HBO has announced that it will shoot a special performance of The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway (see “Pee-Wee on Broadway”) for airing on the network in 2011.  The Pee-Wee Herman Show will end its limited six-week engagement at the Stephen Sondheim Theater on January 2nd; HBO will shoot a performance immediately following the conclusion of the engagement. 

HBO aired a special taped from Paul Rubens’ original Pee-Wee stage show in 1981.  It was directed by Marty Callner, who will also direct the 2011 special. 

Rubens’ revival of his character continues to follow the path of its launch 30 years ago, which began as a stage show that was made into an HBO special.  It remains to be seen whether Rubens can also engineer the transition to feature film and TV series that made the character a household word in the 80s.