,41.416iwis Arts & Entertainment i-eet-rtd P Featuring Black Angus Beef, Rack of Lamb, King Crab Legs, and Pastas... all in a comfortable atmosphere. ALL DINNERS ARE 5-COURSE AND THEY INCLUDE: Soup, Salad, Sorbet, Entree, Choice of Starch & Desserts! DINNER AS LOW AS $ 9.95 Mention this ad & receive Lunch: 5 OFF Monday - Friday • 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Nickelodeon series' composers help bring TV's lovable dog to Detroit's Fox Theatre in a show introducing preschoolers to live theater. Dinner: Tuesday - Thursday • 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Friday - Saturday • 5pm - 1 Opm your total food bill (must have 2 or more. in you parry) (248) 706-3430 Reservations Encouraged SUZANNE CHESSLER 1302 W. Huron Rd., Waterford, MI 48327 Special to the Jewish News Breakfast, Lunch 8 Dinner Served 24 Hours A Day RAL a is Rom.® FAMILY RESTAURANT of Southfield Enjoy Our Homecooked Daily Dinner Specials 1 4 Morning Glory Breakfasts from $ 2.49 26200 W. 12 Mile Road Just E. of Northwestern (248) 353-3232 Maser C VISA 3-Egg Omelettes... $3.99 Monday-Friday 5 a.m. - 11 a.m. No Holiday or Senior Citizen Discounts on these Super Specials k", ko SC.M.W.VMV.k:eZ:S'ZakkMSSSMF.S:',::M'MSSM>IMMSSSN2ZRV:SS.M{MV.M.VBM\:MkWMViS:*XVMSSSMFsM'ME NE. YARD BARR-B THE PLACE rcqz RIBS Family Restaurant OPEN 7 DAYS -11 a.m. to 12 Mid. SLAB FOR 2 BBQ CHICKEN FOR 2 $2 OFF $2 OFF with or Without skin Includes: 2 Potatoes, 2 Slaws and 2 Garlic Breads Includes: 2 Potatoes, 2 Slaws and 2 Garlic Breads • 1 Coupon Per Older • Dine In or Cany-Out • Expires 6/15/02 JN • 1 Coupon Per Order • Dine In or Cany-Out • Expires 6/15/02 JN ORCHARD LAKE RD. SOUTH OF 14 • Farm. Hills • 851-7000 ggvairg,gt.i y ulcz. MORE THAN OMELETTES GEST OMELETTES Four Star Rating/Detroit News & Free Press **** Full Breakfast & Lunch Menu 1/2 OFF Purchase one entree • and receive 50% off second entree of equal or greater value gni 39560 Fourteen Mile Road 5/17 (248) 926-0717 2002 86 Iff ike Rubin and Nick Balaban barely knew each other when they teamed up to write the music for Blue's Clues, the popular pro- gram for preschoolers launched in 1996 and airing on Nickelodeon. But their expanding work time has tuned them into each other as well as the TV and stage productions of the award- winning series. In a creative sense, time has been an important benefit in writing the new music for Blues Clues Live! — Blue's Birthday Party, which comes to the Fox Theatre May 22-26. The duo can take more liberty with the clock. "When we're writing for television, we're usually given a lot of constraints because we're always squeezed for time," says Rubin, 38, who met his writing partner while working in a band. "If we get a minute and a half to do a song, ifs a lot. [But] there's very little restriction for theater." In the new touring stage production, Blue, the lovable blue dog, is having her birthday party with all of her friends — Tickety Tock, Slippery Soap, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Pepper and Steve, played for the first time by actor Roger Kraus. As these familiar cast members search for clues to discover what Blue wants for her birthday, there will be stage debuts of several new characters, such as next- door neighbor Periwinkle, best buddy Magenta and Baby Cinnamon. The TV series has a new character as well. While he'll make special appear- ances, the character of Steve has gone off to college, and since the end of April, Joe — Steve's younger brother — has been inviting young viewers into his computer-animated storybook to help him and Blue solve the day's puzzles in wide-ranging subjects. .Accent On the Interactive COUPON Not valid on Sunday and Holidays • Children's Menu • Non Smoking Go Blue! .. oitjewish n - etz, his de lt ' .04 .%4 The Blue's Clues mission is to chal- lenge and empower preschoolers while making them laugh. Blue's Birthday Party keeps up- with the audience interactivity found on television. Each child attending a per- formance receives a free notebook and crayon to follow along as Steve finds Blue's clues. "People may know the theme song that appears in every episode, but there is new music as well," explains Rubin, who tries to include sounds that represent all kinds of styles. "Sometimes, I wish that people knew and appreciated the artistry, imagination and creativity that go into moments of the show that appear only once. Our philosophy is to write music that we like and that adults would like. We try not to write down or talk down to kids." Balaban, 39, a pianist who studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, has appeared with various bands from pop to reggae. He caught the attention of Traci Paige Johnson, co-creator and co-executive producer of the Blue's Clues TV series, which has won Parents' Choice and Television Critics Association awards. "I did music for a couple of Traci's other shows, and she asked me to sub- mit a demo for Blue's Clues," Balaban recalls. "Mike had a studio at the time, and I knew that he and the studio could help create the kind of music that was needed for the show, which wanted real instruments playing organic grooves." Musical Backgrounds Rubin, a guitarist who conducted his high-school orchestra and choir, studied film at New York University and began scoring movies. Ultimately, he discovered that he enjoyed making music more than making films and started his own company, Murmur Music, in 1992, composing for independent cinema and TV commercials. "Nick and I prefer songwriting to scoring because there is more free- dom with songs," says Rubin, whose wife, the former Tamara Hanneman, was born in Ann Arbor and whose brother, David, earned his master's degree at Cranbrook.