pterri the pterodactyl, Conky the robot, Magic Screen, and Randy, also take the stage at Club Nokia.

Tickets are available by calling 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com

This brand new version of "The Pee-wee Herman Show," has been adapted from the original production by Reubens, Bill Steinkellner and John Paragon. David Korins, the show's scenic designer, will work with Gary Panter, the award-winning designer of both the original stage production and CBS's Pee-wee's Playhouse. The show's original musical composer is Jay Cotton, has returned and is writing new music.

In the production, Pee-wee dreams that one day he can fly. The play follows Pee-wee's quest to see this lifelong wish fulfilled. Pee-wee is torn when he has to choose to have his wish granted or better the lives of his friends. Along the way he embarks on hilarious adventures filled with his playhouse friends and some new ones. Throw in some funny pop culture references, and of course, everyone's favorite Pee-wee-isms.

The original "The Pee-wee Herman Show" debuted at The Groundlings Theatre in 1981 then moved to the Roxy Theatre on Sunset Strip for five sold out months. Robert Osborne said the Hollywood Reporter, "Anyone who deliberately avoids the pleasure of seeing ‘The Pee-wee Herman Show' would probably be willing to go through life without Christmas, cornbread, Häagen-Dazs and puppies."

Taped as part of HBO's On Location series, the show catapulted Pee-wee into the national consciousness. It lead to Pee-wee's many appearances on "Late Night With David Letterman," followed by a 22-city tour that included Carnegie Hall. In 1985, Warner Brothers brought Pee-wee to the big screen with "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," Tim Burton's feature film debut. (Co-written by Reubens,) it featured Danny Elfman's first original film score.

The CBS television series "Pee-wee's Playhouse," premiered in 1986. During its five seasons, the show garnered 22 Emmy Awards. Pee-wee's second film, "Big Top Pee-wee" was released in 1988. While "The Pee-wee Herman Show", and "Pee-wee's Playhouse" were an homage to an earlier generation's television classics -- "Howdy Doody," "The Mickey Mouse Club," "Captain Kangaroo," "Kukla, Fran, and Ollie," and "The Shari Lewis Show" - Pee-wee himself became one of the most original and beloved stars in all of television history and late-century American culture.

When Cartoon Network aired the series in 2006, 1.5 million viewers watched every night; the next year TV Guide named the "Playhouse" among the top 10 cult classics of all time.

 

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