Mekka Lekka Hi..........

I saw the Pee Wee Herman Show the other night.

My Reaction? Let me preface this by saying that I consider Paul Reubens a true show biz genius. I have loved all the different incarnations of Pee Wee, live midnight show, Movies, TV and now back on stage .While he is basically the same , there are subtle differences each time out, tailoring the character for his audience.

The show is a triumph- Pee Wee walks on stage, the crowd erupts in applause, lasting for minutes. He gets us to stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance and then the show really begins.

As the curtain opened revealing the Playhouse the Audience gasped in delight, I sat there with tears in my eyes. In a way the audience is returning to our OZ.

The show is unapologetically for Fans- people who never saw him before could certainly enjoy it ,but it is a love letter to folks who spent time in Puppetland. This is one of the things I love about Reubens, he knows and respects his audience- every detail,- costumes, set, jokes, songs, puppets -is perfect .

There are dozens of laugh out loud moments , believe or not there are lots of tender moments, and there are a few moments of jaw dropping theatricality- pee wee and chairy dance, a blackout scene that is both funny and "how the hell did they do that?"

If you saw the original stage show , you will remember that it ends with Pee Wee flying ,courtesy of a delightful bit of "home made" stagecraft. Tremendous. Well now, nearly 30 years later that bit is reprised and then after a few moments (I'm getting goose bumps thinking about it) he rises off the stage and flies. The audience hoots and hollers and cheers! At this point we all know there ain't no special effects involved ,Pee Wee is Flying! Of course he is.

I can't remember another show that inspires such joy and affection from an audience. We Love PW and are so happy to be there.

Go hang by the stage door after the show, Paul/ Pee Wee comes out and spends a lot of time talking with the crowd, complete with a Pee Wee style megaphone. No autographs are signed, but he is funny and charming and sincere as he tells the audience how much it means to him that people come to see the show and that they come to spend time with him after. The feelings of Joy and affection are obviously mutual.

side note- How great is it that The Pee Wee Herman Show opened the Stephen Sondheim Theater. Two great artists forever linked ( I write without irony or snark)

another side- in one of those photos the flash at crotch level is unfortunate but otherwise I like that picture.sorry Pee Wee.