VOICEBOX with David Coury

What Is Pee-wee

February 5th, 2010

Pee-wee’s voice in his heyday had a nasal quality combined with a goofy plaint, a technique the character’s creator Paul Reubens executed to great effect. He, Paul, was a smoker back in the day which now only highlights the fact that the actor had an uncanny ability to slip into Pee- wee speak without issue. So what happened? Why is Pee-wee’s voice lower in tone and rougher these days? Is this an artistic choice? Is it unconscious, sub-conscious? Certainly Reubens has reviewed his recent TV appearances. Paul Reubens, the man, has been through it. This much is true. And Reubens hasn’t ever really come out in public and talked about his 1996 arrest and fall from grace. He never had that release. Is part of his voice then, Pee-wee’s voice, actually buried because the self-imposed “hiding”? One thing is clear, Paul Reubens physical voice needs to be stretched, exercised. By vocalizing daily in his higher tones and working the breath for support, the voice would be lifted and he’d have access to “heyday” Pee-wee. This new, exercised voice would still retain a bit of its sobered color that’s been on display on TV recently as well in the live show running at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, but would have an apparent joy vs. this sense of sadness. Reubens has to want to have that joy. His going public now is the very search for and celebration of joy. Adding voice work into his play house regimen would release that goofy plaint and color it with a “wisdom” Reubens has acquired over the years. Very hip. Why go back anyway? Not suggesting he try to capture what was. Only capture what is.

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