This Week on Stage: I know you're excited about 'The Pee-wee Herman Show' but what am I?
In case you haven’t heard, Pee-wee Herman is currently making quite the comeback! Specifically, right now, Paul Reubens is staging a show in L.A. with his former childlike-but-grown-up persona as the subject. EW’s Adam B. Vary reviewed the production, awarding it a B grade and saying that, while watching, “feelings of goodwill for Pee-wee Herman come rushing back.” Meanwhile, back in New York City, a revival of Noël Coward’s play Present Laughter, starring Victor Garber as narcissistic stage legend Garry Essendine, opened. “For the most part, however,” I said in my review of the show,” Present Laughter lives up to its name.” Laughter earned itself a B-.
If you’re looking for some live theater, check out the EW.com Stage hub for up-to-date news and reviews; or consult this handy guide below, which includes links to all of our stage reviews of current shows. (Note: The reviews are typically of the show’s original casts.)
BROADWAY
The Addams Family — Musical; opens 4/8/2010
All About Me — Musical Revue starring Dame Edna and Michael Feinstein; opens 3/18/10
American Idiot — Musical; opens 4/20/2010
A Behanding in Spokane — Comedy starring Christopher Walken; opens 3/4/10
Billy Elliot — Musical; opened 11/13/08; EW grade: B+
— Musical Revival starring John Stamos; opened 10/15/2009 – 1/24/2010; EW grade: C+
La Cage Aux Folles — Musical Revival starring Kelsey Grammer; opens 4/18/10
Chicago — Musical Revival; opened 11/14/1996; EW grade: A+
Collected Stories — Drama Revival starring Linda Lavin; opens 4/28/10
ENRON — Musical; opens 4/27/10
Fela! — Musical; opened 11/23/2009; EW grade: B+
God of Carnage — Comedy starring Jimmy Smits and Christine Lahti; opened 3/22/2009; EW grade: A-
Hair — Musical Revival; opened 3/31/2009; EW grade: A-
In the Heights — Musical; opened 2/14/2009; EW grade: A-
Jersey Boys — Musical; opened 11/7/2005; EW grade: A
Lend Me a Tenor — Comedy Revival; opens 4/4/10
The Lion King — Musical; opened 11/13/1997; EW grade: A+
Lips Together, Teeth Apart — Drama Revival starring Megan Mullally and Patton Oswalt; opens 4/29/10
A Little Night Music — Musical Revival starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury; opened 12/13/09; EW grade: B+
Looped — Drama; opens 3/14/10
Mamma Mia! — Musical; opened 10/18/2001; EW grade: B+
Mary Poppins — Musical; opened 11/16/2009; EW grade: A-
Memphis — Musical; opened 10/19/2009; EW grade: C+
Million Dollar Quartet — Musical; opens 4/11/10
The Miracle Worker — Drama Revival starring Abigail Breslin; opens 3/3/10
Next Fall — Drama; opens 3/11/10
Next to Normal — Musical; opened 4/19/2009; EW grade: A
The Phantom of the Opera — Musical; opened 1/26/1988
Present Laughter — Comedy Revival starring Victor Garber; opened 1/21/2010; EW grade: B-
Promises, Promises — Musical Revival starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth; opens 4/25/10
Race — Drama starring James Spader and Kerry Washington; opened 12/6/2009; EW grade: C
Rock of Ages — Musical; opened 4/7/2009; EW grade: C+
Sondheim on Sondheim — Musical Revue; opens 4/22/10
South Pacific — Musical Revival; opened 4/3/2008; EW grade: A
Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark — Musical starring Alan Cumming and Evan Rachel Wood; opens 2010
Time Stands Still — Drama starring Laura Linney; opens 1/28/2010
A View From the Bridge— Drama Revival starring Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson; opens 1/24/2010
West Side Story — Musical Revival; opened 3/19/2009; EW grade: B
Wicked — Musical; opened 10/30/03; EW grade: B
OFF BROADWAY
Ages of the Moon— Drama starring Stephen Rea; opens 1/27/10 – 3/7/10
Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps — Comedy; reopens 3/25/10; EW grade: B+
Avenue Q — Musical; reopened 10/21/2009; EW grade: A
Blue Man Group — Special Performance; opened 11/11/1991
Circle Mirror Transformation — Drama; opened 12/15/09; EW grade: A
The Fantasticks — Musical Revival; opened 6/16/2008; EW grade: B+
Love, Loss, and What I Wore — Drama; opened 10/1/2009; EW grade: B+
The Orphans’ Home Cycle, Part I — Drama; opened 11/20/2009 – 3/25/10; EW grade: A-
The Orphan’s Home Cycle, Part II —Drama; opened 12/17/09 – 3/25/10; EW grade: B+
The Orphan’s Home Cycle, Part III — Drama; opens 1/26/10 – 3/25/10
Our Town — Drama Revival; opened 2/26/2009 – 3/14/10; EW grade: A-
Stomp — Special Performance; opened 2/27/1994
ELSEWHERE
The 101 Dalmatians Musical (National tour) — Musical; EW grade: B-
August: Osage County (National tour with Estelle Parsons) — Drama; EW grade: A
Brief Encounter (Minneapolis) — Drama With Music; 2/11/10 – 4/2/10; EW grade: A
Dreamgirls (National tour with Syesha Mercado) — Musical; EW grade: B+
Kà (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened November 2004; EW grade: A-
LOVE (Las Vegas) — Musical Revue; opened 8/24/2006; EW grade: A-
Mary Poppins (Los Angeles) — Musical; 11/13/2009 – 2/7/2010; EW grade: B
Mystere (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened 5/25/1993; EW grade: A
Palestine, New Mexico (Los Angeles) — Drama; opened 12/13/09 – 1/24/2010; EW grade: C+
The Pee-wee Herman Show (Los Angeles) — Comedy; opens 1/20/10; EW grade: B
O (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened October 1998; EW grade: A-
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family (National tour) — Drama with Music; opened 1/6/10
Zumanity (Las Vegas) — Special Performance; opened September 2003; EW grade: C
More Stage coverage from EW.com:
Photo credit: Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com