PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 7, 2011

 

That’s My Anniversary...Don’t Wear It Out!

 

IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT

CELEBRATES THE 25^TH ANNIVERSARY OF

PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE WITH THE RELEASE OF

THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW ON BROADWAY

 

 

CHATSWORTH, CA – Image Entertainment, Inc. (OTCQB: DISK) has acquired the home entertainment rights to THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW ON BROADWAY and will be releasing it on Blu-ray™ and DVD in the fall in honor of the 25^th Anniversary of Pee-wee’s Playhouse.  Opening to critical acclaim at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Nov. 11, 2010, “The Pee-wee Herman Show” is 90 minutes of subversive humor and childlike wonder based on both Reubens’ original stage show, “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” and the Emmy®-winning Saturday morning TV show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” which became a cultural phenomenon.  The New York Times called the new Broadway show “yummier than chocolate,” New York Magazine said, “Welcome back, Pee-wee!  You were sorely missed,” and the New York Post noted, “The audience screams for joy!”  The announcement was made by Image Entertainment’s Chief Acquisition Officer, Bill Bromiley.

 

“We’re jumping for joy to bring Pee-wee and his fabled playhouse to his vast audience via Blu-ray™ and DVD,” stated Bromiley.  “Image has a long history as the premiere video distributor of filmed Broadway productions including Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Company, Oklahoma!, and Fosse.   Pee-wee’s triumphant Broadway visit is sure to be a collector’s item.”

 

“Image Entertainment has had a long relationship with Pee-wee Herman and the genius behind the character, Paul Reubens,” said Garrett Lee, Senior Vice President of Product Development for Image Entertainment. “We’re thrilled to be adding Paul’s Broadway debut to our existing Pee-wee Herman catalog of titles, including ‘The Pee-wee Herman Show – Live at The Roxy Theater’ and ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse – The Complete Collection.’”

 

The Broadway production of “The Pee-wee Herman Show” stars (in order of appearance):  Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, Lexy Fridell (the voices of Chairry and Magic Screen), John Moody (Mailman Mike), Drew Powell (Bear), John Paragon (Jambi), Jesse Garcia (Sergio), Phil LaMarr (Cowboy Curtis), Lynne Marie Stewart (Miss Yvonne), Lance Roberts (King of Cartoons) and Josh Meyers (Firefighter). 

 

THE PEE-WEE HERMAN SHOW ON BROADWAY reunites Paul Reubens and Marty Callner, who directed this new HBO special and the 1981 HBO original “The Pee-wee Herman Show.”  Callner’s previous HBO credits include comedy specials starring Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, George Carlin and Robin Williams.

 

Credits for the Broadway presentation of “The Pee-wee Herman Show”:  production created and conceived by Paul Reubens; written by Paul Reubens and Bill Steinkellner; additional material by John Paragon (based on the original “The Pee-wee Herman Show” by Paul Reubens, Bill Steinkellner, Phil Hartman, John Paragon, Edie McClurg, John Moody, Lynne Marie Stewart, Ivan Flores, Brian Seff, Monica Ganas, Tito Larriva); music by Jay Cotton; directed by Alex Timbers; production design by David Korins (based on the original “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” production design by Gary Panter); makeup design by Cristina Waltz (based on the original “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” by Ve Neill); and costume design by Ann Closs-Farley

 

Pee-wee Herman is experiencing a remarkable renaissance, with enormous followings on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.  Renowned writer-director-producer Judd Apatow recently announced that he and Reubens are developing a new feature film based on the character.

 

Paul Reubens’ other credits include the TV series “30 Rock,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Reno 911!,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Family Guy” and “Murphy Brown” (which earned him an Emmy® nomination), and the feature films “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985),” “Pee-wee’s Big Top,” “Mystery Men,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Blow,” “Life During Wartime,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and the upcoming “Nailed.”

 

ABOUT IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT

Image Entertainment, Inc. is a leading independent licensee and distributor of entertainment programming in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 340 exclusive CD titles in domestic release and more than 450 programs internationally via sublicense agreements. For many of its titles, the Company has exclusive audio and broadcast rights, as well as digital download rights to over 2,100 video programs and approximately 400 audio titles containing more than 6,000 individual tracks. The Company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California. For more information about Image Entertainment, Inc., please go to www.image-entertainment.com.

 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Scott Barton

SPPR, Inc.

media@image-entertainment.com