Paul Reubens is an interesting creature. He’s famous for a mug shot taken after a sticky arrest and for playing, if not actually being, Pee-wee Herman. To be completely honest, I don’t care about the arrest. I never did. I’ve always, or at least since seeing Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, been a fan of Pee-wee. I watched Pee-Wee’s Playhouse religiously, vividly remember going to see Big Top Pee-Wee on opening day (which makes me personally responsible for half of the film’s box office take) and not walking away feeling like I’d been fleeced. So, it should be no surprise that watching the Blu-ray of the recent HBO special The Pee-wee Show on Broadway was something I was more than happy to do.
The show is a taped version (a mixture of a live performance and a closed set recording that allowed the cameras a bit more freedom) of Pee-wee’s newest show The Pee-Wee Herman Show: The Return. The script is a combination of old material from the original stage show from 1980, bits from the CBS series Pee-wee’s Playhouse as well as newly written material.
It’s an enjoyable nostalgic romp with a few new characters and modern twists to go along with the same Pee-wee Herman that many of us grew up on. Along with Reubens the cast also includes a trio of performers reprising their roles from the 1980 production: John Moody as Mailman Mike, John Paragon as Jambi and Lynne Stewart as Miss Yvonne. Unfortunately Laurence Fishburne doesn’t return as Cowboy Curtis but Phil LaMarr does a fine job with the role (which is essentially the role that Phil Hartman’s Captain Carl had in the original stage show). Some of the puppets included in the show show include Chairry, Magic Screen, Pterri, Mr. Window, Clocley, Globey and Conky. There are also a handful of new characters including an electrician named Sergio (Jesse Garcia), a firefighter (Josh Meyers) and a silent dancing bear (Drew Powell).
The puppet work is amazing and Reubens is still able to channel Pee-Wee’s school-boy behavior with gusto and the supporting cast does a good job keeping up with his pace. I wish I could have seen it live.
The Blu-ray release includes an insightful and occasionally hillarious audio commentary featuring the entire cast (minus the silent puppeteers). The show itself is kid-friendly. The audio commentary isn’t. It would have been nice if a backstage tour was included so that audiences could get a better idea of how all the puppets worked. Maybe they didn’t want to demystify the magic.
If you’ve ever loved Pee-wee you’ll most certainly love The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway.