‘Blue’s Clues’ Unplugged

Nickelodeon’s hit television program “Blue’s Clues” is emblematic of the high-tech world that even preschoolers interact with today. The acclaimed educational series places one live character in a predominately computer-animated setting.

But when the cable channel decided to expand its engaging TV series into a stage show, it opted to go low-tech in its production philosophy. Instead of staging a hip multimedia show, the series’ producers decided to create an old-fashioned theater program full of live costumed characters and colorfully traditional stage sets.

It’s a decision Nickelodeon hasn’t regretted. The network said “Blue’s Clues Live!” has been wowing families ever since it hit the road last fall. This Wednesday through Sunday, the show comes to the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Segerstrom Hall.

“It’s like a Beatles concert,” said director-playwright Gip Hoppe. “The kids just go nuts over it. The great thing about it, too, is that it’s not unbearable for adults. I’ve had so many adults tell me that they take their kids to these kinds of shows and all they do is go, ‘Oh God, I hope it’s over soon,’ even if their kid is enjoying it.”

Hoppe believes the allure of “Blue’s Clues Live!” lies in tried-and-true theatrical values that can’t be topped by state-of-the-art technology: quality storytelling, involving characters and creatively wrought stage sets and costumes.

“I wanted children to have a theatrical experience that was somewhat low-tech, just because that’s where imagination rules in my theater,” said Hoppe, a veteran theater director and writer who’s new to children’s drama. “So there are things like Kabuki drops, a scenic delivery system that’s centuries old where things drop in [from above]. It’s all done imaginatively.”

The stage presentation parallels the television series. A question is posed at the top of the show. Steve, the host of “Blue’s Clues,” and his faithful dog, Blue, then lead the audience on an educational journey to answer the question. The live show also involves familiar characters from the television program like Tickety Tock, Slippery Soap and Mr. Salt and Mrs. Pepper.

The stage presentation asks the question “What is the most spectacular place on earth?” Steve and Blue--who has been transformed from a computer-animated TV character into a live costumed canine--travel to Storybook Forest and outer space in search of this most magical place. During this journey, kids learn about such matters as classic storybook characters and the planets.

Three clues to the show’s main question are offered during the hourlong program. (There is also a 15-minute intermission.) Kids are given notebooks in which to draw their clues like mini-sleuths compiling evidence.

“Blues Clues Live!” is also interactive. Children are invited to shout out answers to certain questions posed during the show.

“It’s so much fun” when the kids voice their answers, said Angela C. Santomero, the co-author of “Blue’s Clues Live” and the co-creator and head writer for the television series. “I get the goose-bumps every single time I go see it. It’s so amazing, especially in the sections where they identify the planets and solar system. Kids are screaming out, ‘Mars is the red one!’ It’s really nice.”

Santomero said the stage show also contains humor specifically geared for adults and compelling theatrical effects, such as a dramatic snow scene, that can appeal to all viewers.

She also said the show’s young viewers haven’t minded that the Steve onstage isn’t the same Steve they see on television. For fans of the TV series, it might be hard to imagine anyone but Steve Burns playing the host. Coming across like an overgrown kid in his trademark green striped shirt, Burns brings a likable innocence and slightly mischievous charm to the TV show.

It is logistically impossible for Burns to take part in the television and stage versions of “Blue’s Clues.” But Santomero and Hoppe rave about the job Thomas Mizer is doing as the stage version of Steve. An experienced children’s stage actor, Mizer knows how to relate to a theater full of kids.

“We researched a lot of actors in that role just to see how kids would respond to them,” Santomero said. “We think we’ve found the right person. Tom is a wonderful, smart actor who had worked in an environment where kids are screaming back to him, and he has to improvise and play to the kids in the very last row. He’s really quite good. But we also make it clear to the parents that this isn’t the same Steve their kids see on television.”

Hoppe said Mizer is also an accomplished singer and dancer. “Blue’s Clues Live!” includes several big musical numbers. “It’s like Broadway for preschoolers,” he said with a chuckle.

“Blue’s Clues” was launched in September 1996. It’s the most watched preschool show on U.S. television, reaching 50% of all preschoolers who watch TV. Every week more than 30 million viewers, including 5.7 million moms and 6.6 million preschoolers, tune in. The program airs weekdays at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Because children like repetition and make new observations with each viewing, the same two episodes are broadcast five days a week.

Santomero, who has a master’s degree in developmental child psychology from Columbia University, is extremely proud that “Blue’s Clues” is seen by many parents and educators as a valuable learning program for preschoolers.

She said the stage show features the same educational intent. For example, kids attending the live program are asked to place popular storybook characters such as the Three Little Pigs into correct settings.

“We focus on a cognitive thinking skills curriculum, which means everything we do and every theme that we present is all based in problem-solving,” Santomero said.

“We base that bigger picture on specific matching skills, labeling skills, identifying, putting three clues together and cognitively relating it back to the question at hand. Another big curriculum we have is empowerment and giving kids a reason to believe in themselves.”

* “Blue’s Clues Live!,” Wednesday through Sunday at Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Wednesday, 7 p.m.; Thursday, 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. $16.50, $21.50 and $29.50. (714) 556-ARTS.