Wanna Play?

Controversial.  Annoying.  Quirky.  Creepy.  Sleazy.  Corny.  Whatever you may (or may not) think of Paul Rubenfeld, aka Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman, one thing is certain: either you love him or you hate him.  Either his brand of kid/adult humor is humorless or his brand of kitsch/classic comedy is hilarious.  You have to admit that he has caught our attention.  He has been involved in a couple of less-than-flattering incidents which took its toll on him personally, professionally but not creatively.  Now, Reubens is poised to take his playhouse to Broadway, November 11, '10.  I, for one, am thrilled that he's back performing as one of the most original, entertaining and weird characters to come around for some time.  But that's just me.

Originally designed as comedy for adults, Reubens turned Pee-wee into an ambassador for racial diversity and focused on children's entertainment.  He wanted to be a positive role model and present a moral show, reminding adults of past comedies, like Howdy Doody and H. R. Pufnstuf.  Pee-wee's Playhouse, Saturday mornings (CBS) from '86-'90, was a total bizarre half-hour.  From characters real (Lawrence Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis), puppet (Randy, freckled bad-boy) or almost semi-real (Jambi, mysterious genie in-a-box with no body), this was a strange romp through themes of forgiveness, gratitude, friendship and sharing.

  A lifelong thespian, Reubens had performance in his blood early.  He loved the circus.  He loved "I Love Lucy".  Performing improv comedy with The Groundlings (Will Ferrell, Lorraine Newman, Jon Lovitz, Conan O'Brien) in the '70s, Pee-wee was invented and expanded in '81 for HBO as The Pee-wee Herman Show.  It was a big hit.  Performing on small stages across the states, he gathered momentum for the '85 movie "Pee-wee's Big Adventure".  Picked up for TV, Playhouse settled in, with kids and parents having some laughs.  I often wondered, had I been a kid watching, would I be laughing.  Often, it was outlandish.  The King of Cartoons would introduce old cartoons.  And I mean old.  Vintage stuff like Mickey Mouse's first feature.  A puppet globe with geographic facts.  A pterodactyl that is timid with real feelings.  And the ringleader, Pee-wee, introducing friends into his colorful house with man/child mannerisms.  A mystical, mythical Puppetland exists outside the playhouse where characters come and go, but the viewer never does.  Is it not safe out there?  It seems safe and friendly inside, as if the outside world is a scary place.  Maybe, Pee-wee was a little leery of that real world.  As, maybe, Reubens was leery of his real world.

Reubens has had some memorable, small roles in Cheech and Chong's "Next Movie ('80), "The Blues Brothers" ('80), as Spleen in "Mystery Men" ('99) and a pivotal role in "Blow"('01). Voice-overs, late night TV appearances and even "Murphy Brown", he has been consistently with us since those early years in improv.  His talent can't be denied.  Whether you agree with his past, he is in the present and future.  Hopefully, people will be entertained by a true comedian.  "I feel that it's full circle in that I can come back around to a really good place where I was.  As opposed to having my career end on this really sour note."  Overall, an entertainer exists only in his/her ability to engage us.  To make us believe in that character.  Pee-wee Herman is back.  Paul Reubens has never left.