‘Broadway-bound? Did somebody say Broadway-bound?’

By Shane R. Toogood, Broadway Magazine

Great news! Today’s secret word is Broadway. For the rest of the day, whenever anybody says the secret word, scream real loud. Ready? Let’s try it.   

“Eighties icon Pee-wee Herman is going to Broadway this fall! Ahhhh!”

That’s right. It was announced on Thursday, May 20 by the bow-tied man-boy himself via his Twitter account (@peeweeherman) that Paul Ruebens, 57, better known to Generation X as Pee-wee Herman, will be bringing Puppetland to the Big Apple. The Pee-wee Herman Show, which played in Los Angeles at the Roxy Theater and revived his cult stardom, will play for a six-week engagement this fall.

Reubens tweeted multiple times a day, asking his 485,499 followers to guess his secret. Now, after days of anticipation and teasing, fans are obviously excited as @Grayson_ tweeted that he is “At the edge of his Chairy (sic).”

According to the official Web site, The Pee-wee Herman Show is scheduled to begin performances on Oct. 26 at the Stephen Sondheim Theater.

According to press notes, “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, your favorite Pee-wee-isms.”

Pee-wee became a pop-culture phenomenon, most notably for his multi-Emmy Award winning Saturday morning kids’ show, Pee-wee’s Playhouse that aired on CBS from 1986 to 1990. Reubens’ character was also featured in Tim Burton’s film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure on an HBO special that also starred the late Phil Hartman as Captain Carl.

Now an American icon, Pee-wee help shape a new generation with his quirky mannerisms and unforgettable quotes.

Reubens, making his Broadway debut, admitted in an article on The New York Times Web site
that he has always wanted to be on Broadway.

Well, Paul, “Your wish is granted. Long live Jambi!”

Tags: , Broadway, Pee Wee, Sondheim Theater

This entry was posted on Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 4:04 am and is filed under Broadway Blog, Broadway Magazine, Broadway News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.