The Secret Word Is: Broadway! The Pee-wee Herman Show to Hit the Rialto in Fall 2010

Paul Reubens’ previously announced stage version of The Pee-wee Herman Show will jump from Los Angeles to Broadway this fall. The production, which got its start in L.A. in 2007, is set to begin performances at Broadway’s newly renamed Stephen Sondheim Theater (previously Henry Miller’s Theater) on October 26 for a limited six-week run, through December 5. Opening night has been set for November 11, directed by Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). No additional casting has been announced at this time.

Written by Reubens and Bill Steinkellner, with additional material by John Paragon, the new stage production is a “re-imagined” version of Herman’s past theatrical outings. The original version of The Pee-wee Herman Show, aimed at adults, debuted at the Groundlings Theatre in 1981 before playing at L.A.’s Roxy Theatre for five months. The production later had a 22-city tour that included New York’s Carnegie Hall. The cult hit feature film Pee-wee's Big Adventure was released in 1985, followed by a sequel, Big Top Pee-wee. Reubens went on to play the character in a TV series aimed at children, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, from 1986 to 1990.

The new production will feature Pee-wee "regulars" including Miss Yvonne, Mailman Mike, Cowboy Curtis (played on TV by future Tony Award nominee Laurence Fishburne) and Jambi the Genie, as well as Pee-wee’s talking chair, Chairry, and friend Pterri the Pterodactyl.

Featuring music by Jay Cotton and puppetry by The Addams Family’s Basil Twist, The Pee-wee Herman Show has a design team that includes David Korins (scenic design), Ann Closs-Farley (costume design), Jeff Croiter (lighting design), M.L. Dogg (sound design), Jimmy Cuomo (design consultant), Jake Pinholster (projection design), and Ve Neill (makeup design). The show will be produced by Scott Sanders.