B akery • cat e 6092 W. Maple at Fanya:rig g,tan Rd. V(248) ass 4354 (DELI) COUPON 50' OFF 4d ANY DELI SANDWICH WITH PURCHASE OF A SECOND DELI SANDWICH EQUAL OR GREATER VALUE Expires 4/26/02 ASK ABOUT OUR GREAT 14.95 ■1 ■ J FRIDAY HITE DINNER SPECIAL_ COMPLETE FOR THE MIRE FAMILY! SHIVA TRAYS & BASKETS •Dairy or Deli •Candy • Pastry•Nutsi Etc. FOR ALL OCCASIONS SEE OUR DISPLAYS OF CHEESES & HOMEMADE PASTRIES NI/; MON - FRI 6 :30 -7 • SAT 8-7 \/ /A S UN 8- 5 ti ,, PEN MOTHER'S DAY May 12t" • 3-8 pm Regular Menu MUSASHI JAPANESE CUISINE AND SUSHI BAR As- k about oar Sirtiulay Di,scowit • Catering Delivery • Private Room & Banquet Facilities • Open 7 days a week 4/19 2002 78 2000 Town Center (10 1/2 Mile & Evergreen) Southfield (248) 358-1911 h ttp ://www m u sash i-intl.com Emotional - Math "Proof;" about the search for an elusive mathematical equation, deals with issues of family, trust and relationships. ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER Special to the Jewish News A ctor Stephen Kunken, who co-stars in the road compa- ny production of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize- winning play Proof, has a very person- al connection to the show. Playwright David Auburn was Kunken's friend and classmate at the illustrious Juilliard School in New York City. Now, Kunken gets to travel across the country performing in his friend's critically acclaimed drama, which pre- mieres in Detroit at the Fisher Theatre April 23-May 12. Other members of the cast include Chelsea Altman, Robert Foxworth and Tasha Lawrence. When Auburn first presented Proof in a workshop, he cast Kunken as the young graduate student Hal, but the actor was under contract with another show at the time and couldn't get out of it. "But I watched the show blossom," Kunken recalls, and by the time Proof took Broadway by storm, he was free to take over as Ben Shenkman's understudy for the role of Hal, the part Kunken landed in the national touring production. "Proof is absolutely ter- rific, and I think it's amazing that it was writ- ten by a 30-year-old man," Kunken adds. The play is about a brilliant, yet mentally unstable, University of Chicago pro- fessor (Foxworth) who, before his death, is working on an esoteric mathematical equation. While coming to grips with the loss of the father she's taken care of, Catherine (Altman) yearns to put the pieces of the mathematical puzzle together. She asks Hal to search through the profes- sor's 103 notebooks of work. Meanwhile, Catherine's estranged sister, Claire (Lawrence), arrives, cre- ating sibling conflicts. And while examining the professor's work, Hal, who becomes romantically involved with Catherine, makes some fascinat- ing discoveries. Finally, Catherine must confront how much of her father's genius — or madness — she has inherited. Above: Chelsea Altman plays Catherine and Stephen Kunken is Hal in "Proof" playing at Detroit's Fisher Theatre April 23-May 12. Left: Veteran actor Robert Foxworth plays a brilliant mathematics professor in "Proof" Audience Reaction In preparing for the role, Kunken says, it wasn't essential he become proficient in math. "Although they brought in a mathematician to help us, the play is more about relationships, family, trust and issues that are close to all of us," he notes. The show, still running on Broadway with Jennifer Jason Leigh in the lead role, made its debut there in October 2000; the road company tour began in Seattle at the end of September 2001. The 16-city tour includes perform- ances in San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, New Haven, Boston, Baltimore and Minneapolis. Kunken says audience reactions vary from city to city. An Apple For Simon T he first "Apple Award," sponsored by the Nederlander Co. LLC and Wayne State University and named in honor of Sarah Applebaum Nederlander, will be presented to ven- erable playwright Neil Simon April 24 at Detroit's Fisher Theatre during a black-tie gala event. The award con- sists of $10,000 and a crystal apple. The evening festivities include a pre-show reception with Simon, the presentation of the award and the evening performance of Proof. As part of the award, Simon will share his experiences with students of WSU's Department of Theatre earlier in the day. The Apple Award will be presented annually to a nationally recognized theater professional. Proceeds from the evening gala will benefit the Sarah Applebaum Nederlander Award for Excellence in Theatre, a visiting fund for WSU's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts. The . event, which is open to the public, was postponed from last November due to Simon's back sur- gery. Tickets range from $250-$400 for the event and the play. For more information about the benefit or to order tickets, call (313) 577-1458.