Review: 'Pee-wee Herman On Broadway' Sings

 

You don’t need the skills of Jambi to realize it has been too long since Pee-wee Herman graced television sets.

But this month, the poster child for arrested development returns in “The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway,” a much-needed comeback special that banishes winter blues better than a groundhog on Feb. 2.

Set in Pee-wee’s Playhouse (his home for oh-so-many years on CBS), it’s a nostalgic visit with most of the friends we grew to love. Plot? There’s not much plot but Pee-wee does get to play cupid, learn the joys of e-mail and share his desire to fly. Between the Pledge of Allegiance and the last clever stunt, we get a healthy dose of Pee-wee pragmatism and a look at how he’s dealing with life since he closed up shop more than a decade ago.

Now, Pee-wee sports an abstinence ring, has fun with a Sham-Wow and shares his feelings in song. A couple of recognizable filmed bits (Penny, anyone?) are back and there’s a new character who looks like the offspring of some old ones. But this is really about renewing old acquaintances. When Miss Yvonne (Lynne Marie Stewart) and Jambi (John Paragon) arrive, it’s like we’ve spotted our best friends at a high school reunion. While there are replacements for others (Phil LaMarr steps in for Laurence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis), the switches aren’t on par with “Bewitched’s.”

Pee-wee (played lovingly by Paul Reubens) re-introduces everyone from Chairy to Globey, comments on current events and verbalizes his desire to fly. When Jambi offers him a wish – that could make it come true – he hesitates, then realizes it’s better to help a friend. How the situation spins out is probably the biggest drama this outing has to offer. But it’s juicy – and worth waiting for.

Director Marty Callner doesn’t just plop a camera in the middle of the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and hope for the best. He gets up close, shooting Pee-wee with every canted angle possible. That makes the show fun on several levels but it also keeps interest high during the 90-minute production.

Best of all, “Pee-wee on Broadway” doesn’t sacrifice any of the double-edged humor. While kids can watch the show and laugh throughout, their parents can enjoy a second layer without having to explain anything.

Pee-wee has become bilingual, too, and has a great time introducing his friends to his new computer – a hulking behemoth that lets him say plenty about the world’s fascination with Facebook. The show isn’t as revolutionary as the one that introduced him, but it does kindle a lot of warm feelings.

Why he left us is anyone’s guess. But now that he’s back, Pee-wee Herman is the one guy who can truly say he’s “winning.”